Why did Prophet Muhammad say to women that they were unreliable and impure?

[Shri Anil asked: In the Hadith, the following incident is mentioned: Mohammad passed by some women on his way to the mosque. He said to them, “Give for charity. I looked in hell and saw that most of its dwellers are women.” The women asked, “Why messenger of Allāh?” He replied, “Because you are inferior in your mind and religion, and slander your companion.” They asked, “How are we inferior in our mind and religion?” He replied, “You are inferior in your mind because the witness of two of you is equal to the witness of one man (according to the Quran). You are inferior in your religion because when you menstruate you cannot pray and fast.” Swami, I could not understand correctly the reasons mentioned by Muhammad for the inferiority of women. Kindly clarify this aspect.]

Swami replied: All these statements indicate some underlying concept, which is that no soul should be discouraged or encouraged on the basis of caste and gender. A soul should be encouraged due to the devotion to God and should be discouraged due to the devotion to the world. The qualities developed by a soul are responsible for the superiority or inferiority of the soul in the eyes of God. The Prophet is warning against the traditional psychology of gender that is superimposed on the soul such as the ideas that women are inconsistent and unreliable or that women are unholy due to their menses etc. He is just criticising these superimposed qualities, which have brainwashed the public.

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| Shri Datta Swami | Why did Prophet Muhammad say to women that they were unreliable and impure? |

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