472 Annabelle Böttcher
therefore Hadith-research is in the centre of her interest. It is also the
pillar of the Salafi methodology^40 and gives her the possibility to dis-
card certain doctrines she regards as weak or forged, since the literal-
ist reading of the sources requires that only authentic and thus trust-
worthy texts serve as a normative basis for religious practice or social
behaviour. Any interpretation of these sources is subject to error and
represents an innovation (bidʿa).^41 Umm ʿAbd Allāh’s methodology is
illustrated by her e-learning course material, which she developed for
her lessons with female students on “Paltalk”. Generally, Umm ʿAbd
Allāh’s materials deal with the basics, such as warning against polythe-
ism (shirk). She explained, for instance, that it is polytheism to believe
in the healing effects of medicine, because only God can heal, while
medical treatment is just a tool. Another topic elaborated further is the
duty to invite people to (Salafi) Islam (daʿwa), an offer people are free
to accept.^42 In one script entitled “Going to the Toilet”, she elaborates
15 points on proper conduct in the restroom. Each gesture and saying
upon entering, using, and leaving the toilet is explained and cemented
by traditions transmitted from the Prophet. Among these traditions are
two that were narrated by the Prophet’s favourite wife, ʿĀʾisha.^43 Ritual
purity (ṭahāra) in Islam is explained and references from the Koran
and the Prophetic traditions are cited that are narrated by females, such
as one of the Prophet’s companions, Umm ʿAtiyya al-Anṣāriyya.^44 She
told that the Prophet Muḥammad entered the women’s space when
his daughter Zaynab died and recommended clean but used water.^45 In
another tradition, one of the Prophet’s wives was mentioned as having
done the ablution together with him using water that showed traces of
dough. That is to say that, in this German Muslim community centre,
Umm ʿAbd Allāh strategically transcends her position as a mere spouse
within the framework of shared teaching tasks to postulate her ver-
sion of liberation-theological access to the holy sources. The choice of
40 Informal conversation with Umm ʿAbd Allāh on May 29, 2004 in al-Nūr
Mosque in Berlin.
41 For a definition of “Salafī literalism” as opposed to “Salafī Reformism”, see Rama-
dan, Tariq: Western Muslims and the Future of Islam, Oxford 2004, pp. 25–27.
42 Course material distributed by email on June 19, 2004 by Umm ʿAbd Allāh.
43 Course material distributed by email on June 19, 2004 by Umm ʿAbd Allāh.
44 Umm ʿAṭiyya al-Anṣāriyya is a companion of the Prophet Muḥammad and a
narrator of a Hadith. She was also cited by Saudi scholars. See ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz Ibn
ʿAbd Allāh Ibn Bāz, Muḥammad b. ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz: Islamic Fatawa Regarding
Women, London 1996, p. 125.
45 Course material distributed by email on June 19, 2004 by Umm ʿAbd Allāh.
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