Why can't women be Imam?

Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim - In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Hello.

Islam does not have a recognized clergy. There are no priests or pastors in Islam. An Imaam is simply somoene who is educated in Islam and who can lead the prayer. A woman CAN be an Imaamah, but she can be so for other women. A woman can make the Adhan, say, in her house when she has ladies over, but it is not required for her to do so. She can lead the prayer of other women, and she can be a teacher for men and women.

A woman may not lead the men in prayer for the simple and honest reason that if she is leading them, and she bows and prostrates in front of them, there is a risk that the men, being creatures who are really aware of the beauty of women, might be distracted by seeing her in front of them. And when a woman recites Qur'an or makes the Adhan in a beautiful voice, this also is attractive to men and can make them concentrate less on the message than the messenger.

There are many who would poo-poo this explanantion and say it is unfair, claiming that men are so simple-minded and sex-obsessed that it is feared they'll be distracted simply by the presence of a woman in front of them. Well, I think a realistic look at the world in front of us will put the lie to that protest. Men are extremely visual and are attracted by the beauty of women. Why else would women subject themselves to suffocation-inducing jeans, ankle-wrecking high heels, and thongs that split their private parts in half? They do so because they KNOW that men are visual creatures and that they can easily be distracted by a beautiful woman.

You will not find in the Qur'an a particular ayah that forbids women from leading the prayer, but the consensus of the scholars, based on evidence in the Qur'an AND the Sunnah, is that a woman may not lead men in prayer. There is no dispute over this. This is completely different, however, than saying that women are not allowed to be scholars or teachers. You are absolutely right in pointing out that the Mother of the Believers Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, was very knowledgeable in Islam and passed on so much wisdom to men and women alike. We take our knowledge from the educated men and women without regard to their gender. But you will never find an instance of any of the female companions leading men in prayer, with the possible exception of younger boys and maybe elderly male servants of the household, but I am not sure on this.

We have to separate the function of being a prayer leader from the function of being an educator. They are two separate things. Islam did not mean for women to be submissive, illiterate, and not knowledgeable about the religion. The best Muslim women are the most educated in Islam. Women are the first teachers of their children so it is vital that they know Islam. But the prohibition on leading men in prayer is absolute, and it is part of the wisdom of Allah. We accept that women and men are not identical, and that we each have unique qualities that set us apart from each other. We should be satisfied with how Allah has made us and not seek to do something that is against Allah's will. And Allah knows best.

Fi Aman Allah,

Nancy Umm Abdel Hamid

Well, there is nothing difinitive as to why a woman can't or shouldn't be imam, but there are a couple of things that make it difficult for a woman to be imam. First is the formation of prayer. Women are behind the men, so it would be difficult to lead prayer from behind. Second is the, what I like to call, monthly "visitor." We can't make salat during this time, so if a mosque is relying on a woman for leading prayers, what about during this time?

However all of this only has to do with prayers, and when we are together with other women, we do lead prayers and make iqama. I'm not sure why women don't make azan, but we can give lectures. Aisha and Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with them) were highly intelligent sisters and if I'm not mistaken, men took guidance from both of them in some form or another.

It's a bit confusing because there are no definite answers for these topics and so much cultural tradition has been incorporated in things where it shouldn't be. Allahu alim.

A woman can be an Imam of women but not of men, you see Aisha and Fatima are known to be among the greatest women of all time and they followed the Prophet (peace and blessings of God be upon him) in prayer. What does that tell you? If they are context to be like that, what about us?

Classically women were scholars of hadith and they were massive scholars in this field. A scholar is at a higher degree than an Imam. Its a religion of shyness and it better for a man not to have see a woman bend over in front of him!

The link below discusses this and other incident

She can be an 'Imam' of women. Imam is just someone who leads the prayer on a regular basis.

Ibn Hazam (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in his book Al-Muhallaa bi’l-Aathaar, 317:

“… It is not permissible for a woman to lead a man or men in prayer, and there is no dispute on this matter. Also, it has been reported that a woman invalidates a man’s prayer if she passes in front of him, which we will discuss further in a later chapter, in sha Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) also said, “The imaam is a protection (or a shield),” and ruled that (women) should definitely be behind men in prayer. The imaam should stand in front of the congregation or with them in the same row, as we have already mentioned. From these texts it is clear that it is not correct for a woman to lead a man or men in prayers.” (al-Muhallaa, part 2, Salaat al-Jamaa’ah).

