Brother, stop praying solo at the Mosque and do it in congregation!

Does this apply to women too?

format_quote Originally Posted by glo

Does this apply to women too?

women have responsibilities at home so they don't have to attend

format_quote Originally Posted by Abz2000

women have responsibilities at home so they don't have to attend

I understand that.
But is it beneficial and recommended for women to pray in congregational prayers (when they are able to), just as it is for men?

format_quote Originally Posted by glo

I understand that.
But is it beneficial and recommended for women to pray in congregational prayers (when they are able to), just as it is for men?

Ahmad (27135) narrated from Umm
Humayd, the wife of Abu Humayd al-
Saa’idi, that she came to the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and said: "O Messenger of Allaah,
I love to pray with you." He said: "I
know that you love to pray with me,
but praying in your house is better for
you than praying in your courtyard, and
praying in your courtyard is better for
you than praying in the mosque of your
people, and praying in the mosque of
your people is better for you than
praying in my mosque."

Thank you, sis.

i dunno, just that some of the women were unhappy that the men got to spend more time hearing the words of the Messenger of God pbuh due to responsibilities and children etc and said they were missing out on blessings,
the Messenger of God pbuh told them that there was more blessing for them to pray at home.

according to a recent friday sermon i heard this isn't necessarily a blanket ruling, it is dependent on circumstances.
because if they were missing out on prayer in congregation due to pressing responsibilities, the reward isn't diminished for them when theyv pray at home - then, depending on prayer times and locality, it can also be due to security concerns for the women.

there is also a similar hadith regarding Jihad, when the women asked about the fact that they missed out.
and were told that their Jihad is Pilgrimage. again this isn't a blanket ruling, as women did sometimes have to join the fight against the romans too.

I imagine that if I was a muslimah, I would love to go to masjid, pray with my sisters and hear the imam speak.

Thank you both for sharing your knowledge and understanding on the matter.

Sister Glo, because Islam is the religion of God, so God has cared for women just as He cared for men. after all, we are all His creation.

God knows both the feelings and needs of women. So God cared for both. On the one hand, the final Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said to the men not to stop women from going to the masjid (mosque). on the other hand, he said that a woman's prayer at home is better than her prayer in the masjid. this solves the problem as a woman may not always be able to go to the masjid becuase of pregnancy or small children or simply because she just doesn't feel like leaving the house. so in that case she will not feel like she has lost rewards because she knows that her prayer at home is better than her prayer in the masjid! but if she wants to go to the masjid, she gets all the benefits of praying in the masjid and noone can stop her.

at the time of the Prophet (SAW) the women would go to the masjid even for night and dawn prayers! one time the Prophet (SAW) went to the masjid and one of his wives was sitting in the masjid. a few hours later, he went again, and she was still sitting there. (someone may want to post the exact words of the hadith as i don't have them at the time.)


God says in the Holy Quran:
Indeed, the Muslim men and Muslim women, the believing men and believing women, the obedient men and obedient women, the truthful men and truthful women, the patient men and patient women, the humble men and humble women, the charitable men and charitable women, the fasting men and fasting women, the men who guard their private parts and the women who do so, and the men who remember Allah often and the women who do so - for them Allah has prepared forgiveness and a great reward. (33:35)

And God says in the Quran (9: 71-72):

The believing men and believing women are allies of one another. They enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and establish prayer and give zakah and obey Allah and His Messenger. Those - Allah will have mercy upon them. Indeed, Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise.

Allah has promised the believing men and believing women gardens beneath which rivers flow, wherein they abide eternally, and pleasant dwellings in gardens of perpetual residence; but approval from Allah is greater. It is that which is the great attainment.

there are many other such verses in the Quran.

sis writer is correct regarding the prohibition of forbidding women from going to the mosque,

From Abd al-Razaq (thiqa) from Mu’amr (thabi) from al-Zuhri (tahbit faqih) that ‘Atika,
the wife of ‘Umar, used to pray in the mosque and he told her, “By Allah, you know that I don’t like this.”
She replied, “I will not stop unless you stop me.”
He responded, “Indeed, I will not stop you.”
On a side not, she was in the masjid when he was stabbed (May Allah be pleased with them).
In another narration from al-Bukhari in his Sahih, “What kept him from doing that was the Prophet’s words, “Don’t forbid women from the masjid of Allah.” (1/305)

May Allah guide us to what pleased Him and grant us insaf.

