Skip to main content

Can women perform salah at musjid and attend Eid salah:

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakaatuh

 

Respected Brothers and Sisters in Islam

 

There is a trend starting in various places to have Family Eidgaahs and women are being encouraged to attend the Eid Salaah.  

 

Those that encourage women to go to the Musjid and to attend the Eid Salaah, generally do so based on the narrations stating that in the time of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, women used to attend the congregational prayer in the Musjid and the Eid Prayer as well. 

 

In this regard, it is important to take note of the following:

 

Women in the time of the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) were not prevented from going to the Musjid. This was primarily due to the fact that they had the unique opportunity of praying behind the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) Himself. That was an act that cannot be paralleled today. Secondly, they used to observe all the requirements of Shariah including those of proper covering (hijab), hence they were not prohibited from attending the congregational prayers. Despite this, the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) still advised and encouraged them to pray in their homes.

 

Sayyida Umm Salama (R.A) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) said, “The best Musjid for a woman is the inner part of her home.” (Musnad Ahmad & Tabrani)

 

Sayyida Umm Salama (R.A) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu Alaihi wasallam) said, “A woman’s prayer in her inner room is better than her prayer in the outside room, and her prayer in the outside room is better than her prayer in the courtyard, and her prayer in the courtyard is better than her prayer in the Musjid.” (Mu’jam of Imam Tabrani)

 

Sayyida A’isha (R.A) said, “If the Messenger of Allah (Sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was alive to see what women are doing now (in that period of time), he would surely have prevented them from attending the prayers in the Musjid just as the women of Banu Isra’il were prevented.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

 

The renowned Hadith scholar and Hanafi jurist, Imam Badr al-Din al-Ayni (Allah have mercy on him) states whilst commentating on the above statement of Sayyida A’isha (Allah be pleased with her):

 

“Had Sayyida A’isha (R.A) witnessed what women are involved in the various types of innovations and wrongdoings these days, she would have been even more extreme in her preventing women from entering the Musjids…

 

Also the fact that there had not been a long time between her statement and the demise of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace), and also the fact that women in her time were not involved in even one portion of a thousand of what women are up to these days.” (Umdat al-Qari, 3/230)

 

The scholars of Islam always considered this aspect of the fitna and therefore many of them ruled that women should not attend the Salaah, neither at the Musjid nor at the Eid Gaah (Musallah). 

 

After quoting the hadeeth regarding women attending the Eid Salaah in the time of the Prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam, Imam Tirmidhi (R.A) has reported from Imaam Abdullah ibn Mubarak (R.A) and Sayyiduna Sufyaan As Thawri (R.A) that they considered it makrooh for the women to attend the Eid Salaah. Imam Tirmidhi (R.A) also made reference to the statement of Sayyidatuna Ayesha (R.A) that was quoted above. (Sunan Tirmidhi Vol.2 Pg.430 #539-40).

 

Hereunder is a short list of the scholars of the past who also discouraged/prevented women from attending either the five Salaahs in Masajid or the Eid Salaah:

 

Sayyidatuna Ayesha (R.A) (Sahih Al Bukhari)

 

Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Mas’ood (R.A) (Majma’uz Zawaahid)

 

Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Umar (R.A) (Musannaf ibn Abi Sheyba #5845)

 

Sayyiduna Urwa b. Zubayr (R.A) (Musannaf ibn Abi Sheyba #5846)

 

Sayyiduna Qasim b. Mohammed b. Abi Bakr Faqih Al Madinah (R.A) (Musannaf ibn Abi Sheyba #5847)

 

Sayyiduna Ibraheem Nakh’ee (R.A) (Musannad ibn Abi Sheyba #5844, #5848)

 

Sayyiduna Abdullah b. Al-Mubarak (R.A) (Sunan Tirmidhi #539-40 Vol.2 Pg.420)

 

Imaam Malik (R.A) (Umdatul Qari Vol.3 Pg. 305)

 

Sayyiduna Sufyaan As Thawri (R.A) (Sunan Tirmidhi)

 

Imam Abu Yusuf (R.A) student of Imaam Abu Hanifa (R.A) (Umdatur Qari Vol.3 Pg. 305)

 

There are various other references that can be cited as well from the books of Hadith and Fiqh.  

 

Thus, based on the above, women should not go to the Masjid for Salaah or attend the Eid Salaah as it is strongly discouraged in light of the fitna that is prevalent. 

