Friday Prayer for Women: Obligatory?

Question:
Is it obligatory for women to go to Fridayprayer as it is for men?I've
always been taught that for men it is fard, and women can pray at home
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful & Compassionate
From a previous post by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani:
There is scholarly consensus (ijma`) that:
a) the Friday prayer is not obligatory for women; and
b) if a woman performs the Friday prayer, it is valid. [Nawawi,
al-Majmu`, 4.350, quoting Ibn al-Mundhir and others]
Imam Sarakhsi explains in his Mabsut that there is a difference between:
a) conditions of obligation (i.e. those conditions that make an action
obligatory to perform); and
b) conditions of validity (i.e. those conditions thatmake an action
valid, if fulfilled). [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, 2.23]
The reason why it is not obligatory for women to perform the Friday
prayer is because of the hardship and possible harm entailed in them
doing so�especially in the case of mothers and others. However, if a
woman goes ahead and attends the Friday prayer, it counts because she
bore the hardship entailed. [Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut; Nawawi, al-Majmu`]
Imam Nawawi mentions that it has been established by a large body of
authentic hadiths that women usedto pray behind the Prophet (Allah
bless him and give him peace) at his mosque, and women�s interaction
with men is not haram when there isn�t seclusion (or any other harm)
entailed. [Nawawi,al-Majmu`, 3.350]
And Allah alone gives success.
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, - If someone's menstrual period begins during their travel, should one pray regularly or as a tr

Question:
If someone's menstrual period begins during their travel, should one
prayregularly or as a traveller after it ends?
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
May Allah's peace and blessings be upon His Messenger Muhammad, his
folk, companions, andfollowers
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
Being considered a traveller is not contingent to one's menstrual
cycle. Thus, when one's period ends and one is a traveller, one prays
as a traveller does.
And Allah alone gives success.