‘Ali ibn Sulaymaan al-Mardaawi al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “With regard to his saying ‘It is not right for a woman to lead a man in prayer’, and this applies whatever the case.” (Al-Insaaf, part 2, Baab Salaat al-Jamaa’ah).

As for female scholars, Aishah was the first female scholar. There are many female scholars historically, but in present day, there is a grave shortage.

This Site Might Help You.

RE:

Why can't women be Imam?

I sort of have an answer formulated on this, but thought I would ask out of interest and see what your opinions are. Aside from the usual hate-mogering "Islam abuses women" thing.

The reason I ask this question is because I can't find ANYWHERE in the Qu'ran where it determines...

In Islam men are men and women are women. They both are same in the sight of God but not physically and in their creation. Woman is created with more shy and weak qualities in nature. Islam allowes them to gain knowledge as men. Have their business or property.

Why are there no any woman army commender or army officers or in frontlines? Simply because women are women and men are men but both are same in the sight of Allah.

Also each mosque will have to keep several lady imams to makeup with their off prayer days. which is something not practical.

it all comes to the psychology of the human race which differs for genders... as you know, when a women passes by in the street, it is men who start whistling not a man walking with women whistling..

this is because men have a stronger sexual affinity for women that women dont share (or not share as strong as the men) so in other other words... men are attracted to women more than women are to men.. this is psychological...

this is why women pray behind men in prayers because a man praying behind a woman may be distracted by being attracted to her.. it is only human.. AND NOT ALL MEN ARE LIKE THIS .... some are and it is natural..

so thus women pray behind men and a women imam would thus make no sense... SOME men MAY be distracted from prayer as she leads .. and for azan, her voice, which is also a part of her sexuality can lose the meaning of the words of azan...

i am not saying that muslim men are sexual perverts who can't wait to get their hands on smthg but rather there are psychological affinities and attractions that have to be considered... and in some cases SOME men may act out of line... so why risk it if you can prevent it...

women can't be imams. they can lead the salat for just women, but that is it. men have to lead the salat for both. and aisha taught islam, becuase she memorized the whole quran and hadith. so of course someone could ask her a question because she knew all of it. women don't have to make the azan, but they can make the iqamah.

Women are not property in Islam, correction they might be in other religions and cultures when for example they're sold for money "prostitutes" or sleep with them for free" bf/gf" relationships. Islam respects women and that is why he requires men to marry women and take care of them not treat them like b****es. As for ur question, it is because men are easily turned on by women and their voices. That is why I think it is not appropriate for a woman to be Imam or to read Azan.

A woman is allowed to be an Imam of women and she can lead the congregation of females only in Salat, but a woman is not allowed to lead the Salat for a mixed gathering of males and females. It is reported by A'isha, Umm Salamah and 'Ata' -may Allah be pleased with them- that "A woman can be an Imam of women." It is also reported by Dar Qutni that the Prophet -peace be upon him- allowed Umm Waraqah to lead the women of her house in Salat. The woman Imam should not stand in front of the line like the male Imam, but she should stand in the middle of the line of the women praying under her Imamah.

In a mixed gathering of worshippers, the Sunnah of the Prophet -peace be upon him- is that men should stand in the front rows, then children and then women. This way is most conducive to the dignity of men and women both and it helps both of them to concentrate on their prayers. If a woman were to become the Imam of a mixed gathering of worshippers then she would have to stand in front of them or women have to stand in front of men and she as their Imam would have to stand among them. This will be both a violation of the Sunnah and will disrupt the dignity and the spirituality of the worshippers as well.

In the matters of worship, Islam teaches us that we should follow the commands of Allah and His prophet only and should not do anything that would violate their rules. In our worldly matters, however, we are allowed to make our own experiments as much as possible without indulging into anything Haram. It is for this reasons that the Muslim jurists say, "The rule in the matters of worship ('Ibadat) is that every thing is forbidden except whatever is allowed; and the rule in the worldly matters ('Adat) is that every thing is allowed except whatever is forbidden."