I went to the masjid with my husband yesterday to make salat. My husband is off on Wednesdays and we needed to go shopping. My husband hadn't made salat yet because he was being interviewed for a book while I didn't have a chance to make salat because of work. So went to a nearby masjid to make salat.
We missed the jamat but the masjid was open. Ok, let me rephrase that. The brother's door was open but not the sisters door. Before, I go further, let me explain what I mean. This masjid and many others have separate entrances for men and women. So once they get inside the masjid they pretty much don't have any contact with each other until they leave the masjid. I waited for my husband to open the sisters' door from the inside since at least one brother took an issue with me being in the brothers musalla a while ago (the door to the sister's musalla appeared to be locked so I needed someone to open it...the brother in question still seemed upset though). Once I got in, I realized that the door to the sisters' musalla really was locked this time. So I had no choice but to pray in the brothers' musalla. I didn't mind that at all. In fact, I thought it was a good thing since I don't think there is any real reason, especially during the daily prayers, to make sisters pray in different rooms. I mean there is usually more than enough space and there is nothing in the Prophet's (saws) Sunnah to indicate that this is what he did. In fact, sisters routinely prayed in the Prophet's mosque during his life with any partition. They didn't pray in a different room. They were allowed to be full and active members of the mosque community. I want to keep this point in mind as I continue my story.
When I went into the musalla, I noticed a partition. At first, it didn't quite hit me that the partition was for me. Looking at the musalla from the hallway, I thought that perhaps someone had moved the partition and simply moved it to the side. However, once I went into the musalla, I realized that the partition was for yours truly. My husband told me afterwards that a brother had set up the partition when he told the brother that I was making salat as well. The brother said "Ok, we'll set up a partition" (hence, the title of this post). Also, there wasn't much space for me either. I guess I didn't need much space but my husband and the brother against the wall reading his book (I took a "peak" to see the other side) needed about 90% of the musalla to pray and read. So I prayed and tried to remember that the salat is for Allah (swt) and that Allah doesn't take note if my salat was done behind a partition. However, praying behind the partition made me more upset than actually praying in a different room because that partition actually made me realize that I was truly being separated. I've taken issue with women being separated from the jamat for sometime now but whenever I go to very "conservative" (for lack of a better term) masajid I go to the women's area without much issue. The partition though just made me realized how far this attitude to women is. Gender injustice exists in so many parts of our societies (Western and Muslim). I think that before God at least, we should be equal. Yet, when women are forced to pray behind partitions or in different rooms, when there is clearly no need for it, it's as if we're saying that ultimately women will ultimately maintain a second class position. It's a second class, subjugated position that I don't think women in the Prophet's time maintained. I don't want to make it seem as if women in the formative age of Islam had it perfect and didn't suffer from gender injustice and misogyny. However, I do think they would be rather surprised at the treatment of Muslim today. The irony of it all is that women are often members of masjid boards, even at the masjid in question. Women pray behind their husbands without partitions in the same room at home and some husbands even pray with their wives shoulder to shoulder (I know there is one madhab that does allow this but I can't remember which one off the top of my head). Yet, when we come to the mosque we are forced to pray in different rooms or with partitions?
I know some of your reading this will think "well, the salat is for Allah and it shouldn't matter." Yes, I agree the salat is ultimately for Allah and we should do it for His pleasure. However, we know there are other reasons for congregational salat. The Prophet told us about about the merits of praying together verses praying alone. "The congregational Salat is twenty-seven times superior in degrees to the Salat (prayer) offered by a person alone" (Bukhari, 1/618). Obviously, congregational salat offers some type of benefit to the community. It serves to brings a cohesion and bonding to the community. If it didn't, then why would the Prophet encourage us to pray in jamat as much as possible? Now, I am familar with the hadeeth that states that the prayer of women is more rewarded at home than in the masjid. I'm not refuting that and in fact, I don't think it has any bearing on my point at all. Even though a woman's salat maybe more rewarded when she does it at home, that doesn't mean we should make women pray in separate musallas, pray behind partition, or worse yet, make masajid that have no accommodations for women (the same hadeeth that tells women their prayers are more rewarded at home also says not to bar women from the masjid). In the Prophet's time we know that women regularly went to the masjid. We know that they prayed behind men without a partition and we know that they were very vocal both in the masjid and outside of it. Even during 'Umar's (ra) caliphate, we know that women still had a voice in the masjid and I'm going to assume, were not praying behind a partition all the time despite evidence that says slight partitions (ropes) were implemented some time during his caliphate. 'Umar was giving a khutbah and suggested that mahr (dowry) be eliminated because the ummah was in economic straits. A woman in the jamat was not happy with this idea at all. She reminded him that mahr was an obligation placed on men by Allah (swt) and suggested that instead of eliminating it, that it should be postponed until the husband could pay it. This practice of postponing the mahr is still in use today by many couples. My point in raising this story is to show how women were not barred from being full, active members of the community and the masjid. How we regressed from this point in Islamic history is the focus of much scholarship and not the point of this post. The post of this post is that we need to get back to the attitude of the Prophet (saws) and his Sahabah (ra) without making any excuses. We need to focus once more on realizing the egalitarian spirit of the Qur'an towards women without making excuses. The Qur'an addresses women as well as men on multiple occasions. It also frequently mentions how oppression is worse than slaughter. I feel that we often forget this when discussing women, especially in regards to their place in the masjid.
