Category: Articles

In this part, Dr. Jasser Auda concludes the series with discussion of where children should line within a mosque and whether women are solely responsible for them during prayer. Also, whether mosque’s gates should be open for both men and women or dedicated for each gender is also elaborated on in this article.   Children’s status and place in mosque As for children, the observed practice during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was that the older among them would form separate rows. Sometimes the imam was a child like `Amr ibn Salamah in the Hadith referred to above. Yet, this practice rarely takes place in our age; few are the children who observe prayers properly with due concentration and Khushu`. It is thus more suitable that children be accompanied by their parents in mosque or have special halls whe re they can be taught and guided by volunteering males and females, especially in public occasions where there are  In fact, to instruct children during the Prayer by adults is one of the Practices of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):big numbers of children. Ibn `Abbas narrated: One night I stood to the left of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in the prayer but he caught hold of me by the hand or by the arm till he made...

The Hadiths quoted in the previous part, and other similar Hadiths, do not claim that the Madinah community was free from deviations, even within the Prophet’s Mosque. It was reported in Al-Mustadrak from Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that a pretty woman, one of the most beautiful, used to perform prayers behind the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). So, some men used to go into the first row to avoid seeing her, and some others used to lag behind so that they would be in the last row, and when they bowed, they would stealthily look behind to see her. Then Allah revealed concerning her matter: {And indeed, We know those of you who hasten forward, and indeed, We know those of you who lag behind} [Al-Hijr: 24] (348/2).[1]   It is also noticeable here that this sin of gazing at that beautiful woman during prayer was redressed through admonition and reminding people that Allah Almighty is watching them. However, the rules governing interaction between men and women in mosque did not change, let alone the design of the mosque itself. At the present time, however, reality proves that no violations occur in men’s interaction with women in mosques except in rare cases, which entails no change in the original rule. In fact, anyone who intends to commit the sin of gazing at women does not need...