Questions
CAN A WOMAN STAY IN THE MASJID DURING MENSES?
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The scholars’ 2 OPINIONS:
1) NO SHE CANNOT STAY IN THE MASJID UNLESS PASSING BY FOR A NEED (MAJORITY)
Evidences:
-The junub (sexually impure person after intercourse) is told explicitly in the Quran (Nisa: 43) not to stay in the masjid. And the junub, by analogy, is similar to the menstruating women because they both have an impurity that requires ghusl.
– Rasulullah (S) said to tell all women (menstruating and not) to come to the Eid prayer, but he said “let the menstruating women avoid the prayer place.”
-Rasulullah (S) in said, “The mosque is not permitted for menstruating women or anyone who is in a state of janabah (sexual impurity).”
2) YES SHE CAN STAY IN THE MASJID
(minority opinion held by Ibn Hazm, Al-Muzani a scholar of the Shafi’I madhab, Dawud Ad Dhaahiri, and modern day scholars such as Shaykh Yusuf al Qardawi and others)
Evidences:
-The hadeeth mentioned above (“The mosque is not permitted for menstruating women or anyone who is in a state of janabah (sexual impurity).”) was classed as da’eef (weak) by Shaykh al-Albaani as well as other scholars, so it is not permissible to make a ruling of fiqh based on a weak hadth.
– The ayah talking about the junub cannot be applied to the menstruating women because they are not analogous.
When Aisha is on her period during Hajj, Rasulullah (S) told her “do everything but don’t do tawaf of the kabah” which indicates she could stay at the Kabah and do worship, dua, etc.
-A slave woman who was freed set up a tent and lived in the masjid. And Umm Mihjaan (the caretaker of the masjid) would regularly take care of the masjid, and was not told to avoid it during menses.
-Therefore, these scholars are of the opinion that if it were really impermissible for a woman to not stay in the masjid, there would be an authentic direct hadith or ayah about it, as women around the messenger regularly had their period. The evidences brought by the majority are not strong enough to make it haram upon her to stay in the masjid.
CAN A WOMAN TRAVEL BY HERSELF?
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Did you know that the wives of the Prophet (S) traveled together WITHOUT a Mahram from Madinah to Makkah to make Hajj?
In short – there are two opinions on the matter. 1) No, she has to have a Mahram. 2) Yes, she can, as long as her safety can be ensured, and that she uses safe public transportation where others are around.
CAN I DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE MAKE UP FASTS?
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Rasulullah (S) said “Whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan and then follows it with six days of Shawwal will be (rewarded) as if he had fasted the entire year.” [Muslim]
So CAN I DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE MY RAMADAN MAKE UP FASTS?
2 Opinions of the scholars:
1) NO, FINISH RAMADAN FASTS FIRST: Some scholars, amongst them the Hanbalis, say that one must finish the obligatory fasts of Ramadan first before you do any other voluntary fast, as obligations are more important than voluntary fasts and because the Hadith says “Whoever FASTS Ramadan and follows it up with 6 of shawal…” indicating one must finish all 29/30 of Ramadan first and foremost. Some of this group say, if one cannot do all of Ramadan make up fasts in Shawal, then they can complete their 6 Shawal in the next month (Dhul Qa’dah).
2) YES, YOU CAN DO 6 SHAWAL BEFORE RAMADAN MAKE UPS:
The other opinion of scholars (amongst them the Hanafi, Shafi, Maliki madhhab) is that the obligation of finishing off Ramadan is an obligation that is given an extended amount of time to fulfill. So since it is given a wide time of 11 months to finish the Ramadan fasts, it should NOT be limited to finishing them off in the very next month (shawal). Shawal is a limited amount of time, and Ramadan is given a long time, and therefore it would be permissible to fast 6 shawal first as long as the Ramadan fasts are accomplished throughout the next 11 months. This is from the mercy of Allah in giving us a long time to make up all the Ramadan fasts.
The precedence that we have in the seerah, is that of Aisha (R) who said that she regularly made up her Ramadan fasts in the month of Shaban, which is the month right before Ramadan. But it is also known that she did many voluntary fasts throughout the year. Scholars conclude that she thererfore saw it acceptable to do voluntary fasts, EVEN though the Ramadan make up fasts had not been completed yet.
