❖ Can a Menstruating Woman Engage in Dhikr While Sitting in the Mosque? – A Shariah-Based Clarification
Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah, Volume 3 – Miscellaneous Issues, Page 284
❖ Question
In Ahl-e-Hadith mosques, there is often a separate arrangement for women. Can a menstruating woman sit in a corner of the mosque and engage in dhikr (remembrance of Allah)? Please explain this issue in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.
(Question by: Muhammad Fayaz Damanwi, Bradford, England)
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"وَجِّهُوا هَذِهِ الْبُيُوتَ عَنِ الْمَسْجِدِ، فَإِنِّي لَا أُحِلُّ الْمَسْجِدَ لِحَائِضٍ وَلَا جُنُبٍ"
"Turn these houses away from the mosque, for I do not permit the mosque for a menstruating woman or a person in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity)."
(Sunan Abī Dāwūd: 232 – Chain is Ḥasan; authenticated by Ibn Khuzaymah: 1327)
❖ Analysis of Narration Authenticity
- The narrator Aflah bin Khalifah is truthful (ṣadūq)
(Refer: Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb, p. 546) - Jasrah bint Wajājah رضي الله عنها has been verified by:
- Imām ʿAjlī رحمه الله
- Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله
- Imām Ibn Khuzaymah رحمه الله
Although Imām al-Bukhārī criticized her with the phrase:
"ʿInda Jasrah ʿAjāʾib"
"There are oddities in the narrations of Jasrah"
However, this criticism is weakened (marjūḥ) when weighed against the majority of scholars who validated her.
❖ Conclusion
This hadith clearly establishes that:
✔ A menstruating woman is not allowed to enter the mosque,
✔ Therefore, she is also not permitted to sit in the mosque to engage in dhikr.
For further detailed discussion, refer to: Ishāʿat al-Ḥadīth, pp. 127–128هٰذَا مَا عِندِي، وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
