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Name
M.A.H.K
-
Profession
Question
Will the time come and we see women teaching in mosuqes as ealry Muslim women did?
Answer
Thank you for your question. We all pray for such a time but not merely for the sake of having women teach rather because the entire Muslim ummah has so much to gain when women receive training in interpretation of the Islamic teachings based on the Qur'an, the sunnah and the authentic teachings of our righteous predecessors. Their intellect, their perspective on life and their being endowed by Allah with a rahmatic outlook on life are factors among so many from which all of us stand to gain.
We should aim develop more institutions of learning for both men and women who wish to dedicate their lives to acquiring firm and sound knowledge of Islamic teachings and who are insha'allah trained simultaneously to impart that knowledge to others. We hope this for men and women, and realize that it is us men who must be at the forefront of facilitating learning, especially for our sisters in Islam. And Allah knows best.
Name
Kamal
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Profession
Question
Why all that fuss about women and mosques?
Answer
Thank you. The "fuss" as you put it, is because there has been a total distortion of Islamic teachings by men for too long and therefore a culture has developed whereby the women have not only been kept physically out of the masjid, but also kept out of even knowing their own rights given to them by Allah and His messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Over time, cultural practices and individual interpretations by men claiming to be learned have perpetuated the observance of such practices as totally disallowing women to even come to the masjid; keeping women from acquiring an education; and even worse, making women feel that they are a source of temptation and therefore it is best for them to stay hidden. This is a double standard and one totally unfairly and arbitrarily applied to the sisters in our ummah.
Today, with the availability of so much literature on Islam that is so easily accessible by women for their own individual consumption, we are finding that women are coming to terms with the fact that they have been denied their due rights by men to come to the masjid and to learn. There are also alhamdulillah, Muslim male scholars who are helping men and women understand the backwardness of some of the cultural practices described above. And so, our sisters are more educated and alhamdulillah their fitratic (natural) inclination is to come to the house of Allah and that's how partially the "fuss" has started. And Allah knows best.
Name
Jeniva
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Profession
Question
Whose house is the mosque today?
Answer
The masjid is the house of Allah, and we, Muslim men and women, young and old, healthy and sick, rich and not so well off, educated and not so educated, we, His servants are its inhabitants. This has been the case for all of time and holds true even today. The house of Allah is open for everyone who observes the etiquette of the house, without exception. And Allah knows best.
Name
Sarah
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Profession
Question
Can women and men pray in the same area without separating between them?
Answer
Thank you for your question. Dr. Muzammil Siddiqui, a noted scholar and panelist with the IslamOnline Fatwa Section, has answered this exact question. Please read the following fatwa:
Thank you for your question. Yes, Muslim women have a meaningful contribution to make in the masjid as long as they are observing the etiquette of interaction between the genders in exactly the same way the men must observe the etiquette of interaction between genders. The emphasis is on a meaningful contribution because often the popular trend is to involve women "to keep up with the times." Islamic teachings are not only applicable to present day but for tomorrow and for all of time to come. So we should have women play roles which allow them to make a meaningful contribution while observing the limits established by Islamic tradition. Except for being the Imam, leading prayers and delivering the Friday khutbah, there are many meaningful roles for women to play within the Islamic tradition. And Allah knows best.
Name
Anwaar
- United States
Profession
Question
As-Salamu ‘Alaykum Wa RamatuAllah WaBarakatu. My question is in relation to where women pray today as opposed to where they prayed in the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) masjid. Today in some masjid’swomen pray behind the men. I have read that the women prayed behind the men in the Prophet's (SAWS) masjid. I have been advised that because of temptation between the men and women today it is better to pray in the women's section rather than in main area of the masjid. In regards to that opinion, I was guided to believe that Islam and its teachings were made to apply to the current times and also in the future(through the Qur’an and the actions of the Prophet (SAWS)). Can you please guide me to the correct procedure for the women to pray in regards to what was mentioned? Jazak Allahu Khairun
Answer
Thank you for your question. Islamic teachings are alhamdulillah of the nature that they are applicable for all times, by people anywhere in the world, and to every aspect of human life. It is true that the argument has been advanced at various times that we, the present day Muslims, are more vulnerable to temptation than previous generations and therefore, a less lenient interpretation of the Islamic teachings needs to be applied to us. It is true that today to some degree, men and women coming to the masjid might be less knowledgeable of Islamic teachings for any number of reasons, however, there is no statistical proof to say that because some people are less knowledgeable about Islamic teachings, they are therefore more inclined towards temptation. Therefore we cannot arbitrarily modify the structure of the masjid in such a way as to attempt to keep apart totally the men from the women.
