The Doubt Some missionaries, when they hear a Muslim woman speaking publicly about religion, object by saying: “The Messenger of Islam said: A woman’s voice is ‘awrah (shameful)…” — and similar claims are repeated as though they are established Islamic teachings.
First: No Such Hadith Exists
The Response Not a single hadith exists in which the Prophet ﷺ said that a woman’s voice is ‘awrah. This fabricated claim reflects the extent of the missionaries’ dishonesty, their sick imagination, and their willingness to attribute falsehoods to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. Anyone is welcome to search the hadith collections — they will find no such narration. The claim is invented.
Second: The Mothers of the Believers Taught Men — History Refutes the Claim
The Mothers of the Believers taught people — including men — and not a single Companion, Follower, or scholar ever said that a woman’s voice is ‘awrah in the manner the objectors claim. History proves that women filled the earth with knowledge. The greatest example is Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who occupies second place among all narrators of the Prophet’s hadiths ﷺ.
Scholar Testimonies on Aisha’s Knowledge
Imam al-Zuhri “If the knowledge of Aisha were collected alongside the knowledge of all the Mothers of the Believers, and the knowledge of all women… Aisha’s knowledge would have been greater.”
‘Ata’ ibn Abi Rabah “Aisha was the most knowledgeable of people, the most learned of people, and the best of people in opinion among the common people.”
Abu Musa al-Ash’ari “Whenever a matter was unclear to us and we asked Aisha about it, we found knowledge of it with her.”
Masruq “I saw the elders of the great Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ asking her about the inheritance laws.”
‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr “I have not seen anyone more knowledgeable in jurisprudence, medicine, or poetry than Aisha.”
Abu al-Zinad “Nothing happened to her except that she recited poetry about it.” She was a poet of very high memory, intelligent and perceptive, quoting more than two thousand hadiths from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Broader Historical Evidence The same was true of other wives of the Prophet ﷺ. Lady Nafisah, who lived in Egypt, used to issue fatwas and teach the sciences — they said about her: “the preciousness of knowledge.” Women used to come to the Prophet ﷺ, ask him questions, and pledge allegiance to him directly. Not a single Companion, Follower, or scholar from all the generations of Islam ever said what the objectors claim. The historical record is unambiguous.
Third: What Islam Actually Says — Submissive Speech, Not the Voice Itself
The Actual Islamic Ruling What Islam prohibits is not a woman’s voice itself — it is speaking in a deliberately soft, alluring, or submissive manner specifically intended to attract men or provoke desire. Allah the Almighty said:
Quran 33:32 — Al-Ahzab “O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women. If you fear Allah, then do not be submissive in speech, lest he in whose heart is disease should covet. And speak an appropriate word.”
The Tafsir al-Muyassar explains: “O wives of the Prophet — you are not in virtue and status like other women, if you act in obedience to Allah and stay away from His disobedience. So do not speak to strangers in a soft voice that might tempt he in whose heart is immorality and disease into unlawful desire. This is an etiquette obligatory upon every woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day — and speak a word that is far from suspicion, that is not denied by the Shari’ah.”
This understanding was held by the scholars of the Ummah, past and present, without known opposition.
The Scholarly Consensus
From Sharh Bulugh al-Maram, Book of Hajj (1/12) “A woman’s voice is not ‘awrah, because women spoke to the Prophet ﷺ, and there are many hadiths in which women spoke to the Prophet ﷺ and to the Companions — this is a well-known matter in the Sunnah. A person can cite a few hundred hadiths in which women are mentioned speaking in the presence of men. However, what was forbidden is speaking in a submissive manner, as in the verse: ‘O wives of the Prophet, you are not like any other women. If you fear Allah, then do not speak in a submissive manner, lest he in whose heart is a disease should be moved with desire.’ The basic principle is that it is permissible for men to speak to women if necessary.”
The Majority View Across All Four Schools Scholars differed slightly on this question, but the following is clear: what is indicated by the apparent meaning of the Quran and Sunnah is that a woman’s voice is not ‘awrah — and this is the view of the majority of scholars. It is the most correct view according to the Hanafis, the accepted view according to the Malikis, and the school of thought according to the Shafi’is and Hanbalis.
All of this applies as long as there is no doubt or desire in the speech. As for listening to a woman’s voice purely out of enjoyment and desire, that is a separate issue — because the Prophet ﷺ said: “The ears commit adultery by listening” (narrated by Muslim, No. 2657, on the authority of Abu Hurayrah RA).
Fourth: The Bible Is the One That Silences Women
The Real Problem Lies in Their Own Scripture What is surprising and remarkable is that the very thing the missionaries falsely attribute to Islam is explicitly stated in their own holy book — attributed to Paul the Apostle — who actually forbade women from ever speaking in churches.
1 Corinthians 14:34–36 “Let your women keep silence in the churches, for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to be submissive, as the law also says. But if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home, for it is shameful for a woman to speak in the church. Or did the word of God go out from you? Or is it over with you alone?”
1 Timothy 2:11–12 “Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.”
The Contrast Could Not Be Clearer Islam did not differentiate between men and women in learning and speaking — as the entire history of Muslim women scholars, narrators of hadith, and teachers of jurisprudence demonstrates. Women asked the Prophet ﷺ questions directly, narrated thousands of hadiths, taught male Companions, and issued fatwas — none of this was ever called shameful by any Muslim scholar.
But according to the words of Paul the Apostle: women should not learn, should not speak, should not teach, and should not have authority over a man. The word “shameful” is used in the Bible itself — not in any hadith of the Prophet ﷺ.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
This article is part of the KufrCleaner Dawah Library — Women in Islam series.