Sayedaty
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Transcript
This transcript was auto-generated using AI and may contain misspellings. As-salamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. And welcome back to another episode of Sayyidati, in which we discuss the lives of some incredible Muslim women throughout history. Today I want to share the story of a scholar and mathematician, Suteyt al-Muhammadi. She lived during the 10th century in Baghdad and was the daughter of the famous judge, Abu Abdullah al-Husayn. I mention this because in a lot of sources you might find her under the title of the daughter of al-Husayn al-Muhammadi, or bint al-Muhammadi. Her uncle was also a prominent hadith scholar, and her son eventually became a judge as well. According to al-Dhahabi's biographical collection, Suteyta was not only a scholar, but also a jurist and mufti. That's quite a full plate right there. She was taught and guided by a handful of scholars, including her father. Plus, a lot of scholars recalled that she was among the most knowledgeable scholars of fiqh, and famous historians like al-Baghdadi and ibn al-Jawzi praised her expertise. Ibn Kathir, for example, states that she was among the most knowledgeable people of her time in regard to the Jaf'i school of law, and she issued fatwas in this madhhab alongside Sheikh Abu Ali, the son of Abu Hurayra, the famous companion. He even goes on to say that she was honorable and very generous, and a person who would rush to carry out good deeds. Besides the fact that she was an incredible scholar, Suteyta's fame really stems from her expertise in mathematics. For one, she was an expert in ilm al-fara'il, or the science of inheritance shares. Now, if any of you are not familiar with that, it's pretty complicated figuring out how much each cousin and sister and son receive according to Islamic law when someone passes away. So that science is a math in and of itself. It's also mentioned that she invented solutions to equations cited by other mathematicians, which demonstrate her skills and aptitude in algebra. She wasn't simply solving problems, she was creating solutions. Her knowledge in math was so impressive that she was the go-to person for all the scholars in Baghdad when they couldn't solve a mathematical problem.
Imagine that, a female genius in the science of religion and mathematics whose scholars and people of the community looked to for advice and sound knowledge. There was no hesitation involved whatsoever because she was a female. Her scholarship is what defined her. There are a lot of lessons that we can take away from the accomplishments of Sutaita. As a self-identified nerd, I'm obsessed not only with Sutaita's knowledge in religion, but the fact that she went beyond that as well to be a scholar in another field. On top of that, she didn't even limit herself to simply being a student of knowledge or even a scholar. She was out there working in the fields. As a mufti, she was dealing with day-to-day problems of the community. She was interacting with her society at a basic level and serving as an example of leadership, knowledge, and good character. And when it came to math, solving problems didn't suffice her. Again, she pushed herself beyond what was expected by being an innovator in her field and an authority amongst all the other scholars. This is your opportunity to think about the life of Sutaita and challenge your own expectations. Don't limit yourself to studying one field over another. Run after knowledge wherever you can find it. And in pursuit of scholarship, remember that Sutaita's knowledge was defined by her good character. The two come hand in hand. Without the characteristics of respect, generosity, humility, amongst so many others, your knowledge will have served you nothing. So push through your workloads, read a book on a topic you've never read before, and challenge your limits of knowledge. رَبَّنَا زِنَّ عِلْمًا وَإِخْلَاصًا May Allah increase us in our knowledge and our sincerity, and may He grant us the desire for knowledge that Sutaita, rahmatullahi alayhi, have personified. Jazakumullah khayran. We'll see you next time.
Asalaamu alaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.
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