The basic notion of the Islamic teachings regarding prayer is that men should pray with other men and women should pray with other women, most preferably with the men in front of the women. Dr. Muzzammil Siddiqi, noted scholar and a panelist for the Islam Online fatwa section, notes that, "if there is a concern that the lines of men and women will mix inside the masjid, then there is no harm in putting a lower barrier, only to demarcate the separate area for women. But women should not be put in a totally separate room in the masjidunless there is a shortage of space and no other proper arrangement can be done for them." And Allah knows best.
Name
Uni
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Profession
Question
After removing a wall separating male and female worshipers at San Francisco's largest downtown mosque, the board recanted ite view and the wall is back again. what is the reason in your view?
Answer
It is best to discuss the general issue of the a wall separating men and women in the masjid out of respect for the shura (mutual consultation) process at work in the San Francisco masjid or any other specific masjid for that matter. We refer you to a response regarding separation from a noted scholar and a panelist for the Islam Online Fatwa Section: Please read the following fatwa:
As a woman I feel inferior when we are segregated in the mosque. Why do not we pray behind men without any separating wall?
Answer
Dear sister, from today onwards do not feel inferior because of the actions of others. Allah himself has accorded you a dignified existence and raised your status in society from that of any other religion known to mankind. It is entirely consistent with Islamic teachings for women to pray behind the men without any wall separating them. You can review other responses in this live dialog session for further elaboration.
However, for various reasons not rooted in Islamic teachings, women have been relegated to the smallest space in the masjid, with almost always insufficient ventilation and a poor quality sound system. There are sometimes valid structural reasons why there might be a wall separating men and women, for example, if the congregation establishes a masjid in a pre-existing structure whereby walls are already standing and the maximum space for men and women to pray together is achieved by having the women pray in another room. Any such structural reasons should be considered only temporary until suitable arrangements can be made to ensure that sisters are able to pray with at the minimum, a low rising barrier which can demarcate the sections where men and women pray but which does not block out entirely the ability of the women to observe the Imam from where they are seated. And Allah knows best.
Name
Imam Ali
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Profession
Question
What women can do more than prayer in mosques?
Answer
Thank you for this question. Throughout Islamic tradition, the masjid has been more than a place for prayer. It has been a place for Muslims to gather and to learn. What better place for women to come to than the masjid where insh'allah there are facilities to educate them about their religion. Learned women in the community can serve as the teachers of the other women and if necessary, learned men, while observing the proper etiquette of gender interactions, can also teach the women.
More often now we are also finding masajidin the West which are developed as "community centers," complete with a prayer space, classrooms, and recreational facilities for exercise equipment and other indoor sports. These masajidmaintain specific time blocks so that the facilities are available to women only and men only during those time blocks. As long as Islamic teachings are being observed, the possibilities of what women and men can do at the masajidare endless with regards to their education, their socializing and their recreation. And Allah knows best.
Name
Teacher
- United States
Profession
Question
As-Salamu ‘Alaykum, I am a teacher at an Islamic school K-12. During dhuhur prayer sometimes the younger children (6-9yrs) need guidance as to how to pray. Is it okay to correct the children during the prayer? They do have class time to learn prayer Qur’an ect., yet sometimes they need to be reminded. There are also times that the children are disruptive with bad behavior moving around talking, and sometime pushing. What would be the proper procedure to stop them during the prayer, or should me and my fellow teachers just try to focus as best as possible during the prayer.
