Many years ago, when i was at primary school and just started to say my prayers regularly, someday we had my religious uncle and his family there in my parents’ house as guests. After Maqrib Adhan, they started saying prayer together in a family group and i decided to join them.
Slowly going forward, i put my prayer mat across from my uncle’s. I was going to start prayer that my cousin came to me hurriedly and took my prayer mat back, behind my uncle. I wondered and asked:”Why you do this?” She said:”Bcs you’re a woman and you can not be leader in mixed-gender prayers.” I asked again:”Why women can not?” She just gazed on me and said:”well.. Bcs they simply can not.”
Now after many years, and saying many prayers, i still could not exactly convince me for that. I’ve found some reasons though. Even if my uncle was supposed to be Mahram after all, I could say i may not lead a prayer while stranger men are behind and can see me bowing down. But then is that all about?
Untill the other day, i read this news that had made a big debate nowadays:
Muslim scholar Professor Amina Wadud is to give the sermon – or khutbah – at the start of a conference on Islam and feminism at Wolfson College in Oxford.
The move has provoked opposition as the tradition is that imams – always men – hold mixed services. Some believe it is against Islam for a woman to do so. But organisers heralded it as a “leap forward” for “theological destiny”.
Chairman of the Muslim Educational Centre Oxford (MECO) Dr Taj Hargey, who is organising Friday’s conference, argued that the prayer service would be a step in the right direction.
“We believe Islam is a gender-equal religion,” he said. “There is a record that the Prophet Mohammed allowed a woman to lead a mixed-gender congregation, but this precedent has been ignored. Women have led prayers in South Africa, Canada and the US and this is a first time here – it is a celebration.” Source
There were some oppositions to this statement. For example Mokhtar Badri, vice-president of the Muslim Association of Britain, is opposed to the sermon:
“With all respect to sister Amina, prayer is something we perform in accordance to the teachings of our Lord,” he said.
“It has nothing to do with position of women in society. It is not to degrade them or because we don’t think they are up to it.
“This is something divine not human. We have to do it in the way it has been ordained by God to do it. Women can lead prayers before other women but for this very specific point, in this situation before a congregation of men and women, a man must lead.”
He added: “I also don’t think this is a subject confined to Islam. Even in Christianity Catholics still don’t accept female priests.” Source
The well-known liberal minded English writer, Bernard Shaw has said: “I have always held the religion of Muhammad (P) in high estimation, because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion which appears to me to possess that assimilating capability to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age.”
Nowadays however, there are debates that how muslim jurisprudents can use the flaxible charecter of Islam. Not going off-topic, I may write another post on it later.
I’d say, I may have my reasons that I am not sure we really need to debate women as prayer leaders, bcs it’s not the biggest and most important issue right now in muslim world for women.
Although for me, Amina Wadud and her segregationism as Islamic feminism is somehow bitter -for i dont believe in Islamic feminism - nor may Mukhtar Badri convince me for this. Being priest (or not) in christianity is absolutely different from leading a muslim prayer. Isn’t it?
This example goes for being scholar, when in Islam, women are allowed to study religion and be great scholars. It’s exactly the greatness of Islam that encourages women to study and learn. Also we all know that Women rights In Islam are somehow versus Women rights In The Judaeo-Christian tradition.
Muslim women can even take the position of Ijtahad (jurisdication) as we’ve had many of them in the history and the most recent example is ”Lady Amin“, an Iranian Islamic jurisprudent and theologian herself who had permission to state the islamic laws.
So if muslim women can be the jurisprudent, i’d like to know why not the prayer leading then?
October 20, 2008 at 3:44 am
[...] on me. The following was written in response to my dear sister Shah’s entry titled: “Women Leading Muslim Prayer“, more specifically, the question she posed at the [...]
October 20, 2008 at 3:55 am
My comment ended up as an entry, haha… see above trackback.
October 20, 2008 at 4:15 am
Umm, I took it down temporarily… insha’Allah it’ll be up again soon.
October 20, 2008 at 4:18 am
Salam! Great post! I also find the “normal” answers to this question unsatisfactory, even though I like to pray at home.
October 20, 2008 at 3:44 pm
I would not presume to know definitively whether Islamic history contains examples of women approved to lead prayer. The argument against women leading prayer seems not to hold water for some Muslims, but I believe in it.
