During the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him), mosque was a center bustling with worship, cultural, educational and political activities. It was not, however, a place for men only as most mosques all over the Muslim world are nowadays. Both men and women frequented mosques for different purposes. We mentioned that women attended mosques for no less than 12 different purposes and we cited evidence covering the first two which are prayers and Itikaf, which means staying in the mosque for up to ten days engaged in all types of worship.
The third purpose for which women went to the mosque during the Prophet’s lifetime was to listen to what was being taught there. Mosques then were full of educational activities always attended by women as well as men. Fatimah bint Qays reports: “I went to the mosque and joined the Prophet in prayer. When he had finished his prayer, he sat on the pulpit laughing.” (Related by Muslim.) In another version she gives a report of what the Prophet said, starting with: “I have been told by Tameem Al-Dari that a number of his tribesmen were in a boat when it broke up. Some of them were able to sit on a board of the wreckage and managed to reach an island...” The Prophet was clearly using this story to give some of his teachings, and women joined in just like men.
Women might also go to the mosque in order to visit someone during his period of Itikaf. Lady Safiyyah, the Prophet’s wife, visited him in the mosque during his Itikaf in the last ten days of Ramadan. She spent an hour talking to him before she rose to go home. The Prophet went with her to take her home. When she was at the door of the mosque, near Umm Salamah’s home, two men from the Ansar passed by and greeted the Prophet. The Prophet said to them: “Stop a moment. This is Safiyyah bint Huyay.” They said: “Messenger of God! All glory be to Him.” They felt extremely uneasy (because the Prophet felt that he needed to explain that the woman with him was his wife). The Prophet said to them: “Satan could be as close to man as the blood in his veins. I feared that he might whisper something to you.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Both Ibn Hajar and Ibn Daqeeq Al-Eid comment that this Hadith proves that a woman may visit a man during his Itikaf, and that it is permissible for a man doing the Itikaf to be alone with his wife in the mosque.
A fifth purpose for visiting the mosque was to pass time or to be in company with other women. In other words, this was a social visit. Al-Ruayyi’ bint Muawwidh reports: “During the morning of 10th of Muharram, the Prophet sent messengers to the quarters of the Ansar, saying that whoever started the day fasting should continue his fast, and whoever did not, let him fast the rest of the day. We used to fast on that day in subsequent years. We also made our children fast. We may make them a woollen doll.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) In Muslim’s version, she adds: “We would then go to the mosque. If a child asked for food, we would give him the doll to distract him so that he would be able to finish his fast.”
A report in Al-Tabaqat Al-Kubra attributed to Khawlah bint Qays quotes her as saying: “During the Prophet’s lifetime and Abu Bakr’s reign, as well as the early years of Umar’s reign, we, a group of women, would go to the mosque. We might take our knitting, and some of us might work with dry palm leaves. Then Umar said: ‘I am going to stop you.’ He stopped us doing so, but we continued to attend the congregational prayers on time.”
Responding to a call to attend a public meeting was the sixth purpose for which women went to the mosque during the Prophet’s lifetime. Fatimah bint Qays reports: “... After I had finished my waiting period, I heard a crier carrying out the Prophet’s instructions and calling for prayer followed by a public meeting. I went with the people to attend. I was in the first line of women, which is the one next to the last line of men.” (Related by Muslim.)
Another purpose is attending celebrations or social occasions. Lady Ayesha reports: “God’s Messenger was sitting close to my door when the Abyssinians were playing in the mosque. The Prophet covered me with his robes while I was watching their play.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Ibn Hajar quotes Al-Muhallab’s argument in reply to people who disapprove playing in the mosque: “The mosque is a place to ensure the welfare of the Muslim community. Whatever is conducive to the benefit of the faith and the faithful is permissible to do in the mosque.”
We have so far cited evidence in support of seven purposes for which women frequented the mosque during the Prophet’s lifetime. A woman might also come to the mosque to offer herself in marriage to a God-fearing man. Sahl ibn Saad reports that “a woman came to the Prophet and said: ‘Messenger of God! I have come to make of myself a present to you.’ The Prophet looked up and down at her several times, then he lowered his head. When the woman realized that the Prophet did not make a decision concerning her offer, she sat down.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) Ibn Hajar adds that a different version of this Hadith quoted by Sufyan Al-Thawri specifies that this was in the mosque.
The ninth purpose is to attend a court or a tribunal looking into a case. Sahl ibn Saad reports that “a man said to the Prophet: ‘Messenger of God! If a man finds his wife with another man, could he kill him?’... Then the man and his wife exchanged oaths in the mosque when I was a witness.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.) The oaths here refer to the requirement of the man accusing his wife of adultery to swear five times that his accusation is true. She can refute the accusation by swearing five times that he is lying. This causes the annulment of their marriage.
