Islam encourages the education of women. A study of the life of the Prophet of Islam tells us that education is as essential for women as it is for men. The actual goal of education from the Islamic point of view is to make a person aware. And without doubt it is only aware men and women who can conduct the practical matters of life smoothly.

We find an example in this connection in the life of the Prophet of Islam in relation to his wife Aisha. There are many reports that tell us that the Prophet’s conversations with Aisha were aimed at educating her.

Aisha says that when the Prophet of Islam would get up at night after a few hours, in that peaceful atmosphere he would converse with her for a long time. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1161; Sahih Muslim, Hadith No. 743) This course of informal education continued uninterrupted, for Aisha used to accompany the Prophet even on his journeys.

This informal education was so important for Aisha that she became the most distinguished personality so far as religious knowledge was concerned. She survived the Prophet for a full fifty years. Throughout this period she remained a very valuable source for the acquisition of religious knowledge. Her house served as a school of religious learning.

Source: Hijab in Islam