{"_id":"668da03c0b76658b4c2331bd","title":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"What does it mean that women cannot enter the masjid while menstruating?\\n\"}]}","question":"{\"ops\":[{\"insert\":\"I heard that women can't enter a masjid while menstruating. What does this mean? Should I just not enter the musallah (prayer space)? I sometimes still go to the masjid when I'm menstruating to do other activities, like reading Surah Al-Kahf (with gloves) and attending the Jummua khutbah. Is this haram? Is there a difference of opinion between the madhabs?\\n\"}]}","answer":"{\"ops\":[{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"I will simply relate what the four sunni schools of law say regarding this matter. All four schools say that it is not permissible for any Muslim in major ritual impurity, which includes menstruation, to remain in the masjid.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"What is meant by masjid?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"A true masjid, in the legal sense, is a place that has been permanently dedicated to Allah for the sake of prayer, recitation, and His remembrance. Any [owned, not rented] piece of land that has been dedicated permanently for the sake of congregational prayers will also become a proper masjid. A masjid is normally made into a waqf or endowment. Once a masjid is erected, it will always be a masjid and the property of Allah. It cannot return to being the property of any person or community even those who may have paid for establishing it. A masjid can be limited to a certain room or floor in a building.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"What is a musallah?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"A musallah is simply a place/room designated for prayer. It does not have the same legal status or criteria of a masjid. It can be a room in your house, school, hospital, office building, etc. The rules pertaining to a masjid do not apply to the musallah.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Can I enter masjid X?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Most of the buildings in the U.S. are multi-purpose facilities that usually include prayer halls, bathrooms, classrooms, a gym, a dining hall, a library, a kitchen, etc. I think we can safely assume that only the prayer hall has the potential to be a proper masjid, and the only way to know for sure is to ask those in charge.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"underline\":true},\"insert\":\"These are some of the proofs that scholars rely on for this ruling\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\":\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"O believers! Do not approach prayer while intoxicated1 until you are aware of what you say, nor in a state of ˹full˺ impurity2—unless you merely pass through ˹the mosque˺—until you have bathed. But if you are ill, on a journey, or have relieved yourselves, or been intimate with your wives and cannot find water, then purify yourselves with clean earth, wiping your faces and hands.3 And Allah is Ever-Pardoning, All-Forgiving.\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\" \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"link\":\"https://quran.com/en/an-nisa/43\"},\"insert\":\"[Qur'an 4:43]\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"ordered\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) relates that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: “\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"I do not make lawful the masjid for menstruating women or for one who is in a seminally defiled state (junub). \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"(\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Source: Sunan Abu Dawud\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\")\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"ordered\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with her) related that the Prophet Sallallahu alayhi wasallam entered the courtyard of the masjid and announced aloud, “\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"The masjid is not permitted for the seminally defiled and for the menstruating women\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\".” (\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Source: Tabarani\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\")\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"ordered\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"‘A’isha (may Allah be pleased with her) relates that the Prophet Sallallahu alayi wasallam called out from the Masjid, “\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"O ‘A’isha, hand me the cloth.” She told him that she was menstruating, so he said the menstruation is not in her hands (i.e. that she could hand him the cloth\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\". Note: the door of her chamber opened up into the masjid). (\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Source: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://sunnah.com/muslim:298b\",\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Sahih Muslim\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\")\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"ordered\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"We were ordered to bring out our menstruating women and veiled women in the religious gatherings and invocation of Muslims on the two `Id festivals. These menstruating women were to keep away from the [actual] place of prayer. A woman asked, \\\"O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ' What about one who does not have a veil?\\\" He said, \\\"Let her share the veil of her companion.\\\" \"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"(\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Sources: \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://sunnah.com/bukhari:351\",\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Bukhari\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\" & \"},{\"attributes\":{\"link\":\"https://sunnah.com/muslim:890a\",\"color\":\"#444444\",\"italic\":true},\"insert\":\"Muslim\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\")\"},{\"attributes\":{\"list\":\"ordered\"},\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Is there another opinion on this matter?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Imam Nawawi mentions in this book, al-Majmu`, three mujtahid scholars that differed with the majority opinion and permitted anyone in janaba (including mentruating women) to enter and remain in the masjid, these scholars are: al-Muzani, Dawud al-Zahiri, and ibn al-Mundhir.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Can someone follow a minority opinion?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"Following the majority scholarly opinion on any matter is always the best and safest approach. However, there may be times when a person is faced with a situation where they need to consider a valid weaker opinion as a dispensation. This could be the case if there is a genuine need or if the person is not able to follow the majority opinion for some reason. It is important to note that opting for a minority/weaker opinion is only permissible if the opinion is considered valid by the scholarly community. A scholar must be consulted when making this decision.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\",\"bold\":true},\"insert\":\"Is scholarly disagreement a bad thing?\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"},{\"attributes\":{\"color\":\"#444444\"},\"insert\":\"If Allah (swt) had wanted to eliminate all scholarly disagreement, He would have made every verse of the Quran explicit and not subject to interpretation. The same applies to the hadiths. However, that is not the case, and thus, valid scholarly disagreement has persisted since the time of the sahaba. Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz wisely stated, \\\"I would not have preferred the companions to be without differences. Their disagreement means that acting upon any of their opinions does not lead to sin.\\\" The disagreements among the sahaba extended to later generations of scholars. The renowned Hanbali scholar, Ibn Qudama, affirmed, \\\"The consensus of scholars is a decisive proof, and their disagreement is a widespread mercy.\"},{\"insert\":\"\\n\"}]}","tags":[{"_id":"668d9fdd0b76658b4c23276e","tag":"Women: Menstruation and Bleeding","count":63},{"_id":"668d9fe00b76658b4c2327bd","tag":"Tahara: Impurities and Invalidators","count":52},{"_id":"668d9fe10b76658b4c2327d3","tag":"Worship: Masjids, Mosques, and Musallahs","count":50}],"createdOn":"2024-07-09T20:40:28.154Z"}