Short answer
The Prophet ﷺ named four as the best women of all: Maryam the mother of Isa, Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh, Khadijah his first wife, and Fatimah his daughter. He also spoke of the special virtue of Aishah. Many women Companions, scholars and worshippers followed them.
This is a point of belief rather than a fiqh ruling. Ahl al-Sunnah agree that Maryam, Asiyah, Khadijah and Fatimah are the best of women, and the scholars differ only on the order among them and on Aishah's rank.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
In a sound hadith the Prophet ﷺ said that enough for you among the women of the world are Maryam the daughter of Imran, Khadijah the daughter of Khuwaylid, Fatimah the daughter of Muhammad, and Asiyah the wife of Pharaoh. In another he said that many men reached perfection, but among women only Asiyah and Maryam, and that the virtue of Aishah over other women is like the virtue of tharid over other food.
The women named:
- Maryam (Mary): chosen and purified by Allah above the women of the worlds. A surah carries her name, and she is the only woman named in the Quran.
- Asiyah: the believing wife of Pharaoh, who held to her faith under his cruelty and asked Allah for a house near Him in Paradise.
- Khadijah: the first to believe in the Prophet ﷺ, a successful merchant who gave her wealth and comfort to the mission.
- Fatimah: his daughter, whom he called a part of him, and the leader of the women of Paradise.
- Aishah: a leading scholar among the Companions, who narrated more than two thousand hadith and taught the great scholars of the next generation.
Others honoured in the Quran and sunnah include Hajar, the mother of Ismail, whose running between Safa and Marwah every pilgrim repeats; the mother of Musa, to whom Allah sent inspiration; Umm Salamah, whose advice settled the crisis at Hudaybiyah; and Sumayyah, the first martyr of Islam. Later centuries had women scholars such as Fatimah al-Samarqandiyyah, a Hanafi jurist, and devoted worshippers such as Rabi'ah al-Adawiyyah.
These women were honoured for faith, patience, knowledge and good character, not for lineage or status. See were there female prophets, wives of the Prophet and women in Islam.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Aal-i-Imraan 3:42
وَإِذْ قَالَتِ ٱلْمَلَٰٓئِكَةُ يَٰمَرْيَمُ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ ٱصْطَفَىٰكِ وَطَهَّرَكِ وَٱصْطَفَىٰكِ عَلَىٰ نِسَآءِ ٱلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٤٢﴾
And [mention] when the angels said, "O Mary, indeed Allah has chosen you and purified you and chosen you above the women of the worlds.
The rank of Maryam.
Quran, Surah At-Tahrim 66:11
وَضَرَبَ ٱللَّهُ مَثَلًۭا لِّلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱمْرَأَتَ فِرْعَوْنَ إِذْ قَالَتْ رَبِّ ٱبْنِ لِى عِندَكَ بَيْتًۭا فِى ٱلْجَنَّةِ وَنَجِّنِى مِن فِرْعَوْنَ وَعَمَلِهِۦ وَنَجِّنِى مِنَ ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلظَّٰلِمِينَ ﴿١١﴾
And Allah presents an example of those who believed: the wife of Pharaoh, when she said, "My Lord, build for me near You a house in Paradise and save me from Pharaoh and his deeds and save me from the wrongdoing people."
The dua of Asiyah, given as an example for all believers.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3878
Grading to be checked... حسبك من نساء العالمين مريم ابنة عمران ...
"Enough for you among the women of the world are Maryam the daughter of Imran, Khadijah, Fatimah and Asiyah."
Names the four best women.
Sahih al-Bukhari 3411
Sahih... كمل من الرجال كثير ولم يكمل من النساء ...
"Many men reached perfection, but among women only Asiyah and Maryam did."
The special rank of Asiyah and Maryam, and the virtue of Aishah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- Sharh Sahih Muslim (Nawawi), Kitab Fada'il al-Sahabah, the virtues of Khadijah. Discusses the ranking among Maryam, Khadijah, Fatimah and Aishah.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.