The Muslimah attends Eid Prayers

The Muslimah attends Eid Prayers-Excerpt from the Book “The Ideal Muslimah”

Islam has honoured woman and made her equal with man as regards obligatory acts of worship.

Women are also encouraged to attend public gatherings on Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha, so that they may take part in these blessed occasions.

This is demonstrated in a number of Hadith reported by
Bukhari and Muslim, in which we see that the Prophet (PBUH) commanded that all the women should come out on these occasions, including adolescent and prepubescent girls, those who usually remained in seclusion, and virgins; he even commanded that menstruating women should come out, to take part in the joyous occasion, but they were to keep away from the prayer-place itself. His concern that all women should attend the prayer on the two Eids was so great that he ordered the one who had more than one jilbab (outer garment) to give one to her sister who had none. In this way he encouraged both the attendance of all women at Eid prayers and mutual support and help to do good and righteous deeds.

Umm `Atiyyah said:  

“The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded us to bring out to the Eid prayers the

adolescent and prepubescent girls, those who usually remained in seclusion, and virgins, and he ordered those who were menstruating to keep away from the prayer-place.”

34

“We (women) used to be commanded to go out on the two Eids, including those who usually

stayed in seclusion, and virgins. The menstruating women went out too, and stayed behind

the people, joining in the takbirat.”

35

“The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) commanded us to take them out on Eid al-Fitr and Eid alAdha, the adolescent and prepubescent girls, the menstruating women, and those who

usually remained in seclusion, so that they could share in the festive occasions of the

Muslims, but the menstruating women were not to pray. I said, `O Messenger of Allah

(PBUH), one of us does not have a jilbab.’ He said, `Let her sister dress her in one of her

own jilbabs.’”

36

Bukhari reports: “Muhammad ibn Sallam told us that `Abd al-Wahhab reported from Ayyub from Hafsah bint Sirin, who said: `We used to prevent our prepubescent girls from going out on the two Eids’”.

A woman came and stayed at the castle of Banu Khalaf, and reported something from her sister. Her sister’s husband had taken part in twelve military campaigns with the Prophet (PBUH), and her sister herself had accompanied him on six of them. She said: “We used to take care of the sick and wounded.” Her sister asked the Prophet (PBUH): “Is there anything wrong if one of us does not have a jilbab and never goes out for that reason?” He said: “Let her friend give her one of her jilbabs, so that she can come out and join the righteous gatherings of the Muslims.”‘

34. Sahih Muslim, 8/100, kitab al-Hajj, bab istihbab al-tib qabl al-ihram.  
35. Sahih Muslim, 3/208, Kitab al-hayd, bab jawaz ghusl al-ha’id ra’as zawjiha wa tarjiluhu.  
36. Fath al-Bari, 1/403, Kitab al-hayd, bab mubashirah al-ha’id; Sahih Muslim, 3/209, Kitab alhayd, bab jawaz ghusl al-ha’id ra’as zawjiha.  

Excerpt from the Book “The Ideal Muslimah”