WOMEN’S SALAH IN HARAMAIN

As Salaamu Alaikum,

Question:

  1. Going to Umrah soon. Is it more virtuous for women to perform Fard Salaah in Haram Sharif and Masjidun Nabawi or alone in their hotel room?
  2. If hotel Room is more virtuous, will they get the full 100,000 and 50,000 times reward by praying in the hotel room?
  3. If the ladies desire to pray in Haramain with the general Jamaat, will they get the multiplied reward? 4. With Regards the virtues of performing 40 consecutive Salaah in Masjidun Nabawi. If a women is performing her Salaah alone in her hotel room in Madinah because it is more virtuous, how can she attain the virtues for the 40 Salaah mentioned in that Hadith?

 

Wa Alaikum As Salaam,

Answer:

  1. Many of our great and reliable scholars have mentioned that it will be more virtuous for women to perform their Salaah (Fardh and Sunnah etc) in their hotel rooms instead of performing it in the Haram or Masjid un Nabawi. This understanding is based on the following hadith:-

‘Abdullah bin Suwaid (R.A) narrates from his aunt Umm Humaid (R.A), the wife of Abu Humaid As-Sa’idi (R.A) that she came to the Prophet (S.A.W) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I love to pray with you’.

The Prophet (S.A.W) said, ‘I know that you love to pray with me, but your prayer (Salah) in your house is better for you than praying in your room, and praying in your room is better for you than praying in your courtyard, and praying in your courtyard is better for you than praying in the Masjid of your people (community masjid), and performing Salah in the Masjid of your people is better than your Salah in my Masjid’. So she ordered that a place of worship be built for her in the inner most part of her house and the darkest part. She used to perform Salah there until she met Allah’. (Narrated by Ahmad, Hadith 26550; Ibn Khuzaimah has narrated it in his ‘saheeh’ and considered it to be sound; Ibn Hibban has also considered it saheeh).

This narration shows that the Prophet (S.A.W) encouraged Umm Humaid to perform Salah at her home, instead of coming to perform Salah with him in his Masjid, while informing her that it was better for her to do that.

  1. Since the Prophet (S.A.W) informed women that it will be more virtuous to perform their Salah at home, it means that a woman will receive more blessings in praying at home than if she comes to the Masjid for Salah. Therefore, when a woman goes for Hajj or Umrah, her place in the hotel room is like her home since she is on a journey. As such, performing the Salah in her hotel room will bring about the virtues and rewards which have been mentioned by the Prophet (S.A.W) regarding the woman’s Salah at her home. Based on the fact that the Prophet (S.A.W) informed women that their Salah at home is more virtuous than in the Masjid, it means that they will achieve the rewards stipulated or even more than that.

 

  1. If women wish to perform Salah in the Haramain, with the general Jamaat, they will also get the multiplied rewards.
  2. With respect to the Hadith which speaks about the virtues of performing 40 consecutive Salah in Masjid un Nabawi, Scholars have given different opinions regarding the status of the Hadith. While some have classified it as being weak, others have considered it to be sound and authentic and stated that it has been recorded by Imam Ahmad. Ibn Hibban has recorded it and considered it to be authentic. Tabrani has also recorded it in his Al Awsat. Hafiz Al Mudhiri has also recorded it, and stated that all the narrators are sound. Al Haithami has recorded it in ‘Majma Az Zawaa’id’ and stated that the narrators are all authentic/reliable. Therefore, it is a hadith which is relied upon, and speaks about the virtues of performing the 40 Salah consecutively in Masjid un Nabawi.

If a woman performs her Salah in her hotel room in Madinah and does not go to Masjid un Nabawi for Salah in order to achieve the rewards, then she will still get a great amount of rewards since the Prophet (S.A.W) told the women that it was more virtuous and rewarding for them to perform their Salah at home.

 

The Hadith of Umm Humaid quoted at the beginning also shows that Umm Humaid desired to perform Salah with the Prophet (S.A.W) in his Masjid. However, instead of inviting her to perform Salah with him at his Masjid to get great rewards, he encouraged her to perform her Salah at her home, saying that her Salah at home was more virtuous and rewarding for her than coming to his Masjid.

Women should, not think that they will be deprived of the multiplied rewards or other similar rewards of performing Salah in the Haramain. This would not happen. Instead, they would receive a tremendous amount of rewards if they obey the instructions of the Prophet (S.A.W).

 

And Allah Knows best

Mufti Waseem Khan

21/11/2018