Fatwa ID: 01978

Answered by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Question:

Can women read salah in Masjidul Haraam and Masjid Nabawi during the Hajj

Answer:

Saaiduna Jabir Bin Abdullah  narrates that the Prophet of Allah said: ‘One prayer offered in Al Masjidul Haraam is better than one hundred thousand prayers offered elsewhere. (Sunan Ibn Majah & Musnad Ahmad)

Saaiduna Abdullah Bin Zubair narrates that the Prophet of Allah said, 'One prayer in my mosque (Masjid Nabawi in Madnah) is better than one thousand prayers in any other mosque except Al Masjidul Haraam. And prayer in Al Masjidul Haraam is better than one thousand prayers in my mosque.' (Musnad Ahmad, Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah & Sahih Ibn Hibban)

From the aforementioned hadith we can derive the immense virtues and reward for reading salah in either Masjidul Haraam or in Masjid Nabawi .

With regards to your question, the advise of my respected teachers is that women should be allowed to read their salah in Masjidul Haraam and in Masjid Nabawi when they go for Hajj or Umrah. The strictness, which applies generally with regards to women going to the masjids, should be softened when it comes to visiting Masjidul Haraam and Masjid Nabawi . Furthermore, there is a saying of Saaiduna Abdullah Bin Masud who says that the best prayer for a woman that prayer which is performed in the inner part of her home except the prayer in Masjidul Haraam and Masjid Nabawi . (Sunan Baihaqi p.188 v.3)

Therefore, the conclusion we can come to is that it is permissible for women to attend Masjidul Haraam and Masjid Nabawi for congregational prayer during Hajj and Umrah.

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham.