Women in Development: Alhaja Muhalimatu Rianat Arowolo an Icon Of Islamic scholarship in Ilorin Emirate

Abstract

The past has bequeathed the present with the profiles of successful people in different endeavors for man to effectively deal with the present and the future. In Islam, literature abounds about Muslim scholars; men and women alike. The memoirs of Khadijat and Aisha among the wives of the prophet, Fatima the prophet’s daughter, Asmau and Hafsatu the daughters of Shehu Usmanu Danfodiyo are good examples. In furtherance of the lofty scholarship tradition, the Muslims in Nigeria as well as the government fast tracked Muslims’ education by modernizing traditional Qur’anic schools along western education. Alhaja Rianat Arowolo is a product of the educational reform. Today, she is reputed for Islamic scholarship in Ilorin Emirate. This paper therefore, examines the scholarship of Alhaja Rianat Arowolo as a product of Islamic education reform of the 20th century in Ilorin Emirate; one of the reputable Islamic cities in the north-Central geo￾political zone of Nigeria. Key words: Women, Development, Islamic scholarship, Ilorin Emirate.