Truth About Islam

Why No Women Were Prophets in Islam — And Why That’s a Theological Problem

Islam positions itself as the final, universal message from God, claiming to perfect and complete the divine guidance given to humanity across history. The Qur’an declares that its message is for all people (Q.34:28), that God is just and does not wrong anyone (Q.4:40), and that men and women are equal in spiritual worth (Q.33:35). Yet, in the entire Islamic tradition — Qur’an, hadith, tafsir — not a single woman is recognized as a prophet (nabi).

This absence is not just a historical curiosity; it’s a theological problem that exposes deep inconsistencies in Islam’s claims about divine justice, universality, and the equality of believers. The silence is deafening, and the explanations offered by Islamic scholars over the centuries only make the issue sharper.

1. The Qur’an Never Forbids Female Prophethood

Contrary to what many Muslims assume, the Qur’an never explicitly states that only men can be prophets. The word nabi (prophet) is simply never applied to a woman — but neither is there a verse saying it cannot be. The closest text that scholars use is:

“And We sent not before you [O Muhammad] except men to whom We revealed from among the people of the towns…” (Q.12:109, see also Q.16:43, Q.21:7)

The Arabic word for “men” here is rijāl, which literally refers to adult males. Traditional commentators like al-Tabari and al-Qurtubi take this as definitive proof that only men can be prophets. But this interpretation assumes that these verses are prescriptive (a rule) rather than descriptive (a historical fact about previous prophets).

If God wanted to make this an eternal law, the Qur’an could have plainly said: “We appoint only men as prophets.” Instead, these verses simply note what had already happened — not what must always happen.

2. The Qur’an Affirms Women of Unquestionable Spiritual Authority

The Qur’an does give women roles that overlap with prophetic functions:

Maryam (Mary) is explicitly said to have received direct revelation from angels (Q.3:42-45, Q.19:17-21), and her miraculous pregnancy is portrayed as a divine sign (ayah). She is also “chosen above all women of the worlds” (Q.3:42).
The mother of Moses receives divine inspiration (wahy) to cast her baby into the river for his safety (Q.28:7).
The Queen of Sheba is depicted as wise, politically capable, and ultimately a believer who submits to God (Q.27:23-44).

Each of these examples contains elements that Islamic theology associates with prophecy: divine communication, moral leadership, miraculous events, and guidance to others. Yet none of these women are called nabi, while male prophets are routinely recognized for the same (or lesser) qualifications.

3. The Bible, Which the Qur’an Claims to Affirm, Recognizes Female Prophets

Islam claims the Qur’an confirms previous scriptures (Q.2:41, Q.5:48), and those scriptures include multiple women prophets:

Deborah (Judges 4–5) — a prophet and judge of Israel.
Huldah (2 Kings 22:14–20) — a prophet consulted by King Josiah.
Miriam (Exodus 15:20) — the sister of Moses, explicitly called a prophetess.
Anna (Luke 2:36–38) — a prophetess present at the Temple when Jesus was a child.

If Islam affirms these figures, their prophetic status should logically carry over into Islamic theology. Instead, Muslim scholars reclassify them as merely “righteous women,” stripping them of their prophetic title. This selective affirmation undermines the Qur’an’s own claim of consistency with earlier revelation.

4. Classical Islamic Scholarship Erased the Possibility

The earliest Islamic scholars were divided on whether women could be prophets. Notably:

Ibn Hazm (d. 1064) — argued that Maryam, the mother of Moses, and others were indeed prophets because they received wahy.
Al-Qurtubi (d. 1273) — insisted no woman was ever a prophet, citing Q.12:109 and arguing that prophecy requires public leadership, warfare, and other male-associated roles.
Ibn Kathir (d. 1373) — followed al-Qurtubi’s line, adding that women were created for different purposes.

Over time, the no-women view hardened into orthodoxy. The reasoning was not theological necessity but cultural norm: public authority and revelation were simply assumed to be male domains.

5. Hadith Reinforces Male-Only Leadership

The most commonly cited hadith is:

“A people who appoint a woman as their ruler will never prosper.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 4425)

This is often applied to political authority but has also been used to rule out female prophethood. Ironically, this statement was reportedly made about the Persian empire — yet Islam itself recognizes the Queen of Sheba as a positive model in the Qur’an.

Furthermore, hadith collections regularly portray women as deficient in intellect and religion (Bukhari 304, Muslim 80), feeding the idea that they cannot be entrusted with divine lawgiving.

6. The Theological Problem: Justice and Universality Undermined

If Islam’s God is perfectly just and the Qur’an is for all people in all times, why does revelation’s highest role exclude half of humanity?

Justice problem: Excluding women from prophecy implies an inherent spiritual limitation in women that the Qur’an otherwise denies (Q.33:35).
Universality problem: A universal religion should model leadership in every cultural context, including those where women lead — yet Islam provides no female prophetic example.
Continuity problem: By erasing female prophets from earlier scripture, Islam contradicts its claim to affirm past revelations.

7. Historical Regression: Pre-Islamic Arabia Had Female Leaders

Before Islam, Arabian tribes had influential women leaders — political, commercial, and even religious. For example:

Hind bint ‘Utbah — political influencer and wartime leader in Meccan society.
Al-Shifa bint Abdullah — an authority in literacy and public affairs.
Priestesses in Arabian paganism often served as spiritual leaders and oracles.

In this light, Islam’s all-male prophetic history looks less like divine design and more like a step backward, reinforcing patriarchal structures rather than transcending them.

8. Why This Matters Today

Modern Muslims often claim that Islam elevated women’s status. But the absence of female prophets sends a powerful symbolic message: women can be recipients of guidance, but never its ultimate transmitters. That gap shapes perceptions in Muslim societies, limiting women’s roles in religious scholarship, leadership, and law.

If Islam truly wanted to model spiritual equality, it could have included at least one female prophet as an example. Instead, the tradition codifies a male monopoly on the highest form of divine authority.

Conclusion: The Silent Indictment

The absence of women prophets in Islam is not a neutral historical accident — it’s a theological choice with far-reaching implications. It contradicts the Qur’an’s own claims of equality, undermines its universality, and breaks its link with the very scriptures it claims to affirm.

In trying to explain away this absence, Islamic scholars have revealed something they may not have intended: a revelation filtered through male cultural bias rather than universal divine justice.

If God is truly just and His message truly universal, the exclusion of women from prophecy stands as one of the clearest signs that Islam’s prophetic model was shaped not in heaven, but on earth.