Women praying in Congregation

[~ Sabr ~]

:salamext:

Are women allowed to pray in congregation everyday in the masjid or not?

If not, why not?

Some daleels InshaAllaah...

Jazaak Allaah Khayr

[Muhaba]

Of course we are. at the time of the Prophet (SAW) women used to go to the masjid for every prayer. nowadays, there are masajid with place for men only or if there is a women's area, then it is kept locked. they say that it is to stop fitna but actually it increases fitna, because women go out for other things, such as work and shopping, so why shouldn't they go to masjid? stopping women from masjid increases women's ignorance of deen and increases involvement in dunya.

when women don't go to the masjid, there is decrease in their taqwa. when we don't go for friday prayer, we miss the khutba which contains important religious material. additionally, the time women would've spent in masjid is now spent in other useless things like watching tv. since women miss khutba and other lectures, they are ignorant of religion, which means that the next generation will be ignorant since children learn from their mothers.

all this is one cause of downfall of ummah.

[yasirslm]

It is permissible for women to go out to the mosque to attend daily congregational prayer, on condition that they avoid clothing, ornaments or perfume that will attract attention of the opposite sex or invite turmoil or confusion.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Do not prevent the women from their share in the mosque when they seek your permission." (Muslim)

This hadith indicates that a married woman should ask the permission of her huband and the unmarried girl should ask the permission of her father or guardian.

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Any woman who puts on perfume should not attend Isha (prayer) with us." (Muslim)

"Any woman who puts on perfume and goes to the mosque for prayers, her prayer will not be accepted until she washes (it off)." (Ibn Majah).

"Do not forbid your women from (attending to congregational prayers in) the mosque, and their homes are better for them." (Abu Dawud).

This indicates that the prayer of a woman in her house is better for her than her prayer in the mosque.

[Imaduddin]

Alaykum salam wa rahmatullahi wa baraatuh.

Women are encouraged to pray at home, the best place to pray at in the home is her own room. The women have more reward praying at home.

In the Masjid, the best row which has more reward for women is the last row.

The Prophet salallahu alayhi wa salam has not forbidden women from going to the Masjid and has ordered the men to not prevent them from going there.

If you are interested in hadith/rulings which support what I've said, I can post them here another time insha Allah.

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[~ Sabr ~]

In the Masjid, the best row which has more reward for women is the last row.

This is new, not heard this before.

Yes please RE daleels if you can?

[Imaduddin]

This is new, not heard this before.

Yes please RE daleels if you can?

Before, I had only read the hadith, the scholar comments it and explains why and when the last row is better for women:

Q. Commentary on the hadeeth “The best rows for women are the back ones”

We are a group of women who pray in the mosque in Ramadan in a place that is isolated from the men so that they cannot see us and we cannot see them. I noticed that the sisters do not complete the front rows and do not make them straight, and some of them quoted as evidence the hadeeth of the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in which he said: “The best rows for men are the front ones and the worst are the back ones, and the best rows for women are the back ones and the worst are the front ones.” I said to them that what this hadeeth refers to is when the women are praying behind the men without a barrier, but now the situation is different. Is what I said correct?.


A. Praise be to Allaah.
The hadeeth quoted is saheeh, but according to the scholars it is to be interpreted in the manner that you mentioned, which is when there is no barrier between the men and women. But if they are screened from the men, then the best rows are the front ones and the worst ones are the back ones, just as is the case with men, and they have to complete the front rows first, then the next and so on, and close the gaps, just like men, because of the general meaning of the proven hadeeth from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) concerning that. May Allah help us all to do that which He loves and which pleases Him. End quote.
http://islamqa.info/en/ref/118155

[~ Sabr ~]

But if they are screened from the men, then the best rows are the front ones and the worst ones are the back ones,

Jazaak Allaah Khayr, this is what I was looking for - as our Masjid as a different section for women, it just didn't make sense to sit in the back....

[ardianto]

:salamext:

Are women allowed to pray in congregation everyday in the masjid or not?

