The Muslim woman is obligated to seek knowledge and refine her character, provided this pursuit remains within the bounds of her faith and its ethical framework.
Islam has guaranteed her full human rights, safeguarding her from all sides to compensate for her natural vulnerabilities. It has established her honor and dignity as a daughter, wife, and mother—the stages she traverses in life. Islam has designated for her the role ordained by her innate disposition, which is the noblest of human responsibilities, indeed the very essence of humanity at its foundational level. It has granted her material and spiritual rights unmatched by any divine law or human legislation.
Just as it mandates learning for men, Islam equally obligates women to acquire knowledge, for it holds them accountable to the same duties, and duties cannot be fulfilled without knowledge. It has enjoined both men and women to maintain harmonious companionship, which thrives only through understanding. Islam has appointed the woman as the nurturer of progeny, the one who instills virtuous qualities in them, and the caretaker who tends to their growth and refinement—all of which require knowledge. If even the cultivation of bees or silkworms demands expertise, how much more essential is knowledge for nurturing human beings?
An ignorant woman exhausts her husband, corrupts her children, and undermines the entire community.
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From al-Bashīr al-Ibrāhīmī’s Al-Āthār, 4/49-50