ISLAM & ARABIC MASCULINE PRONOUNS

According to Muslims authorities, masculine Arabic words often include both males and females, unless the context suggests otherwise. For instance, here’s what the translator of Imam Nawai’s commentary on Sahih Muslim states:

1. The pronouns in this hadith apply generally, which means they include men and women. If women are to be excluded, their exclusion has to be specified or there should be some other indication that the address is to men only. When ‘Ai’shah asked the Prophet what to say when visiting graveyards, he did not tell her she might not visit them. (Sahih Muslim with the Full Commentary by Imam al-Nawawi (Al-Minhaj bi Sharh Sahih Muslim), translated and edited by Adil Salahi [Kube Publishing Ltd 2022], Volume 6, p. 82)

And:

1. As mentioned earlier, a general statement applies to men and women, although it is expressed in masculine terms. Women may be excluded only in clear terms and there is no such exclusion in this case. (Ibid., p. 87)