 

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Taahir Hansa

Confirmation:

Mufti Ismaeel Bassa

 

Jamiatul Ulama (KZN)
Council of Muslim Theologians
223 Alpine Road, Overport
Durban, South Africa

Source: Received in Whatsaap on 13/6/2018

Popular posts from this blog

Islamic tradition has long possessed its own highly structured, time-tested system for internal regulation: Muhasabah (spiritual self-auditing):

 - "The intelligent person is the one who takes account of himself (subjugates his soul) and works for what comes after death. And the helpless person is the one who follows his desires and then entertains baseless hopes in Allah." (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 2459; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 4260) In an era dominated by hyper-connectivity and endless external noise, the human mind is rarely granted the space to simply pause. While modern psychology heavily promotes mindfulness as an antidote to this existential fatigue, Islamic tradition has long possessed its own highly structured, time-tested system for internal regulation: Muhasabah (spiritual self-auditing).  Far from being a vague, abstract concept, classical Islamic scholars treated self-reflection as an active, daily operational framework—a psychological necessity for purifying the heart and mastering the ego. By exploring the practical models left behind by giants like Imam Al-Ghazali and Ibn al-Qayyim , we uncover a time...
Read more

# The Invisible Foundation: How Islamic Scholarship Built the Modern West:

 - The history of "Western" knowledge is often told as a straight line from Ancient Greece to the European Renaissance. However, modern scholarship reveals that this narrative has a massive "missing middle."  For over five hundred years, the Islamic Golden Age did not just "preserve" ancient knowledge—it revolutionized it, creating the very empirical and logical tools the West uses today. ## 1. Beyond Preservation: The Birth of Experimentation While the Greeks excelled in deductive reasoning (thinking from general principles), Islamic scholars introduced the **inductive, experimental method**. The most prominent figure was **Ibn al-Haytham (Alhazen)**. In his *Kitab al-Manazir* (Book of Optics), he rejected the Greek theory that the eye emits light. More importantly, he established that theories must be proven through controlled, repeatable experiments (Piniés, n.d.). This methodological shift is now recognized as the foundational root of the modern scient...
Read more

Some of the traditional methods of raising children in Tarim (Yemen):

*Raising children* Some of the traditional methods of raising children in Tarim (Yemen). This is really beautiful. Women expecting children would ensure every morsel going into their mouths was halal. Breastfeeding mothers would repeatedly recite Ayah al-Kursi, Surah al-Falaq, Surah al-Nas and du'as of protection over their babies. When a child first began to speak it would be taught to say: رَضِيتُ بِاللهِ رَبّاً، وبِالإِسْلامِ دِيناً، و بسيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَبِيَّاً ورَسُولاً ‘I am content with Allah as my Lord, with Islam as my religion, and with our Master Muhammad ﷺ as my Prophet and Messenger.’ Parents would teach their children the importance of making good intentions and what intentions to make just as they would teach them how to recite Surat al-Fatiha. Parents would teach their children to call upon Allah in every situation. If a child asked for something, his parents would tell him to perform wudu, pray two rak'ats and then ask Allah to fulfil his...
Read more

Don’t fall into being from those who are unjust and falsely assume:

 - ASSUME GOOD OF PEOPLE: 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 A girl willingly jumps into a car after the male driver who sees her walking in the streets tells her to get in. 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 A man walks into a mosque while everyone is praying to wash his hands and leaves it without joining the prayer. 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 A teenage boy is greeted by a passerby but doesn’t return the Salam. 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 - 1st scenario: the driver was the girl’s brother - 2nd scenario: the man had already prayed in a mosque nearby which finished earlier - 3rd scenario: the teenage boy is deaf 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 Many people will fall into this trap of assuming bad of others. How can a girl ever agree to ride with her guy friend, how can a man dare to enter a mosque and leave without joining in on prayer and how can young boy not have respect and answer back the greeting. 🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸🌿🌸 A scholar once said: “If I see my brother and his beard is dripping alcohol...
Read more

Slicing Through the Ego: The Internal Qurbani:

 - # Beyond the Sacrifice: What is Your "Ismail" This Eid ul Adha? 🌙 **Eid Mubarak!** 🌙 Every year, as the global Muslim community gathers to celebrate Eid ul Adha, our focus naturally turns to the tradition of *Qurbani* (sacrifice). We prepare the animals, distribute the meat, and share meals with family and neighbors. But if we pause and look past the physical rituals, a profound spiritual question emerges. **Eid ul Adha is not just about sacrificing an animal. It is about sacrificing whatever stands between you and Allah.** ## The True Essence of Qurbani: Trust Over Fear When Prophet Ibrahim (AS) left his wife, Hajara (AS), and their infant son in the barren desert of Makkah, he didn’t leave them in fear—he left them in absolute, unwavering trust of Allah. And years later, when he raised the knife above his beloved son, Ismail (AS), it wasn't an act of cruelty. It was the ultimate demonstration of submitting his will to the Divine. > **The realization:** The knife...
Read more

