CONTEXT of the 'Women Pray at Home' Hadith - Nouman Ali Khan

Muslim women have absolute and undeniable right to pray in the mosque, yet some people try to misuse ahadith to prevent or discourage them. This hadith in particular is frequently cited to discourage women from coming to the mosque, yet as Br Nouman explains, this counsel was given by the Prophet (saws) to a specific woman, and was not a counsel for women generally. It important that we all understand this hadith properly, so that we may be empowered by knowledge of the Sunnah to dismiss those who try to deny our sisters their due rights. #Masjid4ALL

[beingmuslim]

It was narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A woman’s prayer in her room is better than her prayer in her courtyard, and her prayer in her cabinet is better than her prayer in her room.” (Narrated by Abu Dawood, 570; al-Tirmidhi, 1173. This hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1/136). ITS WRITTEN "A WOMENS PRAYER" ... IT MEANS THAT IT IMPLIES TO EVERY WOMEN. IF IT WAS ONLY TOLD TO HER THEN IT WOULD HAVE BEEN" YOUR PRAYER " .

[beingmuslim]

Abu Dawood (567) narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not prevent your women from going to the mosques, although their houses are better for them.” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’ al-Ghaleel, 515.

[ziyaaddhorat]

Very nice to see people calling him out. I used to believe this also.

[WORKnoBRAG]

He will say, "My Lord, why have you raised me blind while I was [once] seeing?"
[ Allah ] will say, "Thus did Our signs come to you, and you forgot them; and thus will you this Day be forgotten."
Surah Taha [ 20:125 - 126 ]

[beingmuslim]

It was narrated that ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “If the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had lived to see how women have started to behave, he would have prevented them [from going to the mosque] as the women of the Children of Israel were prevented.” I said, to ‘Umrah, “Were they prevented?” He said, “Yes.” (al-Bukhaari, 831; Muslim, 445)

[anwezzyupt]

please everyone look up pokieman hadith by Moosa Richardson a real student of knowledge who studied for years with the Ulemah of Islam.

[abcd-ldbb]

Nouman ali khan gave an public excuse on facebook. This is what he wrote




Assalamu Alaikum Everyone.

A couple of years ago in NYC, I gave a talk in which I made comments about a Hadith pertaining to a female companion and her husband. I made two serious errors when speaking on the subject. One, the words and tone I used came across as inappropriate. The companions of Allah's final messenger SAW, may Allah be pleased with all of them, deserve far better. Two, the authenticity of the Hadith itself, as I was informed by many knowledgeable scholars, is highly suspect.

I'm writing this now for a few reasons.

First and most importantly, without excuses or rationalizations, I am deeply regretful and sorry for my mistake and I want to make it clear that I have since attempted to take proper measures to ensure that I will never exercise such poor judgment again.

Secondly, I want to explain why it took me so long to write this. I acknowledge that my reasons are my own and may not make sense or be justifiable to some of the people reading this. Regardless, I feel obligated to share my perspective, so here it goes.

Soon after the talk it was made clear to me by close friends and mentors that this was a mistake. The criticism of my comments spread among thousands, but my following is in the several millions. I reasoned that by publishing a post on the issue, I would be introducing millions of people to inappropriate content that they would otherwise have never known about. To me, this wasn't about how my retraction would have been perceived. I was more concerned about the fact that the content of a suspect Hadith would spread only to be undone. This would have set in motion a more negative conversation at the expense of something actually beneficial that could have spread in its place.

The second reason has to do with the source who introduced me to this Hadith. It is someone I greatly admire to this day, especially in their knowledge of the noble Hadith narrative tradition. While I can never justify the inappropriateness of my tone during that talk, I wish to clarify that I was first introduced to the story and discussed it directly with this respected scholar. When questions of its authenticity were subsequently raised, I naturally went back to that same scholar and asked that they share their sources so that I may pass them along. The response I received was an unequivocal no. The sentiment expressed was that this debate is being perpetrated by people who are not deeply versed in the traditional sciences of Islam and he/she will have no part in furthering a pointless debate by furnishing evidence. I personally disagreed with that position, but I respected the scholar’s wishes and thus had nothing to communicate in response to my detractors. Out of respect for their privacy, I chose for these years not to disclose the scholar’s identity, as no benefit will come out of dragging them into an internet frenzy of commentary and criticism. I have only shared the name before in very private gatherings of scholars where I made the call that disclosing the name would further healthy and respectful discussion. I just don't think that's the case on social media at large.