Logically, of course, there is no reason why women shouldn’t lead prayers, but emotionally, it doesn’t seem right, at least to me. I’ve prayed behind women, and I’ve led prayer, in women-only situations, but I can’t imagine doing it in mixed company.
And Allah knows best.
October 20, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Bernard Shaw also said that “Islam is the best religion and Muslims are the worst followers”!
That to me is the answer to your question.
October 20, 2008 at 9:52 pm
iMuslim, i was alittle late and you’d taken your post down. Would like to know your comment on this.
Fatemeh, Thank you.
Why do you like more to pray at home? Just curiousy.
Marahm, I was thinking about that reason too. I also think that Islam allow us to be curious and even doubt. But I’m not actually happy the way they’re trying to state a law via fighting. I dont know why muslims usually fail to sit and discuss something peacefully..
Achelois, What a great guy is this Bernard Shaw. I read so many of his quotes and seem very logical and wise for me. He knew Islam more than muslims know it themselves..
October 20, 2008 at 11:05 pm
I think this is the wrong fight. I will post later.
October 21, 2008 at 2:20 am
Mezba, Looking forward to read your post!
October 21, 2008 at 3:55 am
Getting the answer “Because that’s the way it is or that’s the way it’s always been done” is not really an answer to me. It makes it difficult to understand when there seem to be no satisfactory or even logical answers.
October 21, 2008 at 9:07 am
Salam,
Not being a ‘Mullah’ or a scholar in Islam to comment on this topic quite properly, for a women not to be the imam is similar to a women not to be a leader of a nation.
‘That’s what we know, and that is the way it has always been.’ Women in Islam has a role as a leader of her house, of her family’s internal affairs but to lead a group or being the supreme leader of a Muslim country is forbidden for a women to do so, just due to the sensitivity of their feminine character.. I believe it is the same reason why a Muslim women cannot be a imam of mixed congregation.
-Wallah-o-Alam
October 21, 2008 at 12:30 pm
Susie, Actually i have same problem. Maybe there are logical reasons. But why they’re not discussed? Mukhtar Badri’s reasoning seems dumb and not intellectual for me..
Tauqeer, hmm, if we assume women are leader of the family, then family is a small example of a society and in a bigger society like a masjid or a country, they can be leader too!
Then there is an example of woman leading a country, Benazir Bhutto, Pakistani president.
October 21, 2008 at 7:03 pm
“Being priest (or not) in christianity is absolutely different from leading a muslim prayer. Isn’t it?”
The accepted roles for women in the worship services of Christian churches varies widely. Where I live (in the nearly exact geographic middle of the US) there are churches where women can “do anything a man can” in the church, and others where their role is restricted. (Almost all Christian services are “mixed,” although groups set up for a specific purpose may meet by gender.)
For example, the Disciples of Christ Church has had women as “ministers” for a long time. In that sect, women can read the scriptures, teach, and perform sacramental duties. On the other hand, the Roman Catholic Church here is very conservative regarding women’s roles. Many positions, such as “serving at the altar,” are reserved for boys and men, because those positions are seen as steps toward the priesthood, which is exclusively male, of course. The priest assumes the role of Jesus of Nazareth, who was male, so the priest must be male, the reasoning goes.
Between these extremes are a wide variety of views. Some churches have split apart because of competing views of the roles of women.
It seems to me that those who stress “tradition” and who promote “literal” interpretations of scripture usually have the most conservative views of women’s roles. On the other hand, those who have an “Enlightenment-era” viewpoint and read scripture for broad themes rather than for specific rules for living, tend to be more liberal regarding women’s roles.
This is an oversimplification, no doubt. Anyway, this issue is very important to many Christians too.
October 22, 2008 at 12:34 am
I like to pray more at home so that no one will bother me about how I pray and tell me I’m doing it wrong. I like to pray at home more because I can focus on God and my prayers there, and not get distracted by what everyone else is doing or worry what they are thinking about me. I like to pray at home because there are no divisions, no crying babies, and no nosy people to interrogate me on how I pray.
October 22, 2008 at 12:40 am
manyBuddhas, thank you for your interesting comment. I didn’t know there’s same debate in christianity too.
