Recommended listening: Traditional Persian Music
Story
I heard my father mention Karīma, saying, "Have you ever seen anyone like Karīma?"
From Toledo to Baghdad, from Persia to Yemen, one woman in the 11th century had a reputation that spanned the entirety of the Islamic world. Her name was Karīma bint Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Marwaziyya: Karīma, the daughter of Ahmad son of Muhammad, of the city of Merv. Born in Merv in the heart of Islamic Persia, Karīma grew up in the midst of an incredible scholarly network. After the Arab conquest of Persia, cities such as Merv transformed into centres of Islamic learning layered on top of the riches of its Persian cultural heritage. The elegant and cultured city attracted scholars from all over the Islamic world and beyond, including immigrants from Christendom and Central Asia. They all came together to study in its magnificent libraries and participate in one of the greatest knowledge exchanges in the medieval world.
One of these scholars was Karīma's teacher, al-Kushmīhanī. Al-Kushmīhanī was a scholar of hadīth, the collections of sayings about the Prophet's life that formed an important addition to the Islamic scriptures. While the authority of the Quran was absolute, the hadīths have historically occupied a more turbulent place in Islamic teaching. The collections were first made by interviewing people who had known the Prophet or people in his circle. Scholars debated for centuries exactly how reliable different hadīths were and how Islamic law should be extrapolated from them. By Karīma's time, however, the hadīth collections had come to be more widely accepted and were regularly used in developing laws, theology, and other religious pursuits. Al-Kushmīhanī was the master of one particular collection, the Sahīh of al-Bukhārī. He had learned it from Abū 'Abd Allāh al-Firabirī, who had heard it from al-Bukhārī himself. When it came to hadīth, having such a short isnād, or chain of transmission from the original compiler, was a premium quality in a scholar.
Karīma faithfully learned the Sahīh from the transmission of al-Kushmīhanī. He died in 999, when Karīma was twenty-four years old, leaving her just two steps removed from the 9th century compilation of the text. As a newly certified muhadditha, or female hadīth scholar, this meant that Karīma now possessed a rare expertise. Before settling down to become a teacher, however, she embarked on an incredible journey. Accompanied by her father Ahmad, she left her home of Merv for an epic pilgrimage that took her over three thousand miles from home. In Persia they visited Sarakhs and Isfahan, two cities famed for their libraries. Then they travelled all the way to Jerusalem, which was at that time under Islamic rule. Finally, their journey took them to the holiest city of all, Mecca. All Muslims who are able are obliged to complete the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. One can imagine that after having learned the Sahīh by heart and studied in libraries all over West Asia, Karīma was overjoyed to finally arrive in Mecca itself and see where the Prophet had been.
Karīma took to Mecca like a fish to water. She ended up moving there permanently, establishing herself as a teacher and muhadditha. Karīma immediately started attracting students due to the strength of her isnād, but it was her exacting nature as a teacher that made her reputation start to spread. Karīma had extremely high standards that students had to pass before she would issue them their certificate to trasmit the Sahīh. Known widely for her piety and for her learning, she held court at assemblies where she would disseminate her knowledge, as well as meeting with students in private. She never married, remaining devoted instead to religious study. As the years passed and Karīma grew older, the closeness of her Sahīh to the original only made her more sought-after by students. Pilgrims undertaking the hajj would come to learn from her, and they took knowledge of her back to their homes in Toledo, Baghdad, and other Islamic cities. One student, the scholar Muhammad b. 'Alī al-Narsī, wrote the following of his time as Karīma's student:
Karīma brought for me her original copy of the Sahīh. I sat down in front of Karīma and wrote down seven pages and read them with her. I wanted to compare my copy with her original by myself. She said, "No, I do not permit it unless you compare it with me."
As we see here, Karīma was not satisfied with the idea of her students comparing their work with her original. She insisted on looking over their work herself to make sure that there were no errors in the transmission. After all, her own reputation as a muhadditha relied on the quality of her isnād, so she wouldn't certify anyone's copies of the Sahīh without ensuring that the students hadn't made any blunders.
Although her career began when she was a young woman in her twenties, Karīma lived to be a hundred years old. During her incredible lifetime, her copy of the Sahīh was held in higher esteem than the copies of any of her male contemporaries. She blazed a trail for future muhaddithas, who came to be recognised as equal to men in their capacity to transmit holy knowledge. Women weren't allowed to use the hadīth collections to write Islamic law, but their ability to learn and repeat long texts with great precision became highly valued after Karīma's example. As the medieval scholar al-Khatīb Baghdādī wrote, "After all, the early scholars accepted the narrations of women, slaves, and those who were not known for their legal expertise even if they narrated merely one or two hadīth." Many hadīth owed their existence to the memories of women who had been Companions of the Prophet, so it was reasoned that women were perfectly capable of transmitting hadīth centuries later. Karīma and the other muhaddithas who followed tapped into this tradition of female transmission within their religion's earliest history and used it to establish themselves as respected hadīth scholars.
