Q. I read that women are permitted to go to a mosque in the same way as men. However, most mosques are not built with separate quarters for women. They have the same passage, and men have a full view of the women's part. Hence, some men, particularly young ones, go there to have a chance to look at women. Should it not be ruled that women should not go to mosques?

M. Luqman

A. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says: "Do not prevent women servants of God from attending God's houses of worship." If we were to issue a ruling suggesting that women should not go to mosques, then we will be doing the exact opposite of what the Prophet says. Disobedience of the Prophet's orders is absolutely wrong and puts us in risk of incurring God's displeasure.

When we speak of women's quarters in mosques, we note that there is a simple code which Islam requires. This makes a congregational prayer with one imam, and the men's rows in the front, followed by the children's rows and women's rows in the back. There need be no physical separation. If you notice there is no such separation in the Grand Mosque in Makkah or in the Prophet's mosque in Madinah. This arrangement does not reflect any superiority of one sex and inferiority of the other. It is simply a matter of organization that takes human nature into consideration.

Moreover, the Prophet noticed that when women were praying behind men, they could inadvertently see men's thighs if men's robes were short. He did not order that a screen be erected to prevent that possibility. He simply advised women to delay standing up after prostration for a moment so that men would have already risen and their robes were in the proper position.

If some men try to irritate women, or gaze at them in an impolite manner when they pass by them at the entry point to a mosque, the answer is not by depriving women of their right to attend mosques. The answer is to educate men and ensure that their behaviour complies with Islamic values. If there remains some elements who persist in misbehaviour, some punishment should be applied to make sure that they do not disturb women worshippers.

Verses Requiring Prostration

Q. There are 14 verses in the Qur'an where a prostration, or sajdah, is required. Should it be done each time one reads such a verse, or 14 prostrations at the end of reading the complete Qur'an, or should we prostrate ourselves once only at the end?

S. Muzafferuddin

A. To start with, offering a sajdah or prostration when reading any of the 14 verses the reader is referring to is recommended, not an obligatory requirement. This means that if one reads the Qur'an without offering a prostration at any such verse, one does not omit any requirement. Moreover, sometimes we read the Qur'an when we are not in a position to offer a prostration, such as when we are on a bus, in the plane, etc. If we happen to read any such verse, we do not commit an offense for not prostrating ourselves.

The prostration should be done after reading each of these verses, once only each time, unless we happen to be reading at a time when prayer is discouraged. In this latter case, we delay the prostration until we have finished our recitation and the time of discouragement of voluntary prayer has passed. To offer one or 14 prostrations at the end of reading the Qur'an in full is unheard of.