Woman and the masjid

Akilah

Junior Member
I read this article today, thought I'd share it:

Aside from the use of moderate, extreme etc that only factionate our Ummah what do you guys think?

http://aninsight.org/2005/03/woman-and-masjid-between-two-extremes.html

Woman and the Masjid between Two Extremes

The masjid, better known in North America as the Islamic center, is the center of spiritual, social, educational, and, most recently, political activities of the American Muslim community. The masjid is also the place where Muslims of diverse cultural and ideological backgrounds meet and interact. The diversity of interpretations of Islamic sources and practices has created tensions, particularly in Islamic centers where the tendency is to impose strict interpretations about the appropriate place and role of Muslim women in the masjid and the community.

An increasing number of young Muslim women complain of restrictive arrangements and practices, impeding their ability to fully participate in educational and social programs. Many masjids today restrict the main prayer hall to men, and assign women to secluded quarters. Women are asking out laud: is this the place Islam assigns for us, or is it the imposition of cultural traditions? Some have even gone to the other extreme of rejecting all traditions and discarding all limits.

For Believing Men and Women

The masjid is a place for spiritual growth and development for all Muslims, and should be equally accessible for both genders. The Qur’an has set the spiritual and moral equality of men and women in explicit and unequivocal terms:

Allah has prepared forgiveness and great rewards for the Muslim men and women; for the believing men and women; for the devout men and women; for the truthful men and women; for the men and women who are patient and constant; the men and women who humble themselves; for the men and women who give charity; for the men and women who fast, for the men and women who guard their chastity; and the men and women who are exceedingly mindful of Allah. (Al-Ahzab 33:35)



Both men and women, the Qur’an stresses, have a moral obligation to develop themselves spiritually and morally, and to fulfill their social responsibilities. The masjid is, and has always been, the center of moral and spiritual learning and growth.

Likewise, the masjid is a public place for discussing issues of public concern and to respond to challenges facing the community. The Qur’an is also clear on the equal responsibility of both men and women for developing the public good:

The believing men and women are protectors and helpers of each other. They (collaborate) to promote all that is good and oppose all that is evil; establish prayers and give charity, and obey Allah and his Messenger. Those are the people whom Allah would grant mercy. Indeed Allah is Exalted and Wise. (Al-Tawbah 9:71)


Promoting public good and opposing evil are public duties equally required from men and women, and the masjid is the place where Muslim men and women can meet to plan community development and devise strategies for promoting public good.

The Prophet Affirms Equal Access

During the formative years of Islam women participated in public services, and shared the Masjid of the Prophet’s main hall. Sharing the main prayer hall allowed women to fully engage in public debate and influence decisions affecting their lives and the life of the community. When the second Caliph Umar bin al-Khatab wanted to put a cap on dowry, he was challenged by a woman, who stood up in the middle of the masjid and pointed out that his proposed policy violated Islamic law. He conceded and the proposed policy was never carried out.

Although the Qur’an is clear on the spiritual and moral equality of men and women, the Prophet, recognizing the tendency of some men to be overprotective of their female relatives, cautioned the Muslim community against preventing women from frequenting the masjid:

Ibn Umar narrated: The Messenger of Allah, peace be with him, said: Do not deprive women of their share of the masjids, when they seek permission from you. Bilal said: By Allah, we would certainly prevent them. 'Abdullah said: I say that the Messenger of Allah, peace be with him, said it and you say: We would certainly prevent them! (Sahih Muslim Book 4, Number 891)

Ibn Umar also narrated: The Prophet, peace be with him, said, "Allow women to go to the Mosques at night." (Bukhari Volume 2, Book 13, Number 22)



Sidestepping Established Principles

The argument against women sharing the main prayer hall is based on the principle of “corruption prevention” (dar’ al-mafasid). The principle states that “whatever leads to unlawful practices (haram) is in itself unlawful.” The principle, though not widely accepted by Muslim jurists, has been extensively used to limit actions that are otherwise lawful under Shari’ah. It was invoked by some jurists to reject the use of radio, TV, press, and other inventions because these were used to promote corrupt practices. Indeed, by invoking the principle of “corruption prevention” many good practices and devices could be declared unlawful, including the use of the internet and popular governance, as both are open to abuse.

