ABSTRACT
Representations of early Islam which include female figures appear in a wide range of classical Arabic texts, including sīra works, ḥadīth compilations, biographical dictionaries, Qurʾān commentaries, historical works, and legal compendia. These variegated depictions of female figures – which include idealized portrayals of dutiful wives, outspoken and eloquent women, self-sacrificing mothers, and fearsome female warriors – play diverse literary roles in the texts within which they appear.