Then why now?

I didn't realize how widespread the problem was, until during my travels I met with scholars of great caliber who had been taking advantage of my Quran work for the benefit of their students, but then halted it because of this issue and unanswered questions surrounding it. As my travels increased, my awareness of the magnitude of this issue also increased. Contrary to what many might think, I don't spend much time online and so it took much longer and more personal and constructive confrontations to fully realize the impact of that talk. I'm grateful to those younger students, members of general audiences and scholars alike for bringing this to my attention carrying nothing but loving sincerity in their hearts.

To conclude, once again I'm deeply and sincerely sorry. I also want to emphasize my commitment to a rigorous study process which involves consultation with a number of Hadith scholars and researchers that I now refer back to on sensitive issues. I know for sure they won't mind if I tell the world that they are my sources. I don't promise that I will never make a mistake again because that is in Allah's hands. All I promise is that I will do my best to exhaust every effort within my limited capability in pursuing the truth. I remain as passionate and dedicated to my original mission as I was when I started. I want to understand and appreciate the message and beauty of Allah's final revelation better and share what I learn in ways that are easy for people to absorb. May Allah accept this simple and noble mission, overlook the shortcomings along the way, and reward the countless teachers, students and colleagues that continue to be my inspiration. The love of Allah's book is a powerful gift believers around the world share in their hearts. May that love be rewarded by His divine guidance in our personal lives.

I ask Allah's forgiveness for my careless tongue and ask humbly that you find it in your hearts to forgive me.

Thanks for reading.

[RIMJANESSOHMALOOG]

If he's sincere he's going to correct what he narrated as hadith, it's a test from Allah

[irfanasim]

Baseless hadith: Nauman you are NOT fit to deliver Islamic lecture instead you can take on some stand up comedy

[jabalnur]

I do not take knowledge from anyone who belittle the obligation to study aqeedah, which is the fundamental basis of belief in islam.

From the laughter in the background, my humble view is that the speaker is more adapt to oneman comedy show.

Islam is not what any mortal human says, but it is about following the quran, the aurhenticated hadiths, and the understanding of the pious companions not some one who just came in the 21st century and had proven to be susceptible to fundamental errors in aqeedah.

May Allah guide us all and them.

Wallahu wa a'lam

[banansalih]

Ustadh Nouman is no doubt sincere in his pursuit of Truth, he verified this by posting a lengthy paragraph apologising and admitting both his tone and misuse of the inauthentic hadeeth in this talk, before which he received emails questioning him.

[opocoyo]

FEAR ALLAH! BRING YOUR EVIDENCE OF THIS HADITH IF YOU'RE TRUTHFUL. If you use your intellect for a minute, what kind of sahaba would disturb his wife when she's WORSHIPING ALLAH?! Did the sahaba live in some huge mansions where they had several rooms so if she prayed in one of them the husband wouldn't be able to find her? OPEN YOUR

[janemueller]

ironic how NAK, quoted a completely false hadeeth about women being equal to men regarding them frequenting masjid, (essentially standing up for womens rights) & now women are the ones trying to take him down. makes me wonder why he stood up for women so much that he didnt care to know if the pokeman hadeeth mentioned is even true. obviously he's negligent to the facts & cared more for womens rights to go to masjid more than the actual truth.

[khadri]

What d you mean by CONTEXT of the "Women Pray at Home" Hadith - Nouman Ali Khan There is No hadith of this kind
PlZ fear Allah

[tremordrake]

it seems he wrong about the "innermost part of her
But what about women coming to the mosque----is that narration false as well?

