Chapter: Women Attending the Mosque (1)

‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: “If one of your wives asks permission to go to the mosque, do not stop her.” Bilal ibn ‘Abd Allah replied, “By Allah, we will certainly prevent them.” ‘Abd Allah then turned on him and cursed him with the harshest words I ever heard from him, saying, “I relate to you a statement from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and you say, ‘By Allah, we will certainly prevent them’?!”

In another wording recorded by Muslim: “Do not bar Allah’s female servants from Allah’s mosques.”

Overall meaning:
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ, clarifying the ruling on a woman’s going to the mosque for prayer, said: If a man’s wife seeks his permission to attend the mosque, he should not refuse, lest she be deprived of the virtue of praying in congregation.

One of ‘Abd Allah ibn ‘Umar’s sons (2) was present when he narrated this hadith. Having observed how times had changed since the Prophet’s era—especially women’s increased display of adornment—his protective concern for women’s honor moved him to say, without intending to object to the Lawgiver, “By Allah, we will certainly prevent them.”

His father understood these words as a rejection of the Prophet’s sunnah, and his zeal for Allah and His Messenger drove him to rebuke him severely. He said, “I inform you of something from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and you say, ‘By Allah, we will certainly prevent them’?!”

Points derived from the hadith:
1- It is recommended to grant a woman permission to pray in the mosque when she requests it.
2- Such permission is conditioned on her not being adorned and on the absence of temptation, as confirmed by other ahadith (3).