We missed the jamat but the masjid was open. Ok, let me rephrase that. The brother's door was open but not the sisters door. Before, I go further, let me explain what I mean. This masjid and many others have separate entrances for men and women. So once they get inside the masjid they pretty much don't have any contact with each other until they leave the masjid. I waited for my husband to open the sisters' door from the inside since at least one brother took an issue with me being in the brothers musalla a while ago (the door to the sister's musalla appeared to be locked so I needed someone to open it...the brother in question still seemed upset though). Once I got in, I realized that the door to the sisters' musalla really was locked this time. So I had no choice but to pray in the brothers' musalla. I didn't mind that at all. In fact, I thought it was a good thing since I don't think there is any real reason, especially during the daily prayers, to make sisters pray in different rooms. I mean there is usually more than enough space and there is nothing in the Prophet's (saws) Sunnah to indicate that this is what he did. In fact, sisters routinely prayed in the Prophet's mosque during his life with any partition. They didn't pray in a different room. They were allowed to be full and active members of the mosque community. I want to keep this point in mind as I continue my story.
When I went into the musalla, I noticed a partition. At first, it didn't quite hit me that the partition was for me. Looking at the musalla from the hallway, I thought that perhaps someone had moved the partition and simply moved it to the side. However, once I went into the musalla, I realized that the partition was for yours truly. My husband told me afterwards that a brother had set up the partition when he told the brother that I was making salat as well. The brother said "Ok, we'll set up a partition" (hence, the title of this post). Also, there wasn't much space for me either. I guess I didn't need much space but my husband and the brother against the wall reading his book (I took a "peak" to see the other side) needed about 90% of the musalla to pray and read. So I prayed and tried to remember that the salat is for Allah (swt) and that Allah doesn't take note if my salat was done behind a partition. However, praying behind the partition made me more upset than actually praying in a different room because that partition actually made me realize that I was truly being separated. I've taken issue with women being separated from the jamat for sometime now but whenever I go to very "conservative" (for lack of a better term) masajid I go to the women's area without much issue. The partition though just made me realized how far this attitude to women is. Gender injustice exists in so many parts of our societies (Western and Muslim). I think that before God at least, we should be equal. Yet, when women are forced to pray behind partitions or in different rooms, when there is clearly no need for it, it's as if we're saying that ultimately women will ultimately maintain a second class position. It's a second class, subjugated position that I don't think women in the Prophet's time maintained. I don't want to make it seem as if women in the formative age of Islam had it perfect and didn't suffer from gender injustice and misogyny. However, I do think they would be rather surprised at the treatment of Muslim today. The irony of it all is that women are often members of masjid boards, even at the masjid in question. Women pray behind their husbands without partitions in the same room at home and some husbands even pray with their wives shoulder to shoulder (I know there is one madhab that does allow this but I can't remember which one off the top of my head). Yet, when we come to the mosque we are forced to pray in different rooms or with partitions?
