Taraweeh for Females: Home or Masjid?

Q: Please comment on the following:

“Praying taraweeh in home for a women is better then praying in masjid, but also praying taraweeh in the masjid for her is better then sitting at home wasting valuable time in silly thing like tv show and social media. But we have to keep in mind that many women today if they didn’t pray taraweeh in the masjid its not like they will pray it at home but they will stay at home wasting there time in silly things, in this case it is better if they prayed taraweeh in the masjid, but with no perfume.”

A. It is Haraam for women to perform Taraweeh at the Masaajid. The very fact that the moron claimant, despite averring permissibility for women to perform Taraweeh at the Masjid, stipulates that she should attend with no perfume, is a loud testimony of the element of Fitnah. Perfume is not the only element of Fitnah. In this age, almost all women and men do not know what Hijaab is. The strict condition which Nabi Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam stipulated for females to attend the Masaajid of his age, are not existent in this age. The fact that the Sahaabah Radhiyallahu Anhum banned women from the Masaajid in an age which was a million times or even more better than this age, should be sufficient for people of intelligence to understand that it is Haraam for women to attend the Masajid, Eidgah, etc.

The argument of women not performing the twenty Rak’aats Taraweeh Salaah at home, if they are not allowed to perform it in the Masaajid, is a baseless averment. Hundreds of thousands of women perform their Taraweeh Salaah at home. Banning women from the Masaajid does not necessarily mean that they will abstain from Taraweeh Salaah at home. If a woman does not perform Taraweeh Salaah at home, it does not mean that the doors of the Masaajid should be flung open which is in fact opening the door to much greater Fitnah – Fitnah in the house of Allah!!! The Fitnah of women attending the Masaajid, is indisputable.

The sin of watching Television, or being involved in futility or any other Haraam act at home, does not justify women attending the Masaajid. Perpetration of one sin does not legalize another sin. Whilst TV, music, movies, etc. are Haraam, it is likewise Haraam for women to attend the Masaajid. If some women do not perform their Taraweeh Salaah at home and instead watch TV, then the correct course for them is to abstain from TV and perform their Taraweeh Salaah at home. It is not that they should now be encouraged to attend the Masaajid and be the cause of even much greater Fitnah – at the Masaajid and during the Holy Month of Ramadhaan. They have polluted their homes with TV, now it does not mean that the Masaajid should also be polluted! Why have a TV in the first place in your home? It is Haraam to even keep a TV at home. One cannot bring Haraam in one’s home and then attempt to cancel out a Shar’i Law because of one’s own weakness to abstain from the Haraam at one’s home.

People voluntarily bring Haraam into their homes and then they wish to ‘change’ the Shariah because of the sins which they perpetrate. Instead of interfering and trying to change the Shariah, change your Haraam lifestyle, throw out and destroy the Haraam (TV, music) from your homes and learn to inculcate Taqwa in your life. Make the home a Deeni environment instead of it being an environment of sin and immorality by having TV, no Hijaab, etc. at home.

And what stops women from watching TV after Taraweeh? Although TV is Haraam for all times and all places, is it possible for a Muslim to be so dead in his heart that he is incapable of understanding that it is the month of Ramadhaan? Is a Muslim incapable of honouring and respecting Ramadhaan by at least keeping the TV off during Ramadhaan. Have Muslims become so disrespectful to Ramadhaan that even in Ramadhaan they watch the filth and nonsense called TV!!!

TV should be thrown out of the homes. Women should be banned from the Masaajid. One sin does not cancel out the prohibition of the other sin. Women watching TV at home, does not mean that it is permissible for them to attend the Masaajid. They should be banned from the Masaajid, the TV’s should be thrown out of the homes and women should engage in their Ibaadat at home. Nabi Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam said that the closest a woman is unto Allah, is in the innermost recesses of her home.