Nasai

For details, see Hadith: 5131.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: A woman is the lamp of the home, not the candle of gatherings; therefore, she cannot leave her house without permission. And even if she has to go to the mosque, she will go with permission, and she cannot use anything from which fragrance emanates. But it is a matter of regret that today women, after applying makeup themselves or having it done at beauty parlors, are coming and going everywhere without observing proper covering, and there is no one to stop or admonish them, yet there are those who prevent them from the mosques.

Benefits and Issues:
One method of using the fragrance of oud and frankincense (luban) in Arabia is that people take its smoke (incense).
Through this, its scent permeates their bodies and clothes.
This fragrance is very light and pleasant; when even a light fragrance is prohibited, then a strong fragrance is even more reprehensible.

(1) “To the mosque” means going outside the home. Whether she goes to the mosque, to someone else’s house, or to the fields. The mosque is mentioned specifically because it is a place of purity. There, fragrance is preferable, but even when going to the mosque, a woman is not permitted to use perfume, let alone going to any other place after applying fragrance.

(2) “She should perform a thorough ritual bath (ghusl)” because fragrance transfers from one limb to another, therefore, without bathing, the effect of the perfume will not be removed. The objective is to eliminate the fragrance.

(3) “As she performs the ritual bath (ghusl) for major ritual impurity (janabah)”—that is, very thoroughly. This does not mean that applying perfume makes ritual bathing obligatory.

(1) The meaning of this statement by Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah is that the aforementioned narration has been reported by Yazid ibn Kusayfah from Basr ibn Sa’id and attributed to the Musnad of Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu. However, no one besides him has attributed it to the Musnad of Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu; rather, Ya’qub ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Ashajj has opposed Yazid and, while narrating this report from Basr ibn Sa’id, has attributed it not to Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu but to Zaynab al-Thaqafiyyah radi Allahu anha (the honorable wife of ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radi Allahu anhu). The purpose is that, according to Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah, the narration of Ya’qub ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Ashajj is preferred. However, the real matter is that Yazid ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Kusayfah is a trustworthy (thiqqah) narrator, and an addition in the hadith of a trustworthy narrator—so long as it does not contradict or oppose the narration of one who is more reliable—is acceptable. Therefore, the opposition of Ya’qub ibn ‘Abdullah ibn al-Ashajj does not make any difference. And Allah knows best.

(2) From this blessed hadith, this important issue is established: that women may go to the mosque for the purpose of performing prayer.

(3) “Bukhur” is a type of fragrance. When it is ignited with fire, its scent is perceived, like incense sticks nowadays. However, here, what is meant is general fragrance, because it is not permissible for a woman to go outside the house wearing any kind of fragrance, whether she is going to the mosque or anywhere else. The special mention of the ‘Isha prayer is either because, in the darkness, the danger for women is greater, or because women generally apply fragrance for their husbands at night.