The Meaning of the Deficiency of Intellect and Religion in Women

Q: We constantly hear the noble hadith and some men use it to insult women. We ask you, Your Eminence, to clarify the meaning of this hadith.

A: The meaning of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him): It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the deficiency of her intellect? He said: It was said: O Messenger of Allah, what is the deficiency of her religion? He said: .
He (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that the deficiency of her intellect is due to the weakness of her memory, and that her testimony is completed by the testimony of another woman; this is to ensure the accuracy of testimony because she may forget, thereby adding to or subtracting from the testimony, as the Exalted said: the verse [al-Baqarah: 282].
As for the deficiency of her religion, it is because during menstruation and post-natal bleeding she leaves off the prayer and leaves off fasting, and she does not make up the prayer. This is part of the deficiency of religion, but this deficiency is not a basis for blame; rather, it is a deficiency established by the legislation of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) , He is the One who legislated it out of mercy for her and to make things easy for her, because if she fasts while menstruating or with post-natal bleeding, it would harm her. So out of the mercy of Allah, He legislated for her to leave off fasting during menstruation and post-natal bleeding and to make it up afterwards.
As for the prayer, during menstruation there is found in her what prevents ritual purity, so out of the mercy of Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), He legislated for her to leave off the prayer, and likewise during post-natal bleeding. Then He legislated for her that she does not make it up, because making it up involves great hardship; for the prayer is repeated five times a day and night, and the days of menstruation may be many, reaching seven days or eight days or more, and post-natal bleeding may reach forty days. So it was from the mercy of Allah for her and His kindness to her that He waived the prayer for her, both in its performance and its making up. And this does not imply that her intellect is deficient in every matter, and that her religion is deficient in every matter.
Rather, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) explained that the deficiency of her intellect is from the side of what may occur regarding the lack of precision in testimony, and the deficiency of her religion is from the side of what occurs for her regarding leaving off the prayer and fasting during menstruation and post-natal bleeding. And this does not imply that she is also inferior to the man in every matter, and that the man is better than her in every matter. Yes, the male species is better than the female species in general for many reasons, as Allah the Exalted and Majestic said: [al-Nisa: 34]. But she may surpass him in some matters in many things. How many women are there for Allah who are above many men in their intellect, their religion, and their precision? And it was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the female species is below the male species in intellect and in religion from these two aspects which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explained.
And she may have many righteous deeds, so she may surpass many men in her righteous work, in her mindfulness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and in her rank in the Hereafter. And she may have concern for some matters, so she may be very precise, more precise than some men in many issues she concerns herself with and strives to memorize and master, so she may be a reference in Islamic history and in many matters. And this is clear to anyone who reflects on the conditions of women in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and after that.
And by this it is known that this deficiency does not prevent relying on her in narration, and likewise in testimony, since it is completed by another woman. And it does not prevent her mindfulness of Allah and her being among the best of the servants of Allah and among the best of the female slaves of Allah if she is upright in her religion, even if fasting is waived for her during menstruation and post-natal bleeding in performance but not in making up, and even if the prayer is waived for her in performance and making up. For this does not imply her deficiency in every matter from the side of her mindfulness of Allah, from the side of her carrying out His command, and from the side of her precision in what she concerns herself with. So it is a specific deficiency in intellect and religion as explained by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So it is not befitting for the believer to accuse her of deficiency in every matter and weakness of religion in every matter. Rather, it is a specific weakness in her religion, and a weakness in her intellect regarding the precision of testimony and the like. It should be clarified, and the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) should be understood on the best and most beautiful of interpretations. And Allah the Exalted knows best.