As-Salamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In The Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All Praise and Thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In response to this question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, resident scholar and senior lecturer at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, says:
The notion that women are not allowed to attend Friday prayers is baseless and contrary to the teachings of Islam. The fact is that women have always been allowed and encouraged to attend prayers in mosques, including Friday prayers. This is evidenced by the practice of women attending prayers during the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and continues to this day in the Prophet’s Mosque and the Sacred Mosque in Makkah.
It is important to note that there is nothing in the Qur’an or the authentic Sunnah that prohibits women from attending prayers in mosques. In fact, the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself forbade men from preventing women from coming to mosques, and this has been recorded in the hadith literature. He said,
“لا تمنعوا إماء الله مساجد الله”
“Don’t stop the maid servants of Allah (that is, women) from coming to mosques of Allah.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
While it is true that women are not obligated to attend mosques if they are burdened with taking care of their children or other family responsibilities, this should not be used as an excuse to prevent them from attending. The compassion of Islam recognizes the importance of the duties of women in the home, and they are duly compensated for their absence from mosques.
Therefore, it is imperative that men do not use this exception to prevent women from attending mosques and participating in mosque-related activities. Women have the right to attend Friday prayers and all other prayers in mosques, and this should be respected and upheld in all communities.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Excerpted, with slight editorial modifications, from “islam.ca”.
