Explaining Imam Ali’s (AS) Advice About Consulting Women on Political Matters

Question

Esteemed and respected teacher,
In Imam Ali’s (AS) letter to Imam Hasan (AS) in Nahj al-Balagha (Letter 31), the late Dashti translates a passage about women’s status in a way that has raised questions for me:

“Son, refrain from consulting women on the political affairs of the country, for their judgment is readily weakened and their decisions are unstable. Keep them behind the veil, so that they do not look upon unrelated men, for strictness in their covering contributes to their well-being and stability.”

Teacher, would you please explain this statement and how it applies to our present time and society? Today, respected women, alongside men, take on responsibilities and play roles in politics, management, and other fields.

My question is: Why did Imam Ali (AS) use a general term that would include all women and give rise to questions? Why did he not say instead, “Son, do not consult women who have not attained sound judgment”? That would have left no need for interpretation or analysis. Why did he not put it that way?
َّهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحيمِ

Accepted Answer

In this passage, Mr Dashti’s translation does not reproduce the text faithfully; instead, he has added his own interpretation. The Imam’s prohibition was not limited to political matters; his statement is general. And in light of the corresponding narrations, “women experienced in the perfection of reason” are exempt from this prohibition (as explained in the answer to Question 862).

إيَّاكَ وَ مُشَاوَرَةَ النِّسَاءِ إِلَّا مَنْ جَرَّبْتَ بِكَمَالِ عَقْلِهَا فَإِنَّ رَأْيَهُنَّ يَجُرُّ إِلَى الْأَفَنِ وَ عَزْمَهُنَّ إِلَى وَهْنٍ ...
*Kanz al-Fawāʾid*, vol. 1, p. 376

It should be borne in mind that narrations transmitted from the Infallible Imams, peace be upon them, are not always quoted verbatim. At times they are transmitted by meaning, abridged, or supplemented with words that are in fact the narrator’s own. Different manuscript copies of narrations may also contain omissions and textual corruptions. Deliberate and inadvertent errors by narrators are another matter, and the role of forgers must also be taken into account.

The conclusion, then, is that since the Commander of the Faithful, peace be upon him, is a master of eloquence and expression, it is unlikely that he would convey a point vaguely, obscurely, or erroneously. Any deficiency in the wording must therefore be sought somewhere other than in the sacred person of the Imams.

Explaining Imam Ali’s (AS) Advice About Consulting Women on Political Matters

The essence and first answer at a glance (60-word summary)

Answer by Master Ali Saei (Abdullah Meshkat)

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