It is also very difficult for women to make up Ramadan fasts (maybe 7-8 days) & finish shawal (another 6 days) within one month – because obviously her menses will come (maybe 7-8 days). That almost requires her to fast another WHOLE month minus her period just to accomplish Shawal. And that is definitely a great difficulty.
**Majority of scholars say you cannot combine Shawal and Ramadan make up fasts with one intention. They should be separate intentions and separate days.
NOTE: Know yourself! If you find it difficult to make up your fasts, PRIORITIZE Ramadan fasts over Shawal fasts, because an obligation is like a debt!
May Allah allow us all to fast the 6 of Shawal to get the reward of an entire year! Ameen
CAN WOMEN READ/TOUCH THE QURAN DURING MENSES?
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RECITING QURAN – there are 2 opinions:
1) She CANNOT read/recite the Quran.
Most scholars prohibit women from touching the Quran based on the hadith “The menstruating woman and the one who is in a state of sexual impurity (janaabah) should not recite anything of the Qur’aan.”
2) She CAN read/recite the Quran.
This is the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, ibn Qayyim, Imam Malik, Bukhari, and one opinion of Imam Ash Shafii as well as many other scholars. Their argument is that the hadith mentioned above is Daeef (weak). In fact, the hadith is considered weak by almost all scholars of Hadith and therefore cannot be used in order to make a fiqh ruling. So women may recite or read the Quran, either from memory or from the Quran mushaf (book) itself.
TOUCHING THE QURAN
Scholars of fiqh agree that someone who is not purified CANNOT touch the Quran because Allah says in the Quran “None shall touch it except the purified” (Waqiah: 79). This includes the junub (sexually impure), the menstruating woman, as well as someone without wudhu.
So how can she read the Quran?
1) Use a barrier (glove, towel, pen) so that her hand doesn’t directly touch the Quran
2) Read it off of a tablet or phone as these are not considered the Quran, but rather devices that have the Quran in them.
3)Read a book which has Tafseer/translation in it – as that is not considered the Quran mushaf (book) either. Even if it contains the Arabic, if half is tafseer/translation, it is permissible for an impure person to hold.
WOMEN’S FASTING FAQ
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Q:If you fast all day, and your period starts a few minutes before Maghrib, do you have to make that day up?
A: Yes.
Q: If I didn’t make up all my fasts before next Ramadan, what do I do?
A: If you had no excuse, you have to pay the penalty, Fidya as well as make them up later. (Fidya: feeding a poor person a full day’s meal per day that you missed).
Q: Do pregnant and breastfeeding women have to fast?
A: They are exempt if they fear for themselves or the baby. However, if they feel well enough, they can fast, after consulting a doctor.
Q: How do pregnant/nursing moms make up those fasting days if they have years of make ups?
A: There are multiple opinions of scholars:
1- make them all up over the years (majority opinion)
2- pay the fidya only (opinion of Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar (R))
3- pay the fidya AND make them up over the years
Connect With Us
Islamic Society of Greater Houston
Under the Care of the Most Merciful with Safiya Ravat
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We hope you’ll join us today for our next inspiration
series talk:
“Under the Care of the Most Merciful”
with Safiya Ravat
Watch live at 6pm CST!
Alhumdulillah, we are super excited to announce that we are constructing our very own Suhbah Center! Suhbah Foundation (Suhbah Institute’s nonprofit) is building this center as an inclusive community center, a "third space" that welcomes all demographics. It is not a masjid or musalla as we are conveniently located only a 30-second walk to Masjid El Farooq in Houston, Texas.
At the Suhbah Center, we will offer:
-Young Professional and Youth Spiritual/Learning/Discussion Circles
-Socials events for Young Professionals
-Part Time and Full Time Islamic Seminary classes
-Islamic Pre-Marital and Marital Education courses
-Matrimonial events and Singles Mixers
-Various Islamic Programs including: halaqas, intensive courses, retreats, and specific events for different demographics (youth, young professionals, women, new Muslims, parents, divorcees, couples, etc.)
