means that the Prophet ﷺ was the one who forbade them, for the authority to command and prohibit belongs to him alone.

Thus, whenever a Companion—male or female—says, “We were forbidden,” the intended sense is, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade us.” Some jurists have inferred from this ḥadith that a woman’s participation in funeral processions is merely discouraged, because Umm ʿAṭiyyah added, “yet the prohibition was not emphatic.” Other scholars maintain that it is positively forbidden, for the very fact of a prohibition suffices, regardless of her remark that no strict injunction was issued.

Her words—may Allah be pleased with her—represent her own legal understanding. We cannot know whether the Prophet ﷺ himself refrained from stressing the prohibition, or whether she simply perceived that he had not insisted that women keep away from funeral processions.

The stronger opinion is that it is unlawful for a woman to accompany a funeral. If she does, her natural vulnerability may lead her to cry aloud, wail, slap her cheeks, pluck her hair, or tear her clothes, unable to remain composed. Moreover, the mingling of men and women that can occur during a procession may stir temptation and undermine the very wisdom behind escorting the deceased. Some men—especially those of low character—might attend only to trail after the women or indulge in gazing at them.

Therefore women must be prevented from following funerals; it is forbidden and impermissible, just as their visiting graveyards is forbidden, for the Prophet ﷺ cursed women who visit graves and those who turn them into places of worship or illuminate them with lights. Allah alone grants success.