Allaah did not call him Khaleel after a single moment. The friendship ripened through repeated surrender, across fire and desert and stone:

 - Allaah did not call him Khaleel after a single moment. The friendship ripened through repeated surrender, across fire and desert and stone. - Taqwa, when it matures in the crucible of trial, is the precise and correct ordering of the loves within a heart. It is the absolute knowledge of which love sits upon the throne, and which loves, however deep, however true, however entirely lawful, must bow beneath it.  - Tawakkul is the heart’s genuine reliance upon Allaah as the sole ultimate cause of all things, combined with the employment of every legitimate means. Islam teaches freedom from servitude to causes without teaching contempt for them. It is the settled condition of a heart that has understood that creation possesses only delegated force. What burns burns because it is permitted to burn; what heals heals because it is permitted to heal. No thing in creation holds or withholds what belongs solely to the Creator. - Hasbunallaahu wa ni’mal Wakeel. Allaah is sufficient for...
Read more

We must circulate the money by rotating it whatever amount we have, instead of having desires to earn more:

 - August-04-2021. Today's learning: **Money controlling efforts:*   *Introduction:*  Islam has always reminded us to address the human problems by continuously checking and balancing the wealth, instead of remaining in the hands of few.So, the method of rotation must keep going on, in order to allow the free flow of money between all the people. No matter what, ultimately even after our great efforts to hoard it, one day or the other it's going to leave us eventually.  *Hard earned money:* Islam says that hard earned money's value is more loved by Allah subhanahu wa taala as was earned by Prophet Dawood (peace be upon him).Allah made the iron smooth for him to turn it into different shapes and make it a useful commodity/good. Once Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was asked about the best job, and he replied by saying. "A job that is done by one's own hand,and every decent trade. Hadith Imam Ahmed (16628).  *Methods of utilising:* One could spe...
Read more

Quran Juz 7 – Wa Iza Sami’u - Summary:

 - Quran Juz 7 – Wa Iza Sami’u Summary Join Us: https://chat.whatsapp.com/EwGX2NFn95O2Bo92HkyyiI • Allah talks about those Christians who cannot control their tears when they listen to the Qur’anic recitation. This was especially in context to Najashi Ash’amah, the Christian King of Habsha who had accepted Islam. • From Verses 87 of Surah Maidah the topics like Halal & Haram and extremism are discussed. • Islam is a religion of balance. It neither calls for abstention of permissible items (for drinking, eating, wearing etc.) as piety, nor does it abolish the distinction between Halal & Haram. • Verse 89 talks about oaths (qasm/aqd). The penalty of breaking the oath is to either feed 10 poor and needy, twice, with an average food of his/her usual intake (cost wise), or to clothe them, or to free a slave. If someone cannot do it, he/she should fast on three days. Allah also advices to be true on oaths to be safe from getting penalized. • If a person takes an oath of...
Read more

How Allah explained Qiyamat through the example of locust, in reality this is seen in India. Astonishing.

See this video 1, what Allah says about Locust to explain about Qiyamat (Resurrection). Video 2 to 6: The rest of the videos of Locust captured real in India. Video- 1 What is locust? Locusts  are a collection of certain species of short-horned grasshoppers in the family Acrididae that have a swarming phase. These insects are usually solitary, but under certain circumstances they become more abundant and change their behaviour and habits, becoming gregarious (Wikipedia). Video- 2 Video- 3 Video- 4 Video- 5 Video- 6 Click to see the News coverage on locust in India: Source:  a.  The videos are collected through WhatsApp Message, and arranged in sequence. B. The first video is from 'One path'.
Read more

“My knowledge is growing, but is it causing me to grow?”

A Ramadan of Change – 26 of 30 ** A nightly appointment with an angel ** In Ramadan, the Prophet Mohammad PBUH would be blessed with a nightly appointment with angel Jibreel who’d mutually study with him the Qur’an. Describing this and its effects, Ibnu ‘Abbaas said: كَانَ رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أجْوَدَ النَّاسِ، وَكَانَ أجْوَدَ مَا يَكُونُ في رَمَضَانَ حِيْنَ يَلْقَاهُ جِب...
Read more