Q & A on menstruation and post-partum bleeding –II

Question:A woman had blood beginning to flow )i.e., her menses( while
she was in the Mosque of the Prophet. She stayed in the mosque for a
short while, until her husband had finished his prayer, so that she
could leave with him. Did she commit a sin?
Q & A on menstruation and post-partum bleeding –I
Response:If she was not able to depart from the mosque by herself,
then there is no harm in what she did. However, if she was able to
leave by herself, then it was obligatory upon her to exit as quickly
as possible. This is because the menstruating woman, the woman who has
post-partum bleeding and a sexually defiled person are not allowed to
sit in the mosques. This is based onAllaah's statement which forbids
certain categoriesof people from approaching the places of prayer, one
of which is)what means(:"…Nor while sexually defiled, except when
travelling on a road…"]Quran 4: 43[)1(
It is also narrated from the Prophetthat he said:"Ido not permit the
menstruating woman or the sexually defiled person to enter the
mosque."]Abu Daawood[
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Footnotes
1. Note that the verse is in reference only to those who are sexually
defiled. Obviously, the differences between a menstruating woman and a
sexually defiled person are very great. Hence, one cannot make an
analogy between the two. Furthermore, there is also a difference of
opinion concerning whether this verse implies anyone who becomes
sexually defiled or only the travellers who become sexually defiled.
Question:Is it allowed for a menstruating woman to read a book of
supplications on the Day of 'Arafah )i.e., the ninth of Thul-Hijjah(,
given the fact that the book contains Quranic verses?
Response:There is no harm in a menstruating or post-partum bleeding
woman reading the books of supplications that are written for the
rites of the pilgrimage. Infact, there is nothing wrong with her even
reciting the Quran, according to the correct opinion, as there is no
authentic, clear text prohibiting a menstruating or post-partum
bleeding woman from reciting the Quran. The narration thatwe do have
is concerned with the sexually defiled person only, which confirms
that such a person should not recite the Quran while he/she issexually
defiled, and this was narrated by 'Ali. As for the menstruating or
post-partum bleeding woman, there is the Hadeeth that was narrated by
Ibn 'Umarwhich states: "Neither the menstruating womannor the sexually
defiled person is to recite anything from the Quran." ]Abu Daawood,
At-Tirmithi & Others[
However, this is weak. This is because it is from the narrations of
Ismaa'eel Ibn 'Ayyaash onthe authority of people from the Hijaaz
)westernArabia(, and he is weak when he narrates from them. However,
the menstruating or post-partum bleeding woman may recite from her
memory without touching the Quran. As for the sexually defiled person,
he/she may not even recite the Quran from memory or touch the Mus-haf
)a copy of the Quran( until he/she makes Ghusl )ritual bathing(. The
difference between the two is that the amount of time one is sexually
defiled for is very short, as he may make Ghusl as soon as he has done
the act with his spouse. The amount of time is not long, and he isin
control of its duration as he may make Ghusl whenever he wishes. Even
if he cannot find water, he can make Tayammum )dry ablution using
soil( and can then pray or recite the Quran. However, the menstruating
or post-partum bleeding woman does not have control over its duration,
such control is in the hand of Allaah. Menstruation and post-partum
bleeding last for days. Therefore, itis allowed for them to recite the
Quran so that they do not forget what they have memorised and so that
they will not lose the merits of recitingit. They may also learn the
laws of the Sharee'ah)Islamic Law( from the Book of Allaah. Therefore,
it follows that it is certainly permissible for her to read the books
of supplications that have verses and Hadeeth intermixed within them.
This is the correct opinion of the scholarson that point.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Question:Some women have miscarriages - sometimes the foetus comes out
fully formed while at others it is only partially formed. I would like
you to make clear the ruling for prayer in both of those situations.
Response:If a woman has a miscarriage and the foetus has distinctly
human features, such as a head, limbs and so forth, then her bleeding
is post-natal bleeding. She should, therefore, follow the rulings of
one who has post-natal bleeding. She should not pray or fast and her
husband cannot have sexual intercourse with her until the bleeding
stops, or she completes forty days. If the bleedingstops before the
fortieth day, she must make Ghusl, pray, and fast if it is Ramadan,
and her husband may have sexualintercourse with her )if she is not
fasting and it isnot Ramadan(.
There is no minimum length of time for post-natal bleeding. The
bleeding could stop after ten days, more or less, and she must then
make Ghusl, and all the laws of a ritually pure person willthen apply
to her. If she sees any blood after the fortieth day, it is considered
bleeding from illness. She would then fast and pray with that bleeding
and it is permissible for her husband to have sexual intercourse with
her. Shemust make ablution for the time of every prayer, like for the
Mustahaadhah,)1(as the Prophettold Faatimah bint Abu Hubaysh:"Make
ablution for )the time of( every prayer.")2(
If the blood that flows from her after the forty-day period coincides
with the time of her menses, then it takes on the ruling of menses. It
is forbidden for her to prayor fast until she becomes pure. It is also
forbidden for her husband to have intercourse with her.
However, if the miscarried foetus does not resemble a human being,
such as when it is simply a smooth lump of flesh or clot of blood,
then she takes the ruling of Istihaadhah and not that of post-partum
bleeding. She should pray, fast during Ramadan and may have
intercourse with her husband. She should make ablution for every
prayer while keeping herself clean from the blood by using a panty
liner or something similar, as she would for the Mustahaadhah, until
the bleeding stops.
She may also combine the Thuhr )noon( and 'Asr)afternoon( prayers
together and the Maghrib )sunset( and 'Ishaa' )night( prayers. She may
also make a Ghusl for the combined prayers and a separate Ghusl for
the Fajr prayer, based on the confirmed Hadeeth of Hamnah bint Jahsh.
This is because she is to be treated as a Mustahaadhah, according to
the people of knowledge.
Shaykh Ibn Baaz
Footnotes
1. The Mustahaaadhah is the woman with Istihaadhah. Istihaadhah is
either a prolonged flow of blood )called menorrhagia in English( or
bleeding outside of the menses)called metrorrhagia in English(. Many
hospitals and medical clinics in theUnited Stateshave pamphlets
stating what women should do in such cases. In some cases, especially
when the bleeding is prolonged, it may be symptoms of some other
disorder.
2. This translator was not able to find this Hadeeth with this exact
wording. The authentic narrations in Al-Bukhaari and Muslim simply
state that she is tomake ablution for every prayer.