If not, why not?

Some daleels InshaAllaah...

Jazaak Allaah Khayr

Wa' alaikumsalam warahmatullah wabarakatuh.


Imam Abu Hanifa rahimahullah, and two of his sahaba said, it's makruh (suggested not to do) for young women to perform salah jama'ah (congregation prayer) in masjid because feared it will cause fitnah (something bad), like men who see them in masjid are attracted to them. Imam Abu hanifa rahimahullah added, it's permissible for old women to pray in congregation in masjid at subh, maghrib, and isha, because in these time the fasiq people are sleeping or eat at their homes. While his two sahaba (currently I don't know who) said, it's okay for old women to pray in congregation in masjid in all of salah times.

Ulama from Maliki madhab said, it's permissible for women with great purity and do not (without intention to) attract men to pray in congregation in masjid. However, if their presence in masjid could cause fitnah, the women should not go to masjid.

Ulama from Shafi'i and Hanbali madhab said, it's makruh (suggested not to do) for attractive women[*] to pray in congregation in masjid with men, because it feared could cause fitnah. But it's okay for unattractive women[*] to pray in congregation in masjid without using fragrance and after asked permission from their husband, although they are preferable to pray at homes.

----
[*] Criterion of attractive and unattractive in this matter is debatable. There are ulama who said, attactive means beautiful, but there is another opinion -which I am sure it's stronger- that attractive in this matter means: have insting to attract men.

----

Are women allowed to pray in congregation in masjid?. Yes! because ...

Rasulullah Shallallahu Alayhi Wasallam allowed women to pray in congregation in masjid, although with notes, like not using fragrance, tell the husband before (for married women). There are some hadith about it.

Jumhur (majority of) ulama do not prohibit women to pray in congregation in masjid. If they say makruh (suggested not to do), it's just for their safety (in fact, there are men who cannot lower their gaze).

----

Just for information. In my place (Indonesia), women who perform salah in masjid (not only in congregation) are women who not in their homes when the salah times come, like in working place or school, or in traveling. When they are in their homes when the salah times come, usually they perform salah at their homes, those . Ulama in my place never prohibit women to go to masjid, the women themselves prefer to perform salah at their homes.

[glo]

A friend of mine, who is an American revert to Islam, wrote this:

"Myself and other sisters I know refuse to participate with sister's Area's, we ignore them and pray in the back row of the Masalah. If we are asked to move again we just stay where we are until they give up."

What are your thoughts on this? If the masjid provides a women's area, can women still pray behind the men?

[~ Sabr ~]

I don't think so. There's no point then. As a female area is provided.

[ardianto]

A friend of mine, who is an American revert to Islam, wrote this:

"Myself and other sisters I know refuse to participate with sister's Area's, we ignore them and pray in the back row of the Masalah. If we are asked to move again we just stay where we are until they give up."

What are your thoughts on this? If the masjid provides a women's area, can women still pray behind the men?

The etiquette of become a guest is obey the host's rule. And Muslims are obligated to maintain manner and etiquette.

If the masjid provides a women's area, those women should pray in women's area. This is not discrimination, just follow the etiquette. The masjid must be has speaker that make those women can hear the imam voice. Although the men and women are praying in separated rooms, the prayer is still counted as prayer in congregation.

[glo]

^
That makes sense.
I'm afraid my friend is a bit of a rebel. :)

[Cabdullahi]

^
That makes sense.
I'm afraid my friend is a bit of a rebel. :)

Its okay we understand, years of feminazi brainwashing has taken its toll on them and the way they think.

The masjid has given them an area where they can relax and put their feet up without worrying about men looking at them.....they could be practising wrestling and we wouldnt know...

Whats better ....to relax in a VIP area or to rub shoulders with the smelliest creatures alive?

[glo]

^
My friend never mentioned rubbing shoulders with the men. I will have to ask her about that! ;D

[ardianto]

I've never found, and even never heard, any masjid in Indonesia which has women's room. We just use portable room partition to share the room into men's and women's areas.

