Maryam Amir – Is it better for a woman to pray at home or in the masjid

The hadith of umpham, in which the prop Muhammad peacey upon him

tells her that would be better for her to pray in the innermost part

of her home, is often used to explain that it would be better

for women in general, to pray in their homes than in the masjid.

However, while this narration and when similar to it, are

encouraging women to pray in their home, scholars also discuss

whether or not that was meant to be for these particular

individuals or for all women through all of time. Let's take

Abu Harim, Abu Shaka, for example, who states that in the home,

usually a woman might be living with her dad, her husband, her

brother, her son. So why? If the issue that scholars talk about, it

being so that a woman will be seen less by men as she goes to the

masjid, Why is she being being encouraged in her own home to pray

in the innermost part of it, instead of like the living room?

Is it really about men seeing her, or is it about something else in

these contexts? And another point, Ibn heza mentions that there are

so many narrations of woman going to the masjid with the Prophet

Muhammad, peace be upon him, but the only person who could deny

that reality is someone who is ignorant. Ibn Hazm also states

that the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, encouraged women to

go, invited women to go to the masjid in so many different

circumstances, in the night and in the day, carrying their children

with all of this difficulty. Why would he have done that?

SallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, unless there was more reward for

going to the masjid than staying in their own home with ease and

simply praying there. Abu Shak also mentions that, for example,

the wife of Ibn muda scholar, amongst the Companions royalty,

Allahu Anhu Zainab, radila Huang ha would pray in the masjid. There

are so many narrations of female companions who would go actively

praying in the masjid at all times of the day and night. This is the

best generation of women, and yet they would actively pray in the

masjid, including in Sahih al Bukhari, a wife of the Prophet

Muhammad, peace be upon him who, in isti habla would put a tray

underneath her to catch it when she was praying in the masjid. And

there was no barrier between men and women. Why didn't she just

pray in the masjid? Excuse me, in her home, in that type of

circumstance, unless she saw some sort of benefit to praying in the

masjid. This might not be the majority opinion, but scholars

like Ibn dafiq mentioned that a woman praying in the masjid

receives the same type of reward that a man would receive when he

was praying in the masjid in congregation, and that just

because the Hadith uses the word men, this in Arabic includes women

as well. Imam as Sarasi mentions that it's not an obligation for a

woman to go to the masjid because of the responsibilities that are

unique to women at times. Rather, that doesn't mean that it's not an

a recommendation or an encouragement for a woman to go to

the masjid Ibn Hazm mentions. Are we really going to say that with

all of the difficulty of getting to the masjid, of the weather

being difficult, of relieving responsibilities, of all of those

things, that she's not going to get more reward because she makes

all of that effort simply because it would have been better for her

to pray in her home, of course, for any woman to take the opinion

that it is better for her to pray in her home that's in line with

scholars. So may Allah accept that effort from you. It's just

important to know that this is not the only opinion. It is a

difference of opinion, and therefore we need to teach sisters

that if you love going to the masjid, if that's your refuge, if

that's where you feel like you connect to Allah, that's not

something you should feel guilty about. Women go through so much.

There is so much toxicity, trauma, pain, abuse that women face. And

women in our community are expected and where hijab

appropriately as we walk through society. But then when someone

yells at us, when someone commits a hate crime against us, we go to

the masjid seeking some sort of refuge, a safe space, a place of

support and comfort. To be told that we shouldn't even be there.

To be told that women do not have space here, to be told that this

Masjid is only for men, to be told that a woman's prayer place is

closed. Not all Masjid are like this, but many are. Women

consistently feel isolated, excluded, like they don't belong

in a masjid. And that is not a reflection of the method of the

Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Prophet Muhammad, peace

be upon him. Said, do not prevent the female slaves of God from

going to the houses of God. Aisha, later on, said that if the Prophet

sallallahu, alayhi wa sallam had seen the way that woman dressed

and behaved in her time period, he would have prevented women from

going to the masjid. But Ibn Hajar, the commentator of sahih al

Bukhari, mentions that even a great companion who is a scholar

like Aisha, radiAllahu anha, their words do not override the words of

the Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon him in the ruling and Abdul

Halim Abu Shak he mentions that if the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa

sallam had seen the way that women in his time had access to

everything, went everywhere and were tempted by the evils and

challenges inside and out that they the Prophet sallallahu alayhi

wa sallam wouldn't have said, as Aisha said, that they should be

prevented from the masjid rather the Prophet Muhammad, peace be

upon him, would have said.

That a woman should be obligated to go to the masjid when you talk

about it being better for a woman to pray in her home, that is

absolutely acceptable, if you take that opinion and may Allah bless

you. But also recognize that scholars throughout history have

differences of opinion on this issue. So don't teach it as this

is the only authentic Quran and Sunnah. This is the Haqq. Teach it

as this is a difference of opinion and as a misad, as misajid, we are

not going to create policies that push women out, that make women

feel like they don't belong, that make women feel like in the

architecture, in the infrastructure of the masjid that

they should not be there, because in our concern for the fitna that

we want to prevent for men, we have a greater fitna, and that is

woman leaving and never coming back, and that is so antithetical

to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him who would prayer making

it shorter if he heard a baby crying just to ensure that a

mother felt at ease, praying longer is obviously more rewarded,

but it was more important for the Prophet Muhammad. Sallallahu

alayhi was SallAllahu, alayhi wa sallam, to create access for women

to feel comfortable, feel like it's their space, feel like they

want to come, that they want to bring their children, that they

know that the house of God is a house for them.