"The Contribution of Women Scholars to the Flourishing of Educational Institutions in al- Maghrib al-Aqsa during the ldrisid Era :Fatima al-Fihri as a Model

Abstract

This study highlights the contribution of women scholars to the flourishing of educational institutions in Morocco during the Idrisid era, through the case study of Fatima al-Fihri. The foundation of al-Qarawiyyin University in Fez in 245 AH / 859 CE marked a turning point in the history of Islamic education. Her initiative was based on the waqf (endowment) system, which ensured the continuity and independence of the scientific institution. The research emphasizes that women’s role in intellectual life was not limited to learning, but also extended to founding, managing, and directing institutions, making women active partners in building scholarly and civilizational edifices. The experience further reveals that women’s endowments served as a strategic tool for safeguarding education and ensuring its sustainability across centuries. Fatima al-Fihri thus embodied the model of the pioneering woman scholar and contributed to shaping the features of educational revival in Morocco. Her legacy remains a testimony to the effective presence of women in the intellectual and civilizational history of Islam. Furthermore, Kairouan served as the starting point for Islamic conquests and later became a distinguished scientific and cultural center that brought together scholars and thinkers from across the Islamic world. Its universities, especially the historic Mosque-University of Uqba ibn Nafi‘, stood as comprehensive institutions where religious, linguistic, and natural sciences were taught