Why were prophets exclusively men and not women?

A Muslim does not hesitate to believe in the immense wisdom of Allah Almighty in His actions, for among His names is "Al-Hakeem" (The All-Wise). Allah Almighty has decreed that masculinity is one of the characteristics of Messengers, and some scholars have agreed on this. In this, Allah Almighty possesses the greatest wisdom, and it is indicated by His saying: (And We sent not before you except men to whom We revealed).

The wisdom behind the Messengers being men is that the message requires widespread propagation, addressing people, and confronting deniers, which is suitable for men rather than women. Furthermore, the message requires the Messenger's guardianship over those who follow him, and masculinity is more complete. A woman experiences things that hinder her from many functions, such as menstruation and pregnancy.

As for prophethood, some scholars have held that there were female prophets, such as the scholar Abu Al-Hasan Al-Ash'ari, Al-Qurtubi, and Ibn Hazm, basing their argument on Allah's revelation to the mother of Moses and the angels' address to Mary and her election. However, this does not appear to be the stronger opinion; for a prophet is required to convey, guide, and interact with people, and the same impediments present in sending a female messenger are present in commissioning a female prophet. Allah's revelation to these women might have been through dreams, and not everyone addressed by angels is a prophet. There is no proof for them in the texts indicating Allah's election of Mary, for Allah has explicitly stated that He elected those who are not prophets. The word "perfection" mentioned in the hadith they used as proof does not necessarily imply prophethood, and Mary was described as a truthful one (Siddiqah), and there is no Quranic text or authentic hadith that states the prophethood of any woman. Judge Iyad reported from the majority of jurists that Mary was not a prophet.