Hyderabad: ‎‎‘Jamia Nizamia’ bars women from attending ‎Taraweeh prayers in mosques

Hyderabad: A fatwa issued by ‎‎‘Jamia Nizamia’ of Hyderabad has sparked anger among a section of women who desire to attend the ‎Taraweeh prayers in mosques during Ramzan.

On ‎March 16, Jamia Nizamia issued a fatwa restraining women’s participation in congregational ‎prayers in the Masjid.

‘Performing the Taraweeh ‎prayer in the congregation for women is an impermissible sinful ‎act. As per the jurisprudence of Hanafi as stated by ‎the Mufti (person who gives opinion in the light of Sharia) ‎even an elderly woman shall not come to Masjid for ‎the congregation. The fatwa also states that arranging ‎congregation in the Masjid for women is not correct,” it said. ‎

A portion reserved for women

There are many ‎mosques of Ahle Hadees in the city where a secluded portion is dedicated ‎to women so that they can participate in congregational ‎prayers on general days and Ramazan as well. In contrast, a few mosques make special arrangements for women for Taraweeh prayers in the holy month.

A division is created

Faithful in mosques in many places have been divided into two groups after the issuance of this fatwa; one group is opposing to dedicate a secluded segment for women worshippers in the mosques for Taraweeh prayers while the other group contends that though Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) did not encourage women for attending congregational prayers in the Masjid he did not prohibit them from coming to the mosques.

Moulana Mohammed Abdur Raheem Khurram Jamai of Ahle Hadess claimed that by default, women are allowed to frequent mosques in all lawful ways. For congregational prayers as the Prophet asked the faithful not to stop women, he said.

He argued that since mosques are the houses of Allah (for worshipping), both males and females have the right to enter the mosques.

But they have to follow the guidelines prescribed in the Sharia to ensure avert of intermixing of genders.

He claimed that almost every mosque maintained by Ahle Hadees has a secluded segment dedicated to women worshippers.

Those women who desire to get the reward of congregational prayers can attend the prayers in our mosques.

Unnecessary rifts created

Samdani Begum of Shanti Nagar expressed her anguish over the unnecessary controversy over silly issues. “If someone feels that entering women in mosques for congregational prayers is not permissible they can refrain from attending the congregational prayers in the mosques, but they should not dictate to others,” she said.

She questioned the men who are restricting their women from going to mosques and not restricting their women from shopping as there are chances of the mingling of genders being very high compared to mosques.

It is pertinent to mention that recently All India Muslim Personal ‎Law Board (AIMPLB) submitted an affidavit to the Supreme ‎Court there is no prohibition on women from attending congregational prayers in mosques.

It stated that it is consistent with its opinion in terms of Islamic texts.

It ‎stated that however, free intermixing of genders in the ‎same line or common space is not in conformity with Islamic law.

It also stated that ‎depending upon the facility available in the existing ‎mosques in India; the Management Committees are free to ‎create segregated spaces for women if the existing ‎building space permit such arrangements.

Apart from this ‎stated position, the Board also appealed to ‎the Muslim community at large that wherever new ‎mosques are constructed, this issue of making appropriate ‎space for women be kept in mind.‎

The unnecessary confusion created before Ramzan will make it difficult for women to offer congregational prayers.