We find Karīma here early on in her career, settling in Mecca after her arduous but enlightening pilgrimage. Across from her sits a student who listens patiently as Karīma begins their lesson. Her house is filled with items that remind her of home, such as a Persian carpet, ink bottle, and tapestry. But her most prized possession is her Quran. Decorated with beautiful and intricate illuminations, it holds pride of place beneath the window so that she can sit and read it in the light. When her student leaves her, no doubt she will pull the wooden bookrest close to her so that she can read and reflect on the holy words.
From Toledo to Baghdad, from Persia to Yemen, one woman in the 11th century had a reputation that spanned the entirety of the Islamic world. Her name was Karīma bint Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Marwaziyya: Karīma, the daughter of Ahmad son of Muhammad, of the city of Merv. Born in Merv in the heart of Islamic Persia, Karīma grew up in the midst of an incredible scholarly network. After the Arab conquest of Persia, cities such as Merv transformed into centres of Islamic learning layered on top of the riches of its Persian cultural heritage. The elegant and cultured city attracted scholars from all over the Islamic world and beyond, including immigrants from Christendom and Central Asia. They all came together to study in its magnificent libraries and participate in one of the greatest knowledge exchanges in the medieval world.
One of these scholars was Karīma's teacher, al-Kushmīhanī. Al-Kushmīhanī was a scholar of hadīth, the collections of sayings about the Prophet's life that formed an important addition to the Islamic scriptures. While the authority of the Quran was absolute, the hadīths have historically occupied a more turbulent place in Islamic teaching. The collections were first made by interviewing people who had known the Prophet or people in his circle. Scholars debated for centuries exactly how reliable different hadīths were and how Islamic law should be extrapolated from them. By Karīma's time, however, the hadīth collections had come to be more widely accepted and were regularly used in developing laws, theology, and other religious pursuits. Al-Kushmīhanī was the master of one particular collection, the Sahīh of al-Bukhārī. He had learned it from Abū 'Abd Allāh al-Firabirī, who had heard it from al-Bukhārī himself. When it came to hadīth, having such a short isnād, or chain of transmission from the original compiler, was a premium quality in a scholar.
Karīma faithfully learned the Sahīh from the transmission of al-Kushmīhanī. He died in 999, when Karīma was twenty-four years old, leaving her just two steps removed from the 9th century compilation of the text. As a newly certified muhadditha, or female hadīth scholar, this meant that Karīma now possessed a rare expertise. Before settling down to become a teacher, however, she embarked on an incredible journey. Accompanied by her father Ahmad, she left her home of Merv for an epic pilgrimage that took her over three thousand miles from home. In Persia they visited Sarakhs and Isfahan, two cities famed for their libraries. Then they travelled all the way to Jerusalem, which was at that time under Islamic rule. Finally, their journey took them to the holiest city of all, Mecca. All Muslims who are able are obliged to complete the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their life. One can imagine that after having learned the Sahīh by heart and studied in libraries all over West Asia, Karīma was overjoyed to finally arrive in Mecca itself and see where the Prophet had been.
Karīma took to Mecca like a fish to water. She ended up moving there permanently, establishing herself as a teacher and muhadditha. Karīma immediately started attracting students due to the strength of her isnād, but it was her exacting nature as a teacher that made her reputation start to spread. Karīma had extremely high standards that students had to pass before she would issue them their certificate to trasmit the Sahīh. Known widely for her piety and for her learning, she held court at assemblies where she would disseminate her knowledge, as well as meeting with students in private. She never married, remaining devoted instead to religious study. As the years passed and Karīma grew older, the closeness of her Sahīh to the original only made her more sought-after by students. Pilgrims undertaking the hajj would come to learn from her, and they took knowledge of her back to their homes in Toledo, Baghdad, and other Islamic cities. One student, the scholar Muhammad b. 'Alī al-Narsī, wrote the following of his time as Karīma's student:
Karīma brought for me her original copy of the Sahīh. I sat down in front of Karīma and wrote down seven pages and read them with her. I wanted to compare my copy with her original by myself. She said, "No, I do not permit it unless you compare it with me."
As we see here, Karīma was not satisfied with the idea of her students comparing their work with her original. She insisted on looking over their work herself to make sure that there were no errors in the transmission. After all, her own reputation as a muhadditha relied on the quality of her isnād, so she wouldn't certify anyone's copies of the Sahīh without ensuring that the students hadn't made any blunders.
Although her career began when she was a young woman in her twenties, Karīma lived to be a hundred years old. During her incredible lifetime, her copy of the Sahīh was held in higher esteem than the copies of any of her male contemporaries. She blazed a trail for future muhaddithas, who came to be recognised as equal to men in their capacity to transmit holy knowledge. Women weren't allowed to use the hadīth collections to write Islamic law, but their ability to learn and repeat long texts with great precision became highly valued after Karīma's example. As the medieval scholar al-Khatīb Baghdādī wrote, "After all, the early scholars accepted the narrations of women, slaves, and those who were not known for their legal expertise even if they narrated merely one or two hadīth." Many hadīth owed their existence to the memories of women who had been Companions of the Prophet, so it was reasoned that women were perfectly capable of transmitting hadīth centuries later. Karīma and the other muhaddithas who followed tapped into this tradition of female transmission within their religion's earliest history and used it to establish themselves as respected hadīth scholars.