[Muhaba]

The Prophet (pbuh) said:

"Any woman who puts on perfume and goes to the mosque for prayers, her prayer will not be accepted until she washes (it off)." (Ibn Majah).

Please use exact words of hadith to keep from changing the meaning of it. The hadith states that a woman who wears perfume and goes to the masjid, her prayer is not accepted until she does a complete purification bath. Only washing off the perfume is not enough. some one may want to post the hadith in arabic.

[Muhaba]

A friend of mine, who is an American revert to Islam, wrote this:

"Myself and other sisters I know refuse to participate with sister's Area's, we ignore them and pray in the back row of the Masalah. If we are asked to move again we just stay where we are until they give up."

What are your thoughts on this? If the masjid provides a women's area, can women still pray behind the men?

At the time of the Prophet (SAW) there were no partition between women's area and men's area. There wasn't even a curtain. Women simply went and prayed behind the men, but didn't stand in the same line as men.

Nowadays masjid have women's area where women pray. If a masjid doesn't have it or it is locked, women are discouraged from praying there. They are told by the men that there is no place for women, but i think that is wrong, because it stops women from going to the masjid and at the time of the Prophet (SAW) there was no partition and women would pray behind the men, so this isn't something wrong. If there is no separate area, men should allow women to pray there. It's strange that some men in masjid think that women praying in the same place as men will cause fitna but have no problem with women being in the shopping centers, schools, offices, etc.

Is it a good idea to have a separate area for women in the masjid? I don't know. One thing is that if you have a separate area, women can't see the men praying so mistakes in prayer are possible. some masajid solve the problem by placing a TV in the women's area which allows them to see the imam and men, but this is wrong for two reasons. 1. there are now pictures in the masjid and pictures are not allowed in Islam. 2. women see the men & some even look at them and that is not a good thing as we are supposed to guard our vision and not stare at men.

Since Islam was perfected at the time of the Prophet (SAW), it's not possible to make it more perfect. Placing a partition between men's area and women's area in the masjid wasn't done at the time of the Prophet (SAW). Was it better that way or is it better with a partition (which I heard was placed in the Sahaba's time)? Should there be just a partition/curtain or should there be a separate room? Is the current way a deterrent to women going to the Masjid since many masajid don't have women's area? Is the masjid now seen as a place for men only? Those are somethings Muslims should think about.

[glo]

Thoughtful and thought-provoking post, WRITER. I like it. Thank you.

[Muhaba]

^You're welcome. :) May Allah guide you to the true religion. Amen.

[ardianto]

It's strange that some men in masjid think that women praying in the same place as men will cause fitna but have no problem with women being in the shopping centers, schools, offices, etc.

Although always remind women that best place to perform salah is in their homes, ulama in Indonesia never forbid women to go to masjid. And they order the husbands to allow their wives to go to masjid.

Unfortunately, some husbands in Indonesia still forbid their wives to go to masjid with reason, if women go to masjid, it could raise fitnah.

Regarding to this matter, an ustadz wrote in his blog. "Very strange, those husbands forbid their wives to go to masjid, but allow their wives to go to mall or parties?. Which places that can raise bigger fitnah?".

[Paprika]

Of course we are. at the time of the Prophet (SAW) women used to go to the masjid for every prayer. nowadays, there are masajid with place for men only or if there is a women's area, then it is kept locked. they say that it is to stop fitna but actually it increases fitna, because women go out for other things, such as work and shopping, so why shouldn't they go to masjid? stopping women from masjid increases women's ignorance of deen and increases involvement in dunya.

when women don't go to the masjid, there is decrease in their taqwa. when we don't go for friday prayer, we miss the khutba which contains important religious material. additionally, the time women would've spent in masjid is now spent in other useless things like watching tv. since women miss khutba and other lectures, they are ignorant of religion, which means that the next generation will be ignorant since children learn from their mothers.

all this is one cause of downfall of ummah.

It's better for them to read their salaat at home.....