When we first acquired this place, it was an abandoned warehouse with broken walls, broken ceilings and a concrete floor. It requires a lot of construction and renovation work! Any amount will help, and we pray it is a Sadaqa Jariya (continuous charity) for you inshaAllah!
If you would like to be a MONTHLY contributor to maintain Suhbah’s programs, go to suhbah.com/donate
(see video of the center in the comments!)
InshaAllah we will have a lounge area similar to a coffee shop which will be open to the community at specific hours for working, studying, and relaxing.
www.launchgood.com/campaign/suhbah_is_making_its_own_center_construction__renovation_project_for_…
launchgood.com
Help us build the Suhbah Center to serve the Houston Muslim Community! May Allah accept it as a Sadaqa Jariya for you, Ameen.Alhumdulillah, Day 1 of Suhbah Institute Seminary
11 months Part Time Quranic Arabic and Islamic Studies is underway!
May Allah bless all of our students, our teachers, our volunteers, and our community for supporting us. Ameen
So blessed to be a part of the newly established Houston Imam’s Association (HIA), Alhumdulillah! A forum for Houston Imams and female Religious Clergy to meet, exchange ideas, grow, unite, solve local needs and issues, and help one another. This has been a long time coming, and grateful to be here at the onset!
Thank you to Minaret Foundation for bringing us all together. And especially grateful for the organizers and Imams who through a majority vote, added a clause to the bylaws which allows female religious clergy (i.e. masjid Religious Directors) to be members of this esteemed group.
May Allah bless this effort and make it a means of unity for our community. Ameen!Great news Houston! We’re happy to announce that as of yesterday the Houston Imam’s Association is officially launched. Since June, our organization, Minaret Foundation, has led an effort along with steering committee members Danish Hasan, Salman Ghani, and Arsalan Safiullah to create a focused platform just for Imams.
Imams involved in the formation phase are:
Imam Waleed Basyouni, Clear Lake Islamic Center
Imam Basem Hamid, Shadow Creek Islamic Center
Imam Muhammad Nisarul Haq, ASIA Center
Imam د. رحابي محمد, Woodlands Islamic Center
Imam Ahmad Khan, Maryam Islamic Center
Imam Daniel Hernandez, Pearland Islamic Center
Imam Qasim Ibn Ali Khan, Masjid at-Tawhid
Imam Ra’ed Alrousan, Tajweed Institute
Imam Hamzah Ghia, Islamic Center of Klein
Imam Eiad Soudan, Masjid Bilal
Imam Hyder Al Janabi, Masjid Istiqlal
Imam Ahmad Shaheed, Masjid Al-Quran
Imam Abdurrahman Adesokan, Masjid ul-Mumineen
Imam Zahid Abdullah, Quba Institute
Imam Nessar Ahmad, Masjid Hamza
Imam Ahmad Siddiqi, Kingwood Islamic Center
Imam Hafiz Furqaan Sayed, Masjid Abu Bakr
Imam Mohammad Siddiqui, Humble Islamic Center
Imam Kassim Balla, Tajweed Institute
Imam Mohammed ElFarooqui, Baytown Islamic Center
Imam Akbar Syed, Masjid al-Ahad
The Houston Imam’s Association will also have a committee for women who are employed within the same capacity:
Ustadha Safiya Ravat, Maryam Islamic Center
From the bylaws: The Houston Imams Association (HIA) serves as the Imams voice in the Houston Muslim community and the Greater Houston area. HIA’s areas of focus will be advocacy, community education, and professional development, and will help guide the Houston Muslim community in making decisions based on Islamic knowledge and values.
Pictures below are from our meeting in September and yesterday. Thanks to our generous hosts at Islamic Relief and CAIR, and our original steering committee members Hajra Syed Rahman, Ahmad Shaheed, and Arslan Tajammul.
Look for news of a launch event soon insha’Allah!
About 24 Hours Ago
This past Ramadan, the community showed a lot of generosity and helped us raise enough funds to grant 15 scholarships for #SuhbahSeminary. http://bit.ly/2nG9rH2