Fatemeh, For some reasons, i can truly relate to what you’re saying!
October 22, 2008 at 7:09 am
[...] asks a question on her blog. So if muslim women can be the jurisprudent, i’d [...]
October 23, 2008 at 10:28 am
Let us assume family to be simple form of a society, then where would issues regarding Mahram and non-Mahram stands in a bigger society?
October 25, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I heard the news about Woman leading pray in UK at the beginning of this month, and I must say it has really intrigued me. I made some research and found that there’s nothing in the Qur’an that would prohibit woman to lead pray!
Scholars agree that female can lead kids or other ladies in pray, and some mullah go even further making exceptions for Tarawih group of relatives. About leading mixed gender congregations in pray, the only source that mentions it, comes from hadith by Ibn Majah (Kitab iqamat is-salat was-sunnati fiha) #1134, narrated through Jabir ibn Abdullah: “A woman may not lead a man in Prayer, nor may a Bedouin lead a believer of the Muhajirun or a corrupt person lead a committed Muslim in Prayer.”
Quran considers women and men equal in belief and in any acts in life and gives example of Queen of Sheba as righteous woman and excellent leader of a nation. Giving however woman legimity to lead mixed congregations for pray, is big innovation that hits tradition continued from times of Abraham and I’m not sure of its result. We must be aware that there was no woman ever chosen as prophet, and even this fact alone should give us something to think about.
October 25, 2008 at 5:07 pm
I heard the news about Woman leading pray in UK at the beginning of this month, and I must say it has really intrigued me. I made some research and found that there’s nothing in the Qur’an that would prohibit woman to lead pray!
Scholars agree that female can lead kids or other ladies in pray, and some mullah go even further making exceptions for Tarawih group of relatives. About leading mixed gender congregations in pray, the only source that mentions it, comes from hadith by Ibn Majah (Kitab iqamat is-salat was-sunnati fiha) #1134, narrated through Jabir ibn Abdullah: “A woman may not lead a man in Prayer, nor may a Bedouin lead a believer of the Muhajirun or a corrupt person lead a committed Muslim in Prayer.”
Quran considers women and men equal in belief and in any acts in life and gives example of Queen of Sheba as righteous woman and excellent leader of a nation. Giving however woman legimity to lead mixed congregations for pray, is big innovation that hits tradition continued from times of Abraham and I’m not sure of its result. We must be aware that there was no woman ever chosen as prophet, and even this fact alone should give us something to think about.
October 25, 2008 at 7:58 pm
A bit off-topic but in Judaism it is believed that God sent 600,000 men prophets and 600,000 women prophets. Out of them there are 7 main women prophets: Sarah, Miriam, Devorah, Hannah, Abigail, Huldah , and Esther. Christians also believe in women prophets. I thought that was interesting. Muslims believe 124,000 prophets were sent but how many were women is not told (or is information that is lost?).
October 25, 2008 at 8:08 pm
Achelois, It’s not off-topic. Actually it’s related to topic. I think in Arabic like English, they use the word Rijal (men) for a groupd of men and women. So it happens that there were female prophets too. Also there is some debates that Hadhrat Maryam was a prophet too.
November 2, 2008 at 12:22 am
The Qur’an tells us not to follow that of which we do not know! There is not a single chapter in the Qur’an stating women can not lead prayer. Women have the same equal rights as a man in Islam. I agree with a previous blogger in that Islam is the most beautiful religion and it’s followers are the worst. We should not follow what the crowd of most muslims claim to be the way. God tells us that the Qur’an is complete with details and that their is only one Hadith! God’s Hadith only! Anyone who argues following any hadith other than gods hadith is going against god.
November 6, 2008 at 10:58 pm
it is because women are more emotional and due to there monthly periods you have other problems as not feeling well, or become moody , forgetful etc. ,allah has made it easy for the women to pray at home so if she has young children she doesnt feel like shes doing anything less by praying at home , it is not easy being a leader for anything it comes with great responsibility , and Allah knows best as he has created us and i wouldnt feel right leading men in prayer , we know how men like women , that is the reason we cover for our own protection , and that is the reason for women being in the back at prayer time , so men dont start looking at them and concentrate on there prayers, its not because they are worth anything less , Allah looks at there taqwa nothing else it just makes sense women not leading the prayers .