Fathwa - Women Praying at the Masjid & The Nature of Moral Responsibility

Question:
Is it forbidden for sisters to pray Taraweeh prayers in the masjid? Do
we know the Hikma behind it?
Answer:
Assalamu alaikum,
As for just praying, a woman's prayer in the depths of her house has
more reward than for her to pray in the masjid;in one narration, more
reward than praying in the Prophet's masjid itself, upon its dweller
the best of blessings and most perfect of peace. Some scholars mention
that the reward men get for praying in congregation is attained by
women when they pray at home.
However, as many scholars note, including Shaykh Hassaan al-Hindi of
Damascus and Mufti Taqi Usmani, if a woman goes to the masjid to
attain unto beneficial religious knowledge (or other religious
benefit) that may not be reasonably obtained elsewhere, then it would
not only be permitted forher to go to the masjid for this reason, but
praiseworthy, as long as there is no interminglingand no resultant
fitna or negligence of primary responsibilities (such as in the case
of a wife).
This, of course, would have to be done according to the proper norms
of Islamic behavior: the woman would have to be properly dressed, get
to the masjid in an appropriate and safe manner, not travel alone at
night, and avoid all intermingling with men.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam,

Fathwa - Women and Congregational Prayer

Question:
Is there more reward for women to pray at home or in congregation with
men (that being not necessarily in a mosque with separate praying
areas)?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
From a previous questionanswered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:
A man only gets full reward for his prayers, by what our beloved
Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told us, if he prays in
congregation, in the masjid. For a woman, on the other hand, he told
us that, 'A woman's prayer in the depths of her house is better than
her prayer in this masjid of mine.' [(is better) = has more reward;
(this masjid of mine) = the Masjid al-Nabawi!]
Had women's full rewardfor prayer depended on going to the masjid or
praying in congregation,then this would have placed a great hardship
and spiritual loss on mothers and other women who are at home. Rather,
from Allah's infinite wisdom and mercy, He made the religious
responsibility ofeach gender consonant with the nature of their social
roles.
As for praying in congregation with men, there is nothing wrong with
it. In fact, if a man isunable to make it to the masjid for some
reason, it is recommended for him to pray in congregation with his
family, to get the reward.
However, it is generally disliked for women to goto the masjid just to
pray in congregation, becauseit is reversing the nature of their
religious responsibility, as we have seen. BUT, if they want to go to
the masjid for other reasons, such asgaining religious knowledge,
asking a question, meeting other religious sisters [for good company
is often not readily found at home or at school, and is a necessary
fuel for one'sspiritual life], then there is nothing wrong with going
to the masjid or praying in congregation there.
Wassalam,

Fathwa - Why is it better to pray at home for women?

Question:
Assalaam Alaikum,
I have been always told that it is better forwomen to pray at home. I
never thought about the reasons for it, until today. I've readon your
site that the reason for it was because it was more concealing and it
would prevent womento beautify themselveswhen going to the mosque.
Even though these are good reasons, I'm really wondering if there is
more to it. I also heard that a woman gets more blessings from
prayingat home? If you could tell me more reasons for it, I would love
to know...
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful.
Dear Sister,
I pray this message reaches you in good health and iman.
Thank you for your question.
Why are women encouraged to pray at home?
The reasons you mentioned are correct.
However, 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 sameblessing 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 theneed 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 unduehardship.
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
slavesof 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]
In a previous answer on SunniPath, 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.
Please see these related articles:
Women and Congregational Prayer