Employing the “corruption prevention” argument, a number of masjids have decided to assign secluded quarters for women, and have placed many restrictions on women’s use of the masjid's facilities. In recent visits to three Islamic centers, several Muslim women complained bitterly to me about their experiences with community leaders. They complained of their inability to participate in general lectures and discussions, of the quality of the quarters assigned to them, and of their reliance on audio and video systems that frequently cut them off from the ongoing lectures or discussions.

Assigning women to separate quarters during lectures and discussions does not “prevent corruption” but rather “prevent education and spiritual growth.” I have heard many accounts of women completely immersed in conversations about shopping and cooking recipes during public lectures. The seclusion gives some women the feeling of distance and separation, and some women conclude that the events that take place in the main hall do not concern them. In such instances, the women’s quarters become less friendly to women who want to concentrate on learning and community issues.

Not all masjids embrace a mandatory seclusion policy. Many leading masjids, such as Dulles Area Musim Society (ADAMS), ensure that women share the main hall, participate fully in learning and consultation, and take active role in running the masjid. Women serve on the executive board of ADAMS and on its board of trustees. 5 of the 13 Board of Trustees members are women, and ADAMS vice president is a women. While ADAMS gives full access to women to use its main prayer hall, it still permits women who want privacy to stay in a separate quarter, thereby ensuring the Muslim women with different needs and convictions have place in the masjid.

Preventing women from exercising established rights or undertake duties cannot be justified under argument of “corruption prevention.” This argument was used at the formative stage of Islamic society, but was rejected by early Muslims. Abdullah bin Umar rejected this same argument of prevention:

Ibn 'Umar reported: Grant permission to women for going to the mosque in the night. His son who was called Waqid said: Then they would make mischief. He (the narrator) said: He thumped his (son's) chest and said: I am narrating to you the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him), and you say: No! (Sahih Muslim Book 4, Number 890)

Problems with Women’s Seclusion

Assigning women a separate and secluded space does not only go against Qur’anic injunctions and the practices and directives of the Prophet, peace be with him, but is detrimental to the spiritual and moral growth of women and the development of the community.

Preventing women from gaining direct access to the main hall of the masjid, where lectures and study circles take place, deprives them from taking active role in learning. In addition to the psychological and emotional feeling of not taking active part in the meetings, the ability to interact with the speakers, to ask questions and offer comments, is impeded.

Secluding women deprive the emerging Muslim community from a growing number of young Muslim women who do expect, and rightly so, that the masjid does not take away their right to take active part in serving the community. When legitimate expectations are not met, and when the customs and cultural traditions are given priority, they often force women to stay away from the masjid, and hence from Islamic learning and activities.

Elevating the cultural traditions and customs of immigrants works against the very mission of the masjid, as it becomes an impediment for educating people of other faiths about Islam. Historically, Islam found home in different communities throughout the world because of its ability to accommodate local customs and cultures, as long as they are not in conflict with Islamic teachings. Immigrant communities would be betraying their mission and trust if they insist on imposing their customs and cultural traditions.

Women and Masjid’s Governance

Women’s leadership in the community is another contentious issue. Women have assumed, in some Islamic centers, key leadership positions, by serving on the executive boards, and leading key committees, while they are kept at arm’s bay in others. Although Islam recognized the capacity of women to enjoy equal moral responsibility, as we saw earlier, many Muslim community managed, nonetheless, to curtail women’s participation in public duties on social and rational grounds. The degree of limitations placed on women’s ability to serve in public capacity varies across historical periods and fiqh schools.

Early jurists disagreed as to whether women can assume public office; while Ibn Jarir al-Tabari placed no limitations on women’s right to assume the post of judge in all legal matters, al-Mawardi contended that women cannot be allowed to serve as judges under any circumstances. In between stands Abu Hanifa who allowed women to serve as judges except in cases involving commercial deals.

