Kontroversi Perempuan Menjadi Imam Shalat Tinjauan Rijalul Hadis Ibnu Majah, Sunan Abu Daud Dan Ahmad Bin Hamba

Abstract

Abstract: This article seeks to explore the discourse surrounding female imams leading male congregants in prayer by examining contradictory narrations on the subject. The majority of Islamic jurists generally deem this practice forbidden. This view arises from their strong adherence to the formalism of textual sources and reliance on hadiths considered weak in transmission, despite the fact that the Qur’an itself does not explicitly prohibit it. Jurists tend to regard women as potential sources of temptation (fitnah), thus deeming them unfit to lead men in prayer. The scholarly consensus against women leading men in prayer is based primarily on a narration from Ibn Majah, whose chain of transmitters contains several weaknesses, while more authentic narrations such as those reported by Abu Dawud and Ahmad ibn Hanbal are often disregarded. This neglect reveals a gender bias that perpetuates the subordination of women, reminiscent of pre-Islamic (jahiliyyah) norms.This study employs a library research method to analyze hadiths related to the legitimacy of women serving as prayer leaders. The findings indicate that the hadiths prohibiting women from leading prayer are weak (dhaif), whereas the hadiths supporting the permissibility of female leadership in prayer have stronger chains of transmission. Consequently, this research concludes that women may legitimately serve as imams in praye.