Al-Wafa bi Asma al-Nisa
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 Arabic cover | |
| Author | Akram Nadwi |
|---|---|
| Language | Arabic |
| Subject | Hadith studies |
| Genre | Biography |
| Publisher | Dar al-Minhaj |
Publication date | 2021 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| ISBN | 9789953620077 |
| OCLC | 1252541014 |
| 920.71 | |
| Website | alsalam.ac.uk |
| An introductory note in English for the book Al-Muhaddithat, released in 2007 | |
Al-Wafa bi Asma al-Nisa (Arabic: الوفاء بأسماء النساء, romanized: al-wafāʿ bi-ʿasmāʿ an-nisāʿ, lit. 'Loyalty with the Names of Women') is a 43-volume Arabic biographical compendium that documents the lives of women who participated in the narration of hadiths or played crucial roles in their dissemination. Authored by Akram Nadwi, the work took two decades to compile and is recognized as the largest work in its genre, with over 10,000 entries.[1][2] Initially intended for release in Morocco, the compendium eventually found publication through Dar al-Minhaj in Jeddah in January 2021. The English translation of its preface, titled Al-Muhaddithat, was first introduced in 2007. This work highlights the often-overlooked role of women, and examines the status of women in Islam, focusing on their roles, authority, and responsibilities in religious contexts.
The work is composed of forty-three volumes. The first volume introduces details of hadiths with a focus on women narrators, while volume two examines the women of the Prophet's household. Subsequent volumes detail female Companions (3–10), Tabi'un (11–13) and scholars (14–42) chronologically by centuries. Volume 43 shifts to modern scholars, including some that are still active.[3] The book prioritizes factual biography over analysis, and attempts to take a global perspective by including female hadith scholars beyond the Middle East. Biographical entries vary in depth, with the most extensive exceeding two hundred pages and emphasizing corrections to works of other, primarily male, scholars.[3] The compilation is derived from documents such as class registers and ijazahs, which feature women granting men the authority to teach. It also uses commendations from 'ulema who have been taught by women.[1]