Center for Multi-cultural Studie

In 2021, due to the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, the world once again focuses on the Islamic world. The discussion on the status of women in Islam is undoubtedly an important part. Overall, Western society criticizes the discrimination of women in the Islamic world and their unequal status in community. However, in the history of Islam, famous female figures abound. Among them, A'ishah, the wife of the Prophet, and Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet, are the most famous. The former is respectly called by Sunni Muslims as the "Mother of Islam" (Umm al-Islam), and the latter is often titled by Muslims as "al-Zahrā' (the most luminous), and her status in Shia Islam is far exceeds the other significant women.

Farimah was the only surviving daughter of the Prophet when he have passed away. She was also the wife of the first Shia Imam, Ali, and the only woman among the 14 Shia "ma'sums". Therefore, Fatimah has a unique importance and status in Shia Islam. Moreover, Iran now has a memorial song about Fatimah, showing that from Shia religious scholars to folks, Fatimah’s "holiness" has long been a common consensus.

As an Iranian, Professor Mahmud is familiar with the Shia Islamic tradition in Iran. Fatimah’s holiness is often the focus of piety in religious ceremonies. It is also because of her connection that there is no one above Ali’s religious status except the Prophet. The speech analyzes the origin and historical development of Fatimah’s sacred status from historical materials, the Koran, Hadith, and Shari’ah, and discusses the social and religious status of women in the Islamic ideological system, and derives the path of gender research in Islam.