<![CDATA[The discourse on gender equality in Islam is often constrained by religious interpretations that lack socio-historical sensitivity. One such example is the frequently cited hadith narrated by Ibn Mājah (No. 3993), which asserts that women constitute the majority of Hell’s inhabitants and are described as lacking in reason and religion. This hadith is often interpreted literally, without adequate contextualization, which leads to gender bias. This study attempts to re-examines the hadith using the qirā’ah mubādalah (reciprocal reading) approach, which emphasizes relational justice and the ethical parity between men and women. Methodologically, the study employs qualitative analysis based on literature review, including sanad and matan evaluation to assess the hadith’s authenticity, and thematic-contextual analysis to reinterpret its meaning. The findings affirm that the hadith is classified as ṣaḥīḥ li-dhātih, meeting the criteria of an unbroken chain (sanad muttaṣil), reliable and just narrators (‘ādil and ḍābiṭ), and free from shudhūdh or ‘illah. However, when approached through the lens of mubādalah, the statement that women are the majority of Hell’s inhabitants emerges not as an ontological indictment, but as a universal moral admonition. Likewise, the depiction of women as deficient in intellect and religion is shown to reflect the socio-cultural limitations of the time, particularly in terms of women’s access to public and spiritual domains.]]>
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