The tradition "al-mar’atu sharrun kulluhā" (woman is evil all in all): an analysis on the isnad and content

One of the challenges in front of the Muslim thinkers, is the existence of hadiths that reproach (degrade, or disgrace) the women. Researching these hadiths for a second time can play an effective role in explaining the status of women in the Islamic thought. The tradition that introduces woman as evil is among these cases. This hadith was first mentioned in Nahj al-Balagha among hadith-oriented and historical sources, and was mentioned with a similar concept in books compiled later than Nahi al-Balagha. Regardless of the isnad-oriented discussions, the ambiguity in the denotation of this tradition has formed different viewpoints for facing tradition. Some have deemed it fabricated; some others, however, have accepted it absolutely. The notion of being an actuality proposition (qaḍiyya khārijiyya), and the concept of evil being accidental (‘araḍī) have also been mentioned to solve the ambiguity of the tradition. It seems that weakness in isnad, as well as incompatibility of this hadith with the teachings of the Qur’an and other traditions, along with its contradiction with the practical life and conduct (al-sīra al-‘amaliyya) prevent the attribution of this hadith to Imam ‘Alī (‘a.s.).