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Answer
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Name
HUSNA
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Profession
HOUSEWIFE
Question
Are women allowed to enter the mosque for a short discussion when menstruating? Or if the blood has stop but she has not performed ghusl?
Answer
As salamu alaykum
Jazakallahu khayran for such an important question which I will do my best to answer.
There is a well-known ahadith in which the Prophet (pbuh) asks A`isha to fetch his mat from the masjid. She tells him that she is menstruating and he responds that her menstruation is not in her hand. She also used to lie across his prayer mat while she was menstruating. However, Muslims generally believe that menstruating women are not allowed in the masjid area because they do not have ghusl and w`udu. That is why they often will hold discussions and classes in other areas or have a section separate from the actual masjid for people to meet.
Muslim women were advised by the Prophet (pbuh) to attend the `Eid celebration even if they were menstruating. It isn't clear from the ahadith if this meant they were to be present in the masjid.
Clearly, there is room for flexibility here and this is something that religious scholars should discuss further so that women are not prevented from participating in discussions and from gaining knowledge because they are menstruating. If the consensus is that only individuals with proper ablution can enter the mosque, then alternative spaces must be created for women and others to meet for the purposes of education.
Name
Farrukh
- United Kingdom
Profession
Question
I read that there was no separation behind men and women in the mosque at the time of Prophet Muhammad and that the women would pray just behind the men. I also read that Imam Malik stated that if a man turns up late for prayers and he prays behind rows of women, his prayers are still valid. Given not only the nature of the question raised through Imam Malik's opinion, (presumably reflecting the real-time situation of early Islam), why are nearly, if not all mosques across the Muslim world ignorant of this 'Sunnah' of the Prophet i.e. women praying behind men without barriers - and NOT at the furthest reaches of the mosque?
Answer
As salamu `alaykum
You have raised some excellent points. The question of why some beliefs and customs are ingrained in Muslims and others are not is of key importance for the Ummah today. When we read the texts ourselves, we find that many things we were led to believe may not reflect what is actually written in the Hadith and may contradict the spirit of the Qur'an. Excluding women from the mosque is one of them.
When you look at all of the major Hadith sources, you cannot find a single one that supports the idea of a barrier between men and women in the mosque. This was not practiced at the time of the Prophet (pbuh) and was never even mentioned as an issue. There are ahadith, in al-Bukhari for example, that advise men and women to enter and exit the mosque separately. But as for a wall or curtain or the confinement of women to a separate room altogether (as is common practice in the Muslim world), there is no supporting text.
I am aware of the Maliki ahadith you mention as well. This certainly is not common knowledge and would be disputed by many. But it is a valid source, nonetheless. Muslims, especially our scholars and community leaders, must be able to deal with the questions raised that challenge today's status quo of isolating women since that has no precedence in the Sunnah itself. There is great resistance to such change, even here in the US, where new masjids are built with barriers, with space for women on the second floor or in separate rooms, not even able to see the Imam.
Changing what is a long-held, strong belief is difficulty and can only come from increasing knowledge about the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Those who wish to perpetuate the status quo have to answer to these questions from devout Muslims who only wish to see everyone participating in the way that they did during the time of Muhammad (pbuh).
Name
Hwaa
- Egypt
Profession
Question
As salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh sister Layla and shukrillah for your time.
In the U.S. clearly there are some areas where Muslim men refuse to allow women to attend congregational prayers which is clearly nothing to do with Islam or is it? If it is not Islamic, then what is the problem precisely, or are we just talking gender politics here?
Answer
Wa alaykum as salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh
Sometimes we are intimidated by individuals who prevent our participation in juma'a. I have been turned away, yelled at and advised that there isn't enough space so women can't join the juma'a. Clearly, this violates the spirit of Islam and unless we and others who support us, particularly among our brothers, challenge these practices from within an Islamic framework, the practice will continue.
In the US, we, as members of communities, can, in many cases, take these issues up with the leadership. After all, our goal is to be more involved in our communities which can serve to benefit everyone.
