Does the ḥadīth, "Many men have reached perfection, but no woman has reached perfection except three: Maryam the daughter of ‘Imrān, Āsiyah the wife of Pharaoh, and Khadījah the daughter of Khuwaylid. And the superiority of ‘Ā’ishah over other women is like the superiority of tharīd over all other food," imply that other women will not reach perfection, and does this contradict his—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—saying: "Women are the twin halves of men"? Is the perfection mentioned in the ḥadīth specific to this world or does it include the Hereafter? Does not reaching perfection mean that a woman will not attain the highest ranks of Paradise? And if a woman assists a man who reaches perfection, does that mean she has reached perfection?
The Hadith: "Many men achieved perfection, but no woman achieved perfection except Asiyah, the wife of Pharaoh, and Maryam, daughter of 'Imran," does not indicate that the women of this Ummah are prevented from achieving human perfection. The Hadith does not suggest that no one else from this Ummah, besides these two, achieved or will achieve perfection. Limiting perfection to them does not imply that perfection is exclusive to them. Indeed, it has been established that Fatimah is the most perfect of women absolutely.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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