[habibasayyed]

III. Women and Masjid at the time of the Prophet (s)

Yes, there are etiquettes of participating in Masjid for men and women. But participation of men in congregational prayers and Masjid activities are mandatory for men in general, while women are merely exempt. However, the first generation of Muslim women understood the Islamic guidance as categorically emphasizing a Masjid-bound life. It is also noteworthy that they were usually very conscious and outspoken about their rights, and they probably understood that to protect their rights and status, they can't be aloof from the Masjid, which is the focal point of the Islamic way of life. Be absent from the Masjid, and you would be marginalized in such a society! Let's have a brief survey about women's participation in the Masjid.

-- Women's participation in the Masjid/prayers:

Anas Bin Malik: I never prayed behind any Imam a prayer lighter and more perfect than that behind the Prophet and he used to cut short the prayer whenever he heard the cries of a child lest he should put the child's mother to trial. [Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 1, #676]

-- Women used to live in the Masjid!

Aisha narrated: A (previously mistreated) but freed slave girl came to Rasulullah and embraced Islam. She had a tent or a small room with a low roof in the mosque.. . [Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 1, #430]

-- Women used to clean Masjid

Abu Hurairah: "A man or a woman used to clean the mosque." (most probably a woman according to a sub-narrator). According to another hadith, the Prophet offered her funeral prayer at her grave. [Sahih al-Bukhari: Vol. 1, #450]

-- Women's attachment to the Masjid (one wife of the Prophet had so much attachment)

Anas: Once Rasulullah came to the Mosque, he noticed a rope strung between two columns. He inquired as to why that rope was so fastened between two columns. The Companions said: Hazrat Zainab had tied this rope only to take rest when tired in the course of her prayers. Rasulullah said: "Untie it. You should pray so long as you feel pleasant. When you feel tired you should go to rest." [Bukhari and Muslim as reported in Riyadus Saleheen, Vol. I, #146].

-- Women's participation in Jum'a prayer (a women memorizes one whole sura just by regularly attending Jum'a prayer)

Umm Hisham narrated: "... I learnt surah al-Qahf, By the Glorious Qur'an, from no other source than the tongue of Rasulullah (s) who used to recite it every Friday on the pulpit ..." [Sahih Muslim, Vol. I, #1894]

-- Women had programs and activities in the masjid.

Asma bint Yazid (r): Rasulullah (once) passed through the mosque, when a group of women was seated in the Masjid, he made a sign of greeting to them by raising his hand. [Sunan Abu Dawood and Sunan at-Tirmizi as reported in Riyadus Saleheen, #865]


IV. Conclusion:

Even though it is unanimously agreed that women are not required to participate in Jum'ah prayer and even though I have not yet explained the importance of Muslim women's participation in Jum'ah, I offer invitation to Muslim sisters to start participating in Jum'ah prayer, not merely to listen to any khutbah selectively, but to come to Jum'ah on a regular basis as part of their regular Islamic routine. This invitation is not in any official capacity or on behalf of any Masjid committee, but as a father to my daughter and daughters of others, as a husband to my wife and wives of others, as a brother to my own sisters and to all other sisters in Islam, and even as a son to my mother and mothers of others, I must invite them all to build a masjid-oriented life. Of course, men have to be facilitators of women's participation and also they have to share responsibilities at home to facilitate as such.

[taimur]

ya sheikh, has any scholar preceded you in this interpretation and what is the reference for this hadith ?? I beleive you are sincere in your intentions but this story troubles me

[subseen]

Nouman Ali Khan apologized for his mistake:

[MrPabloingles]

IF you ban them from even praying in the Masjid, then the consequences for the men and the deen will be very serious. Women will form THEIR OWN SECT of Islam and have their OWN Masjid for women only.

[yasminhusain]

Please delete this video. NAK apologized and there's no benefit is sharing this. جزاك الله خيراً
Jazak Allahu Khairan, May Allah reward you with goodness.