On the Hadith of Women Being “Deficient in Intellect”

One of the most controversial narrations in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī states that women are deficient in intellect. The late Zaydī scholar Murtadā al-Muḥaṭwarī (d. 1436 AH), may Allah reward him with Paradise, criticized this purported narration of the Prophet ﷺ, saying:

“The said narration does not agree with the Qur’an and the intellect according to the principles of the Zaydī madhhab.

As for the Qur’an, Allah says:
‘And the believing men and believing women are guardians one to another. They command the good and forbid the evil. They establish the prayer and render the purification dues, and they obey Allah and His Messenger. And Allah shall have mercy upon them. Verily, Allah is Almighty and Most-Wise.’ — (Surat al-Tawba 9:71).

If women were weak and deficient in the absolute sense, they would not be held responsible for commanding the good and forbidding the evil in the same way as men.

As for the intellect, they are similar to men without any differences except in femininity.”

Reference

📕 — Murtadā al-Muḥaṭwarī (d. 1436 AH), annotation on Imam al-Hādī’s Kitāb al-Aḥkām fī al-Ḥalāl wa al-Ḥarām, p. 126.