I know some of your reading this will think "well, the salat is for Allah and it shouldn't matter." Yes, I agree the salat is ultimately for Allah and we should do it for His pleasure. However, we know there are other reasons for congregational salat. The Prophet told us about about the merits of praying together verses praying alone. "The congregational Salat is twenty-seven times superior in degrees to the Salat (prayer) offered by a person alone" (Bukhari, 1/618). Obviously, congregational salat offers some type of benefit to the community. It serves to brings a cohesion and bonding to the community. If it didn't, then why would the Prophet encourage us to pray in jamat as much as possible? Now, I am familar with the hadeeth that states that the prayer of women is more rewarded at home than in the masjid. I'm not refuting that and in fact, I don't think it has any bearing on my point at all. Even though a woman's salat maybe more rewarded when she does it at home, that doesn't mean we should make women pray in separate musallas, pray behind partition, or worse yet, make masajid that have no accommodations for women (the same hadeeth that tells women their prayers are more rewarded at home also says not to bar women from the masjid). In the Prophet's time we know that women regularly went to the masjid. We know that they prayed behind men without a partition and we know that they were very vocal both in the masjid and outside of it. Even during 'Umar's (ra) caliphate, we know that women still had a voice in the masjid and I'm going to assume, were not praying behind a partition all the time despite evidence that says slight partitions (ropes) were implemented some time during his caliphate. 'Umar was giving a khutbah and suggested that mahr (dowry) be eliminated because the ummah was in economic straits. A woman in the jamat was not happy with this idea at all. She reminded him that mahr was an obligation placed on men by Allah (swt) and suggested that instead of eliminating it, that it should be postponed until the husband could pay it. This practice of postponing the mahr is still in use today by many couples. My point in raising this story is to show how women were not barred from being full, active members of the community and the masjid. How we regressed from this point in Islamic history is the focus of much scholarship and not the point of this post. The post of this post is that we need to get back to the attitude of the Prophet (saws) and his Sahabah (ra) without making any excuses. We need to focus once more on realizing the egalitarian spirit of the Qur'an towards women without making excuses. The Qur'an addresses women as well as men on multiple occasions. It also frequently mentions how oppression is worse than slaughter. I feel that we often forget this when discussing women, especially in regards to their place in the masjid.
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Barikallah for your struggle!
I agree with you; many men set up divides where there are none. They twist Islam to serve their patriarchal needs. That's the real reason I pray at home; I don't feel comfortable in the masjid. Especially since they're all so conservo.
As salaam alaikum,
I think that when you go to a Mosque, especially a "traditional" one, you should expect things like this to happen.
I am not saying that it is religiously-mandated for men and women to pray in different rooms, I am just saying that we should not be surprised, and be prepared for it.
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do!"
Salaam! Sure you can add me, I'm flattered ^_^ would it be okay if I link you as well?
anonymous, I disagree. We shouldn't expect women to be left out of the masjid, it's not a good expectation. Expectations lead to societal mores, and women have just as much a right to be in the mosque as men do.
Wa salaam pink,
I would be flattered to be listed on your blog :)
~MM
I think Zeynab has a point. How can change occur if we don't expect it? If we don't expect people to live up to the Islamic, egalitarian mores then nothing will change. If the "Romans" are wrong, then the "Romans" need to be challenged. As Muslims we can't keep saying that we don't oppress women and that we gave women rights 1400 years ago but then practice gender apartheid. It just isn't right.
AA -
GENDER APARTHEID!! LOL Okay, so there is a stupid partition where there is neither need nor desire nor islamic justification for it. We need to be more proactive about preventing this. We, as Muslimahs who are becoming more informed abotu our deen. And not using the partitions even when they have been set up for us... oh that's bold.
I'm afraid of, at times, offending other sisters by doing this; but I'm not afraid of offending brothers, actually. There is a decidedly negative effect I think of this kind of separation.
When I have these stupid partitions in front of me, they distract me more than anything else really. Especially the lunch tables (if you see my post about it.) I mean, give me a break.
This is the time when we perhaps gently advise our brothers "This is not necessary." Should it happen again, I suggest you just go pray with your husband and insist that you want both of you to be able to pray in jama'at and you aren't interested in makeshift isolated gender segretated musallahs.
Sorry for not responding sooner Amy. I've been kinda busy as of late. ITA, we have to become more proactive in preventing this before it occurs. We especially have to inform brothers about why this is wrong and why it should not occur. I think that is such a real challenge. Basically, we have to show them how this disrupts not only the salat of women but the salat of the jamat as a whole.