Is It Better for Women to Pray in the Noble Haram or at Home?

Question

A certain mawlana said in his sermon that it is not permissible for women to go to the mosque for the congregation of the five [daily] prayers, and that even to the Prophet’s Mosque and the Sacred Mosque — these two mosques in Makka the Honoured and Madina the Pure — a woman is not permitted to go: for them it is better to pray at home. Yes, for tawaf and for visiting the grave of the Prophet ﷺ they are permitted to go to the Noble Haram and the Prophet’s Mosque with caution.

Answer

That mawlana spoke correctly in his sermon, and his inference is entirely correct; the jurists (fuqaha’) wrote likewise. The commentators on hadith have stated explicitly that the multiplication of reward in the Two Noble Sanctuaries (Haramayn) is for men, not for women.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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