Gratitude - I

Gratitude is the greatest way to live for those whopossess high ranks
of righteousness, and such people did not reach these lofty ranks
except through their gratitude; this is because belief is comprised of
two halves; one half is gratitude and the other is perseverance.
Gratitude is to acknowledge being treated well by Allaah; it is also
to praise the One who has done one many favors. It also entails
displaying the effect of the favors of Allaah upon a person by
believing with one's heart, utteringpraise and glorifications of
Allaah by ones tongue,and to use one's limbs in the worship and
obedience of Allaah. If only a few favors are worthy of a great deal
of gratitude, how would the case be when favors are abundant? People
are either grateful or ungrateful.
Gratitude holds a high rank in Islam:
·Allaah parallels it with His mention. He Says )what means(:"So
remember Me; I will remember you. And be grateful to Me and do notdeny
Me".]Quran 2: 152[
·Allaah parallels it with belief. He Says )what means(:"What would
Allaah do with ]i.e., gain from[ your punishment ifyou are grateful
and believe?..."]Quran 4: 147[Meaning, if you fulfil the rights due to
Allaah and the reason for which He has created you by gratitude and
belief, He will not punish you.
·Those who practice gratitude to Allaah are those who are chosen to be
granted His favors. He Says )what means(:"And thus We have tried some
of them through others that they ]i.e., the disbelievers[ might say,
'Is it these whom Allaah has favored among us?' Isnot Allaah most
knowing of those who are grateful?"]Quran 6: 53[
·Allaah has classified people into being either grateful or
ungrateful; the worst matter in the scale of Allaah is ingratitude
whilst the dearest things to Him are gratitude and the grateful.Allaah
Says )what means(:"Indeed, We guided him ]i.e., man[ to the way, be he
grateful or ungrateful"]Quran 76: 3[
·Allaah tests His slaves in order to see who will practice gratitude
and who will not.Allaah informs us about what Prophet Sulaymaansaid
when He Says )what means(:"…This is from the favor of my Lord to test
me whether I will be grateful or ungrateful. And whoever is grateful
–his gratitude is only for]the benefit of[ himself. And whoever is
ungrateful – then indeed my Lord is Free of need and Generous."]Quran
27: 40[
·Allaah promises increased favors for those who are grateful.He Says
)what means(:"And ]remember[ when your Lord proclaimed, 'If you are
grateful, I will surely increase you ]in favor[; but if you deny,
indeed My punishment is severe.'"]Quran 14: 7[
·Allaah loves gratitude and the deeds of the grateful. He Says )what
means(:"If you disbelieve– indeed, Allaah is Free from need of you.
And Hedoes not approve for His servants disbelief. And if you are
grateful, He approves ]i.e., likes[ it foryou…"]Quran 39: 7[ The
grateful people mentioned in the verse are those who remain steadfast
upon belief during trials and who do not retreat or recantontheir
belief. Some people verbally thank Allaah during times of ease, but
during trials they give uptheir faith. The truly grateful are those
who express the true condition of their hearts during trials by
remaining steadfast and continuing to thank Allaah by their tongues,
hearts and limbs. Additionally, this verse clarifies that the
pleasureof Allaah is achieved by being grateful to Him.
·Allaah did not make the reward for the grateful subject to any
condition, as He did for other acts ofworship, which He conditioned to
His will; rather, Allaah immediately mentions their reward;He Says
)what means(:"…And Allaah will reward the grateful."]Quran 3: 144[and
also )what means(:"…And We will reward the grateful."]Quran 3: 145[
·Allaah informs us that one of Satan's primary objectives is to
prevent humans from being grateful; HeSays )what means(:"]Satan said[
'Then I will come to them from before them and from behind them and on
their right and on their left, and You ]i.e., Allaah[ will not find
most of them grateful ]to You[."]Quran 7: 17[
·Allaah describes His grateful slaves to be few in number; HeSays
)whatmeans(:"…And few of My servants are grateful."]Quran 34: 13[The
reasonbeing that many people enjoy blessings and bounties from Allaah,
butfail to practice gratitude to Allaah.
·Allaah praised the first prophet sent to man on earth, Prophet
Noohdue to him being grateful.Allaah Says )what means(:"O descendants
of those We carried ]in the ship[ with Noah. Indeed, he was a grateful
servant."]Quran 17: 3[This is as an indication that we shouldimitate
him.
·Gratitude is the first instruction given to man as soon as he begins
to comprehend.Allaah Says)what means(:"And We have enjoined upon
man]care[ for his parents. His mother carried him,]increasing her[ in
weakness upon weakness, and his weaning is in two years. Be grateful
