then he has the right to prevent her. Thus, if she asks permission to go out to school, her husband may prevent her, unless that was stipulated as a condition in the marriage contract. Likewise, if she wishes to go out to the market, he may prevent her.
When we say that he may prevent her, we mean that it is not unlawful for him to do so. Rather, he should consider what is in the best interest: it may not be in her interest for him to prevent her, while in other cases her interest may lie in preventing her.
His statement, “to the mosque,” means: for prayer. But if she wishes to go to the mosque merely to look at its construction, or to attend, for example, a lecture in the mosque, then he may prevent her, for her home is better for her than going out to the mosque. This is because the Prophet ﷺ said: “Their homes are better for them.” Thus, the hadith to which we referred—“Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the mosques of Allah, though their homes are better for them” (1)—contains two addresses:
- An address directed to the guardians.
- An address directed to women.
As for the guardians, they should not prevent women; and as for women, their homes are better for them.
However, he ﷺ said, “Let them go out unadorned with perfume” (2), meaning, not wearing perfume. The Prophet ﷺ also forbade a woman, when she is perfumed, from attending the mosque, saying: “Any woman who has applied incense should not attend with us