Name
Niamatullah
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Profession
S. Africa
Question
As salamu `alaykum Dr. Layla.
There has been much concern and confusion over women's place in relation to the mosque for reasons that are not always Islamic.
Could for the sake of rationale could you define the difference between mosque, masjid and jama`at and Islamically what relationship women have to each of the three if they differ at all?
Answer
Wa alaykum as salam.
I will do my best to answer this question, in sha'allah. I will answer it according to my own understanding, realizing that there may be different opinions about this issue.
To me, the mosque is simply the translation of masjid. However, they do have different meanings in practice, especially for Muslims living in non-Muslim countries where the mosque includes a masjid area (place to pray) as well as other areas that are not used for worship (like offices, a meeting hall, bookstores, classrooms, etc.)
Based on my reading of Hadith, during the time of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) women gathered with men in the masjid for the regular prayers. In addition, the masjid was used as a meeting place where he would instruct women separate from the men.
A question raised earlier was whether menstruating women could attend such a class in the masjid if they were menstruating. I believe there is some room for discussion on this issue, but for now, the general consensus is that only people with proper ablution can be in the masjid.
If the mosque includes areas in addition to a prayer area, then women can enter without restriction. Whether women and men should be separated in such areas is also a subject of debate. Some mosques choose to have men and women sit on separate sides of the lecture hall, for example. Others do not allow women and men to meet in the same place at all. Considering the fact that the idea of mosque as something more than a masjid is relatively new in terms of Islamic history, there is no obvious text that says how things MUST be done. Either way, no one should be excluded from participating in the activities or made to feel unwelcome simply because of their gender. Clearly, our Prophet (pbuh) never turned anyone away from the masjid.
Finally, in jama'a which is the communal prayer on Fridays, the Qur'an states that it is an obligation for "you who believe" but the common interpretation is that this injunction as a fard or obligation that applies only to men (see Sura 62).
For many women, this is viewed as a relief from a requirement that would be difficult to fulfill due to obligations with child-rearing. However, the fact that women are not required to attend often is used as a reason for actively PREVENTING women from participating in Juma'a. As you may well know, the Prophet (pbuh) clearly stated, "Do not prevent the hand-maidens of Allah (i.e. believing women) from going to the masjid." So while they may not be required to attend, they still benefit if they do from the blessings of praying in jama'a and from the knowledge they gain by listening to the khutbah.
Name
Mohamad Reza
- Indonesia
Profession
student
Question
What do you think about the recent women imamate in New
York? Do you think this event will further the cause of womens rights in Islam, especially women's right in the mosques? Finally, I understand that MWL (Muslim Women's Laegue) support the female imamate agenda based on my reading of your website, could you clarify it for me ?
Thank you...
Answer
As salamu `alaykum
The issue of women-led prayer in New York last year received a lot of attention from the media and others. For most Muslim women living in the US, this is not a priority issue; most women simply want to go to the mosque and pray without being harassed. They want to be respected and treated with dignity. They are not interested in leading prayers or giving khutbahs. However, it is important to really find out what Muslim women here want and that is not really known because no reliable surveys have been done to explore their attitudes.
In my opinion, this issue does highlight the exclusion of women from positions of leadership. While I personally am not a proponent of women as imams and khatibs, I still believe that women who have knowledge and expertise in Islamic issues (Qur'an, Sunnah, etc.) should be given a greater role in their communities to educate others, not only women. This is consistent with the precedent set by A`isha and other female Sahabahs who transmitted their knowledge to women and men alike.
In addition, women should be given a larger role in the leadership structures of mosques here in the US (Boards of Directors, etc.). They are members of the community who have wisdom and talent to offer. My sense is that the general exclusion of women from leadership roles in the Muslim community and from the mosques in general prompted such a dramatic step taken in New York. I do not see it as the beginning of a larger movement, at least based on the conversations I have had with Muslim women around the country.
