The Importance of Making a Good Space for Women in the Masjid

Last Friday, I was all set togive a Khutba about the need for Muslims
to plan ahead on an individual and community level. My notes were
ready and I was in full "Khutba mode". But before sermontime, I
decided to change the topic completely — totalk about the exclusion of
Muslim women from the mosque and community life.
It wasn't an earth-shattering event that made me change the topic. It
was an email. Andit proved to be the proverbial straw that broke the
camel's back. It was one of five emails I received last week about
Islamic events with a clear"brothers only" statement. One notice for a
regional conference even stated categorically that there was no space
for women and children under 15 at the event.
But the emails were only part of the story. A week before, I had given
a Khutba in another, brand-new mosque in the heart of Chicago. After
the prayer, while in the elevator, I overheard four Muslim sisters
speaking angrily about their experience in the Masjid.
"If I wanted to watch TV, I'd stay home," said one of the women,
disgusted. I asked them what was wrong, and they told me how they
could only see the Imam through a TV system set up in the women's
section. Moreover, the space was inconvenient, uncomfortable and was
changed twice that day. This was despite the fact that months ago, the
leadership of this mosque had promised me that they would involve
sistersin decision-making about how the women's space would be set up.
The Khutba
I was speaking in Chicago's oldest mosque where the main prayer hall
accommodates about a thousand people. It has a small, curtained off
space in the corner for about 40 or so women. Due to the sensitive
nature of my topic, it did occur to me before the Khutba that I might
not be invited to give a Fridaysermon there in the future.
Nonetheless, I made the following points and asked these questions:
Who decides how women's space in the mosque is allocated and organized?
How many women sit on the Board of Directors of our mosques?
If women are part of the Board of Directors, are they elected, chosen
by women, selected by both men and women or are they simply the wives
of male board members?
I also reminded the audience that in the Prophet's mosque, women could
hear and see the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings are upon him,
and later, the leaders of the Muslims (Khulafa) when they spoke from
the pulpit. Actually there are reports of interaction with the Prophet
when women raised questions. Caliph Omar even went back to give
another sermon to withdraw his opinion when a women from the audience
gave him critical feedback after his Khutba.
Moreover, when the Prophet felt that the women were too far away to
hear or he had specific points to make, hewould walk over to their
section and present a Khutba for them.
Examples from Islamic history
Women in early Islamic history were active not just as "mothers and
wives" but contributed as individual Muslim women in all aspects of
the community.
On a scholarly level, there was Aisha, may God be pleased with her.
She is credited with disseminating the knowledge of Islam and
information about almost all aspects of Islamic life. Today, nearly
half of the Islamic jurisprudence of the Hanafi school of thought
(which is followed by about 70 percent of the Muslim world) comes
through thestudents of Aisha alone.
On a political level, there was Umm Salama. During the signing of the
Treaty of Hudaibiya, when none of the Muslim men agreedto forego Hajj
due to the demands of the pagan Meccans, the Prophet consulted Umm
Salama. Her advice to him was to perform the rituals indicating that
they would not be performing the pilgrimage, and the Muslims would
follow. He heeded her advice, and as she suggested, the Muslims
accepted this.
After the death of the Prophet, one major issue was how to preserve
the authenticity of the Quran. Although the Quran had always been
committed to memory and writing, the written pages were scattered.
When a master copy was put together at the time of the first Khalifa,
Abu Bakr, that copy was not kept with him or any other Muslim man. It
was kept with a woman — Hafsa (may God be pleased with her).
Finally, in Madina during the leadership of Omar (may God be pleased
withhim) Al Shifa Bint Abdullah was made in charge of trade and
commerce in the city.
These are just a few examples of the dynamic role women played in
early Islamic history. But they are of no use if the inclusion of
Muslim women in the mosque and community is reflected only in theory.

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