A Review of Imam Ali’s (P.B.U) View on Women’s Rationality with Emphasis on the 80th Sermon of Nahj al-Balagha

Amir al- Momenin’s views about women can be understood by examining all the statements aributed to him; therefore, a review of the chain of transmission, origin, and evidence confirming the authencity of narraons play a significant role in represenng his system of thought. The phrase “women’s lacking in raonality” which comes in the 80th sermon of Nahj al-Balagha is one of these statements. This arcle tries to study the history of the menoned sermon in the early sources and explore its origin. According to the findings of the present study, the aforesaid sermon is part of a leer that comes in Dinvari’s Kotob Al- Imamah and Wal-Siyasah (828-885 ad), Thaqafi’s Al-Gharat (896 ad), and Tabari’s Al-Mostashrid (940 ad) before it appeared in Nahj al-Balagha. The part related to the 80th sermon the phrase “women’s lacking in raonality” had come only in Al-Mostarshid before Nahj al-Balagha appeared, and then it was quoted by the sources which came later on. The 80th sermon in Nahj al-Balagha is Morsal and it was cited through the public in Al-Mostarshid and is not firmly based. Accordingly, the idea that Imam has said that women are lacking in raonality and other parts of this sermon is not founded. Based on Sharih Ibn Hani’s account, Shaabi’s report about Imam Ali’s (P.B.U) leer is rejected because its chain of transmission is unreliable. Consequently, the idea that this is leer or sermon is not accepted, because it is assumed that contents are aributed to him.