format_quote Originally Posted by
londonfog
asalamu alaikum :)
I read somewhere that the beauty of women in Islam is that a woman is allowed to lead prayers...from what I understand, she can if she is leading for women only...BUT what is the reasoning in her not being able to lead prayers for men as well - mainly askin cuz people say men and women are equal in islam, so why is only a men allowed to be an iman? any answers would be highly appreciated. jazakallah.
Women have such sweet melodious voices that it could be fitna for some men, they might not concentrate on the prayer and instead just think about how nice she sounds and wonder if she looks as nice as she sounds, this is how a lot of men are, because we have strong desires in us. That's why women aren't supposed to beautify their voice also and should speak straight to the point when speaking with men who aren't related to them. Allah has made everything about a woman attractive and beautiful to a man, even the way she speaks and sounds, that's why.
It's not uncommon for a man to tell his wife, "I could just listen to you speak all day" cos her voice is so sweet and nice to his ears that he loves hearing it and makes him more attracted to her.
You may say "well the same is also true for women, they might think the same about the imam leading the prayer" that could happen, but women tend to be more reserved and have this problem less because they don't have as strong desires as men.
This may not be the main reason, or even a reason at all, but it's what came to mind. it could be wrong.