We find Karīma here early on in her career, settling in Mecca after her arduous but enlightening pilgrimage. Across from her sits a student who listens patiently as Karīma begins their lesson. Her house is filled with items that remind her of home, such as a Persian carpet, ink bottle, and tapestry. But her most prized possession is her Quran. Decorated with beautiful and intricate illuminations, it holds pride of place beneath the window so that she can sit and read it in the light. When her student leaves her, no doubt she will pull the wooden bookrest close to her so that she can read and reflect on the holy words.
Artist's Comments
This picture has been giving me trouble for a long time. It's great to finally finish it since I've wanted to tell Karīma's story for so long. Special thanks to Sacha and Dizzy for their art help: a lot about the composition and perspective in this one had me puzzled for a long time. I'd also like to thank Chinar for help in the early stages when I was trying to wrap my head around what the hadīth are, and to Seb for all the encouragement! Interiors are really challenging, and Islamic ones especially so since they are so dang beautiful. I hope you enjoyed learning about Karīma al-Marwaziyya! Imagine travelling over three thousand miles in the year 1000. What an incredible woman! ~ November 30, 2020
Resources
Want to learn more about Karīma and other medieval Muslim women? Here are some recommended resources.
Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam by Asma Sayeed
In chapter three, "The Classical Revival", Sayeed features Karīma as one of the prime examples of the revival of muhaddithas that began in the 10th century. She gives a lot of detail about Karīma's career as a muhadditha and puts it into the context of the rise of women hadith transmitters in Islamic societies.
"Kareemah bint Ahmad Al Marwaziyyah" on Ideal Muslimah
This article profiles Karīma as part of its series on female Muslim scholars from history! It includes a map of all the places Karīma visited on her epic pilgrimage with her father, which shows you just how much ground she travelled as a young woman.
"She is Me: 5th century Karima bnt Ahmad" by Rabata on YouTube
This video was made as part of the 2016 "She is Me" project which paired posters about female Muslim scholars from history with contemporary female Muslim academics. The project was initiated to celebrate 15 centuries of women's contributions to Muslim intellectual life and communities. Karīma was chosen to represent the 5th century (11th century AD). She's paired with Mona Elgohail, a post-doctoral fellow in clinical psychology at Drexel University. The video linked above discusses Karīma's life and work as a scholar as well as Dr. Elgohail's work on the intersection of faith and infertility for Muslim women and mental health in refugee communities. Her poster includes an illustration of what Karīma might have looked like as an old woman.
"Social Life Under the Abbasids" by Muhammad Manazir Ahsan
This incredible PhD thesis provides a wonderful amount of detail about everyday life for people living in the Abbasid Caliphate, which included Mecca at this time. Although no buildings from this period survive in Mecca, this PhD's analysis of domestic life in other parts of the caliphate helped me to reconstruct this illustration. For example, the detail about the windows comes from here.
Women and the Transmission of Religious Knowledge in Islam by Asma Sayeed
In chapter three, "The Classical Revival", Sayeed features Karīma as one of the prime examples of the revival of muhaddithas that began in the 10th century. She gives a lot of detail about Karīma's career as a muhadditha and puts it into the context of the rise of women hadith transmitters in Islamic societies.
"Kareemah bint Ahmad Al Marwaziyyah" on Ideal Muslimah
This article profiles Karīma as part of its series on female Muslim scholars from history! It includes a map of all the places Karīma visited on her epic pilgrimage with her father, which shows you just how much ground she travelled as a young woman.
"She is Me: 5th century Karima bnt Ahmad" by Rabata on YouTube
This video was made as part of the 2016 "She is Me" project which paired posters about female Muslim scholars from history with contemporary female Muslim academics. The project was initiated to celebrate 15 centuries of women's contributions to Muslim intellectual life and communities. Karīma was chosen to represent the 5th century (11th century AD). She's paired with Mona Elgohail, a post-doctoral fellow in clinical psychology at Drexel University. The video linked above discusses Karīma's life and work as a scholar as well as Dr. Elgohail's work on the intersection of faith and infertility for Muslim women and mental health in refugee communities. Her poster includes an illustration of what Karīma might have looked like as an old woman.
"Social Life Under the Abbasids" by Muhammad Manazir Ahsan
This incredible PhD thesis provides a wonderful amount of detail about everyday life for people living in the Abbasid Caliphate, which included Mecca at this time. Although no buildings from this period survive in Mecca, this PhD's analysis of domestic life in other parts of the caliphate helped me to reconstruct this illustration. For example, the detail about the windows comes from here.