To their credit, early Muslim jurists recognized women’s rights to serve in public capacity at times when many women have limited involvement in public life, and limited exposure to public service. Contemporary Muslim jurists should ensure that the original Qur’anic position of equal spiritual and moral rights and obligations is respected and advanced in today’s society. This is more pressing today as the question of women capacity to exercise leadership and serve the community is put to rest through impressive track record of Muslim women achieving in the academia, professional work, and community service.

Our masjids must reflect the leading role played by American Muslim women by ensuring that they are represented on the masjid board and join the rank of leadership. The importance of women taking active part on the executive board and in executive committees is further underscored by the need to represent concerns that can not be expressed except by women, who feel the impact of decisions made by the masjid on the quality of life and participation of other women.

Swinging to the Other Extreme

Several feminist Muslims, supported by a network of progressive activists, have been pushing the pendulum to the other extreme. Their solution for limiting women to secluded quarters, and their marginalization in ultra conservative masjids, is to open the masjid to a mixed congregation led by women. The Progressive Muslim Union has already announced a mixed congregation to be led by Amina Wadud this month in New York. It is unfortunate that Muslim feminists are following in the footsteps of their secularist precursors, breaking all traditions, and engaging in experimentations that break out with formative principles and values. For individuals and movements interested in reforming attitudes and practices to take the opposite extreme can only hurt the reform agenda already underway throughout North America.

The recent push to break out with community and tradition goes far beyond any reform agenda. Reform requires that one articulates the foundational principles and then engages the larger Muslim community in dialogue to create a new awareness and to translate the articulated principles into a living tradition. Reform aimed at critically engage Muslim traditions must stick closely to the Qur’an and prophetic practices, to clarify Islamic injunctions and established prophetic traditions. The Progressive Muslim Union’s leaders have apparently decided to push the envelop beyond all limits and operate in revolutionary rather than a reformist mode.

It is quite apparent that Muslim reformers, concerned with evolving the practices of the American Muslim community, and ensuring the full and meaningful inclusion of women in community life, must navigate their way by maintaining a middle ground, away from extremist tendencies: away from extreme conservative tendencies obsessed with preserving cultural traditions even at the expense of distorting Islamic teachings, and from extreme liberal outbursts that want to break fully with all traditions and delve into an empty space with no directions and road signs.

it would also be nice to compile sound hadith about woman and the masjid and perhaps send it to the author, and other groups mentioned here.
 

saaaamin

New Member
praying of a female in her house is better than praying behind the prophet . i think i heard a muslim scientist saying this
 

Munawar

Striving for Paradise
:salam2:
Thank you for sharing this great article. I agree with most of what has been presented here.

I have read that Prophet Mohammed :saw: would ask those women who accept Islam to make promise that would attend Jummah and Eid prayers. Even though women are not required to pray these prayers in Masjid yet He :saw: wanted them to pray in congregation in Masjid.

The reason is that he wanted them to hear the "Khutbah", the lecture given by the imam in these congregations would improve the knowledge of women.

I agree that today with the proliferation of media, radio, TV, newspaper, magazines, internet etc women can get exposed to a lot of knowledge, yet if the sunnah suggest that they should pray in the masjid then we should do our best to give them this opportunity. Plus they also need a sense of belonging that they are a productive and valuable member of the community.

Following Sunnah is the best thing... Always !
:wasalam:
 

sister mujahida

New Member
praying of a female in her house is better than praying behind the prophet . i think i heard a muslim scientist saying this

yes

@ munawar
however during the tym of caliphs, they were told to stay at home
as going to masjid, almost certainly wud cause fitnah

i didnt read the article:shymuslima1:...sorry but its kinda long
and im in a rush, however i think facilities shud be available, for example wen we went on holiday to dubai
wen we were shopping and that, we wud go to the masjid and thus not miss our salaah
however here in east london, we hav one mosque that allows women
and ive heard from sisters, that its just a place to gossip and chat
astaghfirullah, this is wot the sahabahs did not want
 

All4Allah

Umm Noor-ud-din
Why are women encouraged to pray at home?

