The Issue of Consultation with Women According to the Qur’ān

Kur’ân-ı Kerîm’de ve Hz. Peygamber’in uygulamalarında kadınlarla istişarenin önemine dönük birçok âyet ve nebevî uygulama vardır. Hz. Peygamber’in vefatından sonra yönetime gelen râşit halifelerin de ilgili meselelerde kadınlarla istişare ettiklerine dair birçok rivayet tarihi kaynaklarda mevcuttur. Bununla birlikte kadınların çoğu zaman yönetim mekanizmasından uzak tutulması ve yönetimde temsil haklarının yeterince sağlanamaması sonucu, kadınların istişare hukuku zamanla zafiyete uğramıştır. Kur’an ve sünnette kadınlarla istişare ile ilgili hiçbir olumsuz hüküm ve beyan yoktur. Fakat bazı rivayet kaynaklarında zikredilen ‘kadınlarla istişare edin sonra onların dediğinin aksini yapın’’ gibi rivayetler, geleneksel toplum katmanlarında daha yoğun görünmüş ve kadınların toplumda alması gereken etkinlik sahasına bir yönüyle engel olmuştur. Konu ile ilgili yapılan literatür taramalarında kadınlarla istişareyi inceleyen müstakil bilimsel çalışmalara rastlanmamıştır. Bu durumun muhtemelen başat sebebi, kadınların tarihi süreçte yönetim mekanizmasında çoğu zaman yer alamaması ve bunun sonucu olarak da istişare müessesesinde yeterince yer edinememeleri olarak gözükmektedir. Çalışmada, Kur’ân-ı Kerîm’in kadınlarla istişare konusuna yaklaşımı inceleme konusu yapılmış ve aynı şekilde Kur’an’ın ilk ve en önemli temsilcisi olan Hz. Peygamber’in bu husustaki uygulamalarına dikkat çekilmeye çalışılmıştır.

The phenomenon of shūrā is a method known in nearly all societies, although its implementation varies from time to time. Historians state that practices of shūrā existed among the Arabs prior to the advent of Islam, similar to many other historical societies.Shūrā is generally practiced and observed within political and administrative contexts. It can be said that this situation arises from the difficulty of making large and risky administrative decisions. Consequently, regardless of the form of government, influential rulers of the states have placed great importance on shūrā and benefited from the shūrā mechanism for their decisions. The necessity of consultation in social life is also stated in the Holy Qur’ān. In this regard, The Prophet was commanded to consult others in his affairs. Consultation among believers regarding their matters is also appreciated by the Qur’ān, which indicates the necessity of consultation. Since the shūrā is mostly related to the administrative mechanisms, which have been male dominated, women have been excluded from both administrative affairs and shūrā practices throughout history. In the pre-Islamic Arabian society, there were very strict traditional practices regarding the exclusion of women from consultation. These practices have been strengthened with discourses such as “those who consult women in general will lose and those who follow women's judgement have no sense.” Islam, which declared war on the Arabian ignorance, criticized and eliminated all practices that were contrary to human dignity. In this regard, one of the practices that Islam changed was ancient practices and views asserting that women should not be consulted and their opinions are not trusted. There is no negative statement about consulting with women in the Holy Qur’ān. On the contrary, the Qur’ān has emphasized that decisions on important matters within the family should be taken with the consultation of the parents (men and women), such as weaning the child. The introduction of this provision is one of the most important changes made by the Qur’ān in Arabic society, where a statement as "Whoever obeys the mind of a woman is destroyed" is accepted without any doubt. Due to its special style, the Holy Qur’ān gives several of its messages through narratives and protagonists, highlighting both positive and negative aspects of the subjects discussed. In this context, the story of Belkis (Queen of Sheba), whose story is mentioned in the Surah al-Naml, is a significant illustration that shows the Qur’ānic perspective on women. In this story, the Qur’ān praises the attitudes of a historical female leader and rejects established assumptions such as a woman can not hold positions of authority or be trusted in the judgement. One of the messages given in the story is that the female ruler acts with consultation in her governance and was right in her decisions. This narrative undermines the prevalent rejection of women's consultative roles. Another example regarding consultation with women in the Holy Qur’ān is found interactions between the Prophet Shuʿayb and his daughters. According to the story, Prophet Shuʿayb accepts the advice of his daughter concerning the employment of Moses and acted accordingly. Despite these representations, the practices recommended by the Holy Qur’ān have not been fully realized throughout history, and the acceptance of women's consultation within many societies remains incomplete. As discussed in this study, various discourses and fabricated narrations that contradict the clear directives and endorsements found in the Qur’ān have emerged within Muslim communities. Among these is the popular saying, "engage in shura with women, then do the opposite of what they say" which can be found in religious texts considered acceptable by many Muslims. However, according to Islamic teachings, the primary authorities are the Holy Qur’ān and the authentic Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet Muhammad). Both sources lack negative examples or expressions regarding the consultation of women. Resistance to consulting competent women in Muslim societies appears to stem from local and cultural influences rather than religious doctrine, as there are no explicit or implicit prohibitions against such practices within the verses of the Holy Qur’ān.