"Ibn 'Abbass said, 'A beautiful woman, from among the most beautiful of women, used to pray behind the Prophet (SAAW).
Some of the people used to go to pray in the front row to ensure they would not be able to see her.
Others would pray in the last row of the men, and they would look from underneath their armpits to see her."


Because of this act, in regard to her, Allah revealed: "Verily, We know the eager among you to be in the front and verily We know the eager to be behind." (15:24).


Narrated by Ibn Majah, Abu Dawud, Attayalisy, Baihaqi, Ahmad, Tirmidhi, Nasai and others. It was judged authentic by Sheikh Al-Albaanee in his book, Silsilat Al-Ahaadeeth As-Saheehah #2472, where he quoted many scholars who judged it to be authentic.

the Prophet (PBUH) said, "On many occasions I start the prayer with the intention of prolonging it and then
shorten it on hearing the cry of a baby for fear of keeping his mother away from attending him." The
Prophet's (PBUH) Mosque had a number of doors. One day, the Prophet said, "If we could only leave this
door for the ladies!" Ibn Omar, who was always very scrupulous in following the way of the Prophet
(PBUH), was reported as not using this door from then on, leaving it for the purpose mentioned by the
Prophet (PBUH).

here's more:
http://www.masjidmanhattan.com/articles/Women in Jummah.pdf

amazing how this has turned into womens rights

format_quote Originally Posted by dqsunday

Is it safe to say women are not obligated to pray at the mosque/masjid but are more than welcome to do so if she is willing/able? Its pretty much the gist I am getting from all the references and statements made so far in this regard.

seems about right, however they'd still make judgement calls when there was chance of unnecessary fitnah, here's something i found interesting:

Q: Did the Commander of the Believers `Umar ibn al-Khattab - Allah be well-pleased with him - prevent women from attending the mosque?


The answer is: Yes, but only those who stayed there for loitering/relaxation (istirwah), not those attending fard Salat.


Khawla bint Qays said: "We were women, in the Mosque [in Madina al-Munawwara], who may have mixed with the men at times and perhaps even flirted (ghazalna) and even harmed themselves in this intermixing; so `Umar said: 'I swear I shall make free women of you again.' So he brought us out (akhrajana) of the Mosque." Kanz al-`Ummal #23131 from Ibn Sa`d's Tabaqat.


`Umar (RA) never prevented nor forbade women from attending the mosque for the five obligatory prayers nor Tarawih.


This general permission and conditional prohibition is how he understood the meaning of the hadith of the Prophet (S): "Do not forbid the bondswomen of Allah from [going to] the mosques of Allah."


It is also related that he allowed them to pray Tarawih prayers in the Mosque at Madina far from the men and ordered Sulayman ibn Abi Hatma to be Imam for them, at the far end of the Mosque. Al-Muhalla (3:139).


In fact `Umar himself narrated that the Prophet (SAWS) said more explicitly, "If your women ask permission to go out to Salat, do not forbid them!" Musnad Ahmad (1:40).


To that end `Umar made sure they had a separate entrance and exit to the Mosque, which he forbade men from using, and separate ablution facilities. Al-Muhalla (3:131 and 4:119).

http://www.***********/msaec/articles/curtain.htm

format_quote Originally Posted by tango92

amazing how this has turned into womens rights

Innit? Amazing how non Muslims always seem to know what we want or should want better than us.. Thank God for their presence!

format_quote Originally Posted by ardianto

Greeting sister Glo


Speak? what speak?. The imam duty is lead prayer. Giving sermon in special prayer is the khatib duty, giving lecture is the da'i duty.

I didn't know that. Who is the khatib and the da'i?

Do you know sister Glo, in my place, there are many Qur'an recitation and Islamic study group that made and run by women. Can men join in these groups? .... Ow, ow, those women will say "Sorry!, it's for women only!"

And how about Qur'an recitation and Islamic study group that for men only?, rare. Men prefer to make and run study group that opened for men and women.

Thank you for giving me a different perspective, ardianto.

That's what you would experience if you were a Muslimah in my place.

Sounds great!

Thank you, ardianto, for being so informative and helpful.