Appointing a woman as qadi

Question

Is it permissible in the Shariʿa to appoint a woman as qadi (judge) to decide lawsuits? If she rules in accordance with the Shariʿa, will her ruling be valid or not?

Answer

In those matters in which a woman’s testimony is accepted, her ruling will also be valid, provided it accords with the Shariʿa; however, the one who appointed her qadi will be sinful. And in those matters in which her testimony is not accepted, her ruling is not accepted either — for example, in the hudud (punishments fixed by the Shariʿa) and qisas (retaliation)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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