Editing Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (section)

==== On women ====
{{See also|Women in Islam}}
The legal writings of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab reflected a general concern of female welfare and justice. In line with this approach, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab denounced the practice of instant ''[[Divorce in Islam|triple talaq]]'', counting it as only a single ''talaq'' (regardless of the number of pronouncements). The outlawing of ''triple talaq'' is considered to be one of the most significant reforms across the [[Muslim world|Islamic World]] in the 20th and 21st centuries. Following a balanced approach in issues of gender, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab advocated moderation between men and women in social interactions as well as spirituality. According to Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, women has a place in society with both rights and responsibility, with the society being obliged to respect her status and protect her. He also condemned forced marriages and declared any marriage contracted without the consent of a woman (be it minor, virgin or non-virgin) to be "invalid". This too was a significant reform as well as a break from the four Sunni schools which allowed the ''[[wali]]'' (ward/guardian) to compel minor daughters into marriage without consent. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also stipulated the permission of the guardian as a condition in marriage (in line with traditional Hanbali, [[Shafiʽi school|Shafi'i]] and [[Maliki]] schools). Nevertheless, as a practical jurist, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab allowed guardians to delegate the right to contract marriages to women herself, after which his permission cannot be denied. He also allowed women the right to stipulate favourable conditions for her in the marriage contract. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also defended the woman's right to divorce through ''[[Khul']]'' for various reasons, including in cases wherein she despised her husband. He also prohibited the killing of women, children and various non-combatants such as monks, elderly, blind, ''shaykhs'', slaves and peasants in warfare.<ref>{{Cite book|last=J. DeLong-Bas|first=Natana|title=Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|isbn=0-19-516991-3|location=New York|pages=8, 109–110, 124, 135–136, 173, 183, 204–205}}</ref>

In addition to these, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also defended married women's right to maintenance from her husband; as well as bride's right to receive ''[[mahr]]'' from her groom. He also strongly campaigned against domestic abuses against women, enjoining men to treat their wives with kindness.<ref>{{Cite book |last=N. Stearns |first=Peter |title=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern World |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-19-517632-2 |location= New York, NY|chapter=Wahhabism |doi=10.1093/acref/9780195176322.001.0001 |chapter-url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195176322.001.0001/acref-9780195176322-e-1677?rskey=RtFC0x&result=2}}</ref>

Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab believed in social participation of women for communal solidarity; as per Islamic codes of modesty (''[[Haya (Islam)|Haya]]'') that was inclusive to all sections of society, especially the poor. He also campaigned for improving female literacy and asserted women's education as part of their religious rights and duties. Educated elite women played an important role in the Wahhabi movement through social activism and in various instances also weld significant political influence. Many women were trained in various religious disciplines, memorising ''[[Quran|Qur'an]]'' and being proficient in [[hadith science]]s; which gained them civic respect as well as a source of income by teaching. As a result, the townsfolk of 19th-century Central Arabia had noticeably higher rates of literacy as observed by foreign travellers. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also encouraged educated women to be active in various communal activities so as to bolster the [[Islah|reformist]] campaigns of the ''Muwahhidun'', educating other women, generating awareness of [[Superstitions in Muslim societies|superstitions]] as well as other cultural activities such as reciting [[Islamic poetry|poetry]], playing [[tambourine]] during feasts, weddings and various social gatherings. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's own daughter, Fatima was an influential [[Ulama|Islamic scholar]] active in social and communal affairs and would influence subsequent generations of Arabian women.<ref>{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=Islam, Revival, and Reform: Redefining Tradition for the Twenty-First Century - Essays Inspired by John O. Voll |publisher=Syracuse University Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-8156-3753-0 |edition=1st |location=Syracuse, New York |pages=3–29 |chapter=1: The Role of Women in Solidifying Eighteenth-Century Revival and Reform Initiatives into Ongoing Mass Movements}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Mukhlid al-Harbi |first=Dalal |title=Prominent Women from Central Arabia |publisher=Ithaca Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-86372-327-8 |editor-last=Ann Roberg-Abahsain |editor-first=Jill |edition=First |location=Reading, UK |pages= |language=Arabic |translator-last=M. Abahsain |translator-last2=A. al-Furaih |translator-first=Muhammad |translator-first2=Mohammad}}</ref>