The woman’s
āmīn, adhān and iqāmah
source:
silsilat ul-hudā wa nnūr ~ the series of guidance and light
~ tape no. 697
Question #3: “Does the woman raise her voice with saying the
āmīn, and does she also give the adhān and the iqāmah (for
prayer)?”
Shaykh al-Albānī answers:
“As for, is it correct for the woman to raise her voice with
āmīn, then there is a detailed explanation with regard to
the question. If she is praying with women, then yes. As for
if she is praying with men who are strangers (i.e., non-mahram),
then no. Because I do not say that the voice of a woman is
ʽawrah[1], as many say, because the mothers of the believers
and the wives of the early Companions used to speak with men
and used to communicate with men; and oftentimes the woman
used to come to the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) and ask him
(a question) in front of the men, then he (صلى الله عليه
وسلم) would answer her question.
But (here), it is not part of the good manners of a woman
that she raises her voice with the recitation of the Qur’ān.
We are often asked – is it permissible for the woman, when
she is learning the recitation from the shaykh who is a
reciter, to repeat the recitation to him in order for him to
correct her – the answer is no. Although she learns, her
learning is restricted to listening only, as learned the
women of all the Companions from the Messenger of Allaah (صلى
الله عليه وسلم) by listening to his recitation during prayer
or outside of prayer.
If the woman prays with women while she is an imām, she
raises her voice and the women behind her also raise their
voices. That is due to (the Prophet’s) (صلى الله عليه وسلم)
saying: ‘Women are nothing but the twin halves of men,’[2]
i.e., every ruling that came in which the men are being
addressed, then the women are also included in this address,
except what is made an exception. For example, and I ask for
(your) attention, it is more excellent for a woman, in other
than the tarāwīh prayer, to pray in her house; but on the
other hand, it is obligatory upon the man to pray the five
prayers in the masjid with the congregation. So here, the
woman is different from the man. But the fundamental
principle is as (the Prophet) (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said:
‘Women are nothing but the twin halves of men.’
So if the woman leads women in prayer as an imām, she does
just as the man does as an imām. Firstly, she raises her
voice with the recitation (of the Qur’ān) and with āmīn, and
(the women) also raise their voices from behind her with
āmīn. Secondly, not only does the woman lead women in prayer
as an imām, but she also gives the adhān and the iqāmah.
Why? Because of the previous hadīth: ‘Women are nothing but
the twin halves of men.’ Furthermore, asayyida ʽĀisha, the
mother of the believers, and the leader of the mothers of
the believers in terms of fiqh[3], knowledge and daʽwah, may
Allāh bless her and her father, used to give the adhān and
the iqāmah when she led women in prayer as an imām.
And here there is an admonition which there is no question
about – the woman here differs as well from the man, as she
does not step up before the row of the women, but rather she
stands in the middle as if she is someone from the row. She
does not step up before them (to lead as the man does);
there has come a text regarding this also. Therefore, in
this circumstance, the woman is not included in the
generality of (the Prophet’s) (صلى الله عليه وسلم) saying:
‘Women are nothing but the twin halves of men.’”
~ asaheeha translations ~
[1] something private that should be covered
[2] Silsilat ul-Ahādīth us-Sahīha # 2863
[3] understanding of the religion
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