The first and foremost reason is because there are rigorously authenticated traditions that specify that women should pray at home.

For example, the Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace said, "A woman's prayer in the depths of her house is better than her prayer in this masjid of mine."

Aisha, may Allah be well pleased with her, said, "Had the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) seen what women do now, he would have forbidden them the mosque as the women of Bani Isra'il were forbidden."

Women receive the same blessing for praying at home that men receive for going to the mosque.

Traditionally, Muslim women were encouraged to stay at home in order to create a peaceful, loving environment for their families. There is also the need to protect women from being exposed to negative influences and harassment outside the home.

Islam, being a practical religion, also understands that it would be difficult for women if they were required to go to the mosque. When a woman is busy running a home and taking care of her children, going to the mosque five times a day would become an undue hardship.

This is not to say that women may not visit the mosque. The Prophet, Allah bless him and give him peace, said, " Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from coming to the mosques of Allah. When a wife of one of you asks for permission to go to the mosque, she should not be refused this permission." [Bukhari and Muslim]

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani mentioned that it is permitted for a woman to go to the mosque particularly when she goes to seek knowledge or enjoy the fellowship of her Muslim sisters. This is especially relevant for Muslim women in the West whose only contact with other Muslims may be through the mosque.
 

ShahnazZ

Striving2BeAStranger
"In our mosque , during ramadaan, around iftaar time, there is mixing between men and women. This has gone on for many years. The people who run the mosque use the excuse that if we do not let the people do what they want they won't come to the masjid. What advice can you give me to correct the situation?"

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

Free mixing between men and women is haraam, because it leads to many negative consequences and haraam things. We have quoted the evidence for the prohibitions on mixing in the answer to question no. 1200.

As mixing is forbidden at all times and in all places, then it is more emphatically forbidden if it is done in the mosques during the month of Ramadaan, because it goes against the shar’i aims for which mosques are established, such as maintaining and propagating Islam, calling people to good and forbidding them to do corrupt and evil things. It also goes against the reason for fasting, which is so that we might attain piety (taqwa) and avoid whims and desires.

All the people of the mosque should denounce this evil and strive to do away with it. Those who are in charge of the mosque are especially responsible.

No one has the right to try to justify this evil or to remain quiet about it on the grounds that not allowing mixing may cause some people to refrain from coming to the mosque. This argument is to be rejected on several fronts:

1 – Remaining quiet and not denouncing evil when one is able to do so means that one is sinning. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you sees an evil act, let him change it with his hand (by taking action); if he cannot, then with his tongue (by speaking out); and if he cannot, then with his heart (by at least hating it and regarding it as evil) – but that is the weakest of faith.” Narrated by Muslim, 48.

No wise person would accept for his attendance at the mosque to be a cause of his falling into sin.

2 – The most important role that the mosque plays is calling people to goodness and warning them against evil. Hence those who are in charge of the mosque must explain to the people that mixing is haraam, and stop them doing it.

3 – The idea that these people will never attend the mosque is merely conjecture. Even if we assume that it does happen, the established principle among the scholars is that warding off evil takes precedence over achieving good.

4 – A special place for women to gather can be set up, whether it is in a particular corner of the mosque or even outside in a tent or some such, and useful programs can be offered to them, which should be supervised by women.

5 – The daa’iyah is the one who should affect how things are and strive to set things right; he should not be affected by things and then look for justification.

Mixing is a problem that has arisen because we are far away from Islam. Efforts must be made to denounce it and put an end to it. If the first step is not taken in the houses of Allaah, then where shall we begin?!

You can work with some of your brothers to convince the people in charge and help them to prepare a place that is suitable for women to meet, and help them to prepare suitable programs for the women.

We ask Allaah to bless your efforts with success.


To summarize: Mixing in the mosque is NOT permitted. Period.
 
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