to Me and to your parents; to Me is the]final[ destination."]Quran 31:
14[
·Allaah specified it as oneof the main qualities of a person who sets
himself as a good example for others to follow. He says regarding
prophet Ibraaheem)what means(:"Indeed, Ibraaheem was a]comprehensive[
leader, devoutly obedient to Allaah, inclining toward truth, and he
was not of those who associate others with Allaah. ]He was[ grateful
for His favors. He ]i.e., Allaah[ chose him and guided him to a
straight path."]Quran 16: 120-121[
Therefore, gratitude is one of the objectives thatman is commanded to
accomplish.
Imaam ibn Al-Qayyimmentioned that gratitude isone of the ranks of
belief, which canbe extracted from the fifth verse of Soorah
Al-Faatihah, )what means(:"It is You we worship and You we ask for
help."Then hementioned the following additional points regarding
gratitude:
·It is one of the highest ranks of belief.
·It is higher than the rank of contentment; andnobody can be content
without being grateful.
·Allaah praises the grateful.
·Allaah promises the grateful the best of rewards.
·Allaah makes gratitude areason for attaining more of His bounties.
·It is a means to preserve the favors of Allaah upon a person.
·It is one of the main objectives that a slave must accomplish.
·It is extracted from Ash-Skakoor, which is one of the Names of
Allaah, and which impliesgratitude.
·Those who are grateful are very few in number.
·Gratitude results in morefavors from Allaah.
Gratitude is having ones heart devoted to loving the One bestowing the
favors, having the limbs continuously obedient to Him and having the
tongue repeatedly mentioning Him, praisingHim and glorifying Him.
Gratitude entails the following three things:
1.One should realise the favors bestowed upon him and have it present
in his mind constantly, because this leads him to remember the
Bestower of favors and therefore being grateful to and loving Allaah,
who is of course the Bestower of favors. This would therefore make one
exertmore effort in worshipping Allaah.
2.One should receive favors with humility and express his need to
Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and mention that he is unworthy of the
favors bestowed upon him, and that it is only due to the Grace and
Kindness of Allaah that such favors were bestowed.
3.One should praise Allaah, the Bestower of favors, and this is done intwo ways:
1(Generally: To describe Allaah as being generous and kind.
2(Specifically: To mention His favors upon one.
There are two points regarding the issue of mentioning and talking
about favors from Allaah:
1(To mention all that Allaah Has bestowed upon one.
2(To utilise these favors in His obedience.
People fall into three categories with regards to the favors from Allaah:
1.Those who are gratefuland praise Allaah for bestowing them upon them.
2.Those who are ungrateful and do not mention them.
3.Those who express thatthey are worthy of them, when in fact they
certainly are not.
An-Nu'maan ibn Al-Basheersaid:"He who does not thank Allaah for small
favors will not thank Him for great ones; and he who does not express
gratitude to people )for doing him favors( will not express gratitude
towards Allaah. Appreciating and mentioning the favor bestowed upon
one fromAllaah is gratitude, and not doing so expresses
ingratitude."]Ahmad[
This should be done in front of people and between a person and
himself )i.e., to himself( but if people are of the envious type, then
one should conceal such favors, and he would not be ungrateful in this
case, because he is simplyconcealing them in an attempt to prevent an
evil from befalling him, such as an evil eye or an evil plot from the
envious, and it must be known that to prevent harm from afflicting man
is an objective set forth by the Islamic Sharee'ah.
There is no way one can do anything to repay the favors bestowed upon
him by Allaah, except thathe should continue to praise and thank
Allaah for having bestowed them upon him, as well as utilising these
favors for the pleasure of Allaah.
What is our duty towardsAllaah with regards to the favors He bestows upon us?
·Being submissive to Allaah.
·Loving Allaah.
·Acknowledging that He is the Bestower of all favors.
·Praising Him.
·Utilising these favors in a way that pleases Him.
Does the way of expressing gratitude towards Allaah differ, justlike
the favors themselvesdiffer?
Yes; gratitude can be expressed by the heart, the tongue and the limbs.
Expressing gratitude by the heart:This is by knowing that Allaah is
the Bestower of these favors, and this is something that is very
important when cultivating children, so that they know where favors
come from, as Allaah Says )what means(:"O Mankind, remember the favor
of Allaah upon you. Is there any creator other than Allaah who
provides for you from theheaven and the earth? There is no deity
except Him, so how are you deluded?"]Quran35: 3[