As for the Muslim Women's League, our position paper does look at historical facts (like the role of Um Waraqa in a well-known ahadith as the Imam of her household) as an example of women as Imams, but that does not mean we are advocating this as a change of practice within the Muslim community. There were differences of opinion on this subject within our own Board of Directors that are reflected in the statement we issued when the controversy began. As I mentioned, our priority is ensuring that the mosque, especially here in the US where Muslims often have nowhere else to go for a sense of Muslim fellowship, must be open and welcoming to women. Having women participate in different forms of leadership will help ensure that their needs are met and that their own knowledge and experience is taken advantage of.
Insha'allah, that provides the clarification you seek. If not, I would be happy to discuss further.
Name
Sarah
- United States
Profession
student
Question
Can women take leadership roles in mosque committee. Any specific ayat/ahadith regarding this?? This sort of ties into leadership role in politics etc as well. thanks...
Answer
As salamu `alaykum
There is no text that says a woman cannot participate in the leadership of her mosque. The one ahadith people use to justify the exclusion of women from leadership in any form (including political) is where the Prophet (pbuh) is reported to have said that any nation led by a women is destined to fail. This ahadith has been analyzed in many ways, first and foremost by looking at the source, a man named Abu Bakra (not Abu Bakr, the Prophet's close friend and companion). Abu Bakra had been punished earlier for giving false testimony which means that any statements coming from him would be considered weak at best and completely discredited at worst. In addition, there is some belief that this ahadith was revealed in order to influence political events as a direct challenge to the role A'isha played in the Battle of the Camel.
In any event, while we can debate the relevance of this single hadith as a basis for exclusion of women from leading countries, it is a very weak argument for preventing women from serving as leaders in their communities either as members or chairpersons of committees or of Boards of Directors. All members of the community who have the desire and knowledge that can contribute to the growth and development of that community should be encouraged to participate. If there is resistance to this, then the leadership of that community should be able to receive questions about their position and not stifle debate and discussion because they want to maintain the status quo.
Muslim leaders, in the US or elsewhere, should not be afraid of dealing with these sorts of questions from their communities; rather, we should all work together to find solutions to the problems we face without being held hostage to a particular point of view that is based on a weak textual argument..
Name
islam
- Algeria
Profession
Question
I am well aware that there were no barriers at the time of the prophet (pbuh)but wont you agree with me that the time is changed so did the manners if men and women and there is fitna every where so why not keep a place away from it ?
Answer
As salamu alaykum
The idea that things are much worse now than they were back in the days of early Islam is prevalent among many. But, Islam is a religion for all time and things like lying, stealing, adultery, corruption, usury, murder, infanticide, etc. were commonplace back then. I think people are people and in some ways, we have evolved in terms of how we interact. Muslim men and women should be thought of as mature, respectful individuals who treat one another with dignity. In the mosques that I attend where there are no barriers, there is no inappropriate behavior either. Rather, people come and go, worship at the masjid and benefit from each others' perspectives. We should assume that we are capable of such behavior and not that the decadence of our times prevents Muslims from behaving as Muslims.
In addition, especially here in the US, it always struck me as ironic that the Muslim brothers would work and go to school in places where they were alongside non-Muslim women all day. Yet, they were loathe to interact with their Muslim sisters and would enforce segregation in the mosques. This makes some of us feel that we are somehow inferior to their non-Muslim female co-workers.
Islam gives us the tools to behave with respect towards one another whether in the masjid and elsewhere. We lower our gaze and guard our modesty, we are not seductive in our speech, we avoid physical contact, etc. Muslim men and women are partners (awliya as in Surah 9 Ayah 71) and we can achieve the highest state of being by following the precepts of our religion. These are challenging times for us all but I believe that we should live up to the ideals rather than give in to the assumptions that we are unable to behave appropriately because of the larger cultural problems.
Name
Editor
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Profession
Question
Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Layla al-Marayati for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We apologize for not being able to accommodate all the questions within the time allocated to this session. Look out for upcoming sessions...