Answer
Thank you. To the best of our knowledge, you should focus on your own prayer as use other opportunities outside the obligatory prayer times to perhaps simulate the prayer and have the children learn from observing and practicing for themselves. You are welcome to submit this question to the scholars at Islam Online through the regularly scheduled Live Fatwa sessions as well as the Ask the Scholar option in the Living Shari'ah section. And Allah knows best.
Name
Arshad
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Profession
Question
As there is a call for not separating women from men, then there was a call for women leading women in prayer as Amina Wadud did. What more can we expect? a separate mosque for women?
Answer
Thank you for this question. The call to remove a separation between men and women, which is legitimate because it upholds the Islamic tradition of not needing to have a physical barrier separating men and women, should not be confused with others unfounded calls such as the one to have women lead the Friday prayer. We urge you to review other responses in this live dialog session to questions concerning the separation in the masjid of men and women.
While there will be challenges every generation faces as to the reforms a very, very small, uninformed minority calls for, we should be reassured that insha'allah the sound Islamic tradition will be preserved first by Allah and then by our own efforts. We do wish to point out that Islamic teachings permit women to lead other women in prayer. However, the incident you speak of is one in which a woman led a mixed congregation in the Friday prayers and according to the most notable contemporary scholars, both men and women, there is absolutely nothing in the Islamic tradition which justifies a woman leading the prayer for a mixed congregation. And Allah knows best.
Name
Basma
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Profession
Question
As a social worker in the US, how do you see the future of Muslim women in mosques?
Answer
In keeping the masjid not only women-friendly but Muslim-friendly in general, the goal will be make the masjid relevant to the average worshipper. Therefore, some examples of what is happening and will happen in the future include, the offering of services aimed at women of all ages. The masjid
could offer services for ranging from pre-marital counseling to marriage counseling to domestic violence to arbitration and mediation. Of course the emphasis is, wherever applicable, on having the couple there, both husband and wife to get help, not just the wife talking about the husband. In addition, the masjid could offer courses to strengthen their Islamic knowledge and help to make the Islamic teachings relevant to everyday life so no sister or brother for that matter attempts to interpret the teachings based on their own whims or on culture. Courses on child care, financial planning, cleanliness and hygiene, and so many other topics of personal interest could be offered. Other services such as shops for modest clothing, hair and beauty salons, could all be developed in the perimeter of the masjid so that the sisters could feel safe and ensure their privacy is maintained at all times. And the list goes on, but the time is short and there are other questions. And Allah knows best.
Name
Afla
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Profession
Question
Is there any restriction on women going to mosques?
Answer
Time is short and we urge you to review the other responses to questions in this live dialog session.
Name
Sasm
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Profession
Question
Muslims in the US are supposed to have a more developed awareness concerning the women issues. However the recent debate exposes that this is not the reality; in your opinion what are the dimensions revealed by the latest event of removing the separator between men women in the mosque; and what are the causes of the Muslim's community succumbing to the cultural traditions and not returning to the genuine Islamic teachings?
Answer
The Muslim community in the United States is not monolithic and many of the challenges you are raising are arising due to the constant influx of immigrants and refugees from various parts of the Muslim world. Every time a community educates a critical mass of its members about the masjid and the role of the masjid in daily life, a new group of Muslims arrives from some part of the Muslim world which sees what is being done in the United States as a compromise, as unacceptable according to their "cultural" experiences and their "cultural" interpretations. The fact that some Muslim communities in the U.S. still "import" Imams and do not orient them to the awe-inspiring success of the Muslims in the U.S., we will have these challenges as well. This constant pull and push will be there but one sure way to offset the impact of the new arrivals is to have thorough orientation classes about the masjid and the Muslim community in the U.S. In addition to the new arrivals, there are also some reverts to Islam who incline towards a rejectionist attitude blaming the former immigrants as having "sold out" to the American scene. Alhamdulillah, as long the basis to establish and operate the masjid is sound Islamic teachings, there will be lesser and lesser of these challenges insha'allah. And Allah knows best.
Name
Afla
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Profession
Question
Women going to mosques, do they observe the Muslim dress? If they do not then there is a need to separate them from men for ear of temptation. Do you agree on this?
Answer
This response by Dr. Muzzammil Siddiqui clarifies your question. Please read the following fatwa:
