THE PRAYER OF WOMEN IN THE MOSQUE IS A SYMPTOM OF FEMININITY THAT PREVENTS WOMEN FROM PRAYING IN THE MOSQUE

The prevailing absence of women from the mosque is contrasting with the commonplace of the Prophet's society, yet it is the result of an opinion deduced by the scholars from some prophetic narrations. Regardless of the authenticity of those narrations, this opinion dealt with the issue in a partial manner, as the focus was lying on the literal aspect of the narrations that made a distention between man and women in the reward of attending collective prayer in the Mosque. However, little attention was paid to the texts, principles and objectives (Maqâsid) related to this issue. However, the former opinion cannot be held without contradicting a number of religious texts and doctrinal principles. The purpose of this study is to reexamine this issue by recalling its various dimensions; starting from the Islamic ontological view of human being and its requirements, to the rational (Illa) behind the rulings related to this issue and their relative objectives, to the possible hindrances of gender equality with regard to those objectives, ending by considering the differences between men and women which could be a potential barrier to equality between them in achieving the purposes of the collective prayer in the mosque. This approach, as argued by this study, is useful to identify the rational on which distinction between women and men in this particular issue can be based, thereby solving the apparent contradiction between the texts. This study considers this approach to be useful in correcting some misconceptions about women in Islamic thought, reconsidering their social and cultural role, and freeing them from some patriarchal concepts that they have been victim of for a long time, such as the concept of sedition (Fitna) on which basis women have been isolated from the public arena in ancient and modern societies.

Key words: Woman’s prayer, Mosque, Gender Equality, Islam, Shari’a