Could a Woman Be a Mufti?

Islamic history is full of great persons, men and women alike, who were revered for their knowledge. An example is `A’ishah, the mother of the believers, (may Allah be pleased with her). She narrated a lot of traditions of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is narrated that, after the passing of the Prophet, the Companions used to consult her when they were confused about some matters of religion and would find the knowledge they were seeking available.
Thus, women can reach the highest degrees of knowledge.

`Abdul-MajeedSubh, a prominent scholar at Al-Azhar university, stated: As far as Islamic Shari`ah is concerned, a woman is permitted to assume the highest levels of scientific and scholarship posts. The history of Islam witnesses that many women worked as muftis and narrators of Hadith, some women had special circles where they used to teach knowledge to men and women.

Moreover, the chain of narrators in Al-Bukhari and other scholars of Hadith includes female narrators. It is also worth mentioning that Al-Bukhari narrated on the authority of Umm Ad-Dardaa’ As-Sughra some issues related to salah (Arabic for: prayer) and said, “She [Umm Ad-Dardaa‘] was a faqihah (Arabic for: Muslim jurist).”