A person, whose heart is attached to the Masjid

According to a Hadith of Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim, among the people who will get shade by Allah Ta’ala on the day of Qiyaamah is a person whose heart is attached to the Masjid.

"The heart is attached" means a strong attachment. A person, whose heart is attached to the Masjid, means that this is constantly on his mind to such an extent that he has a burning desire to spend almost all his time in the Masjid to wait for the time of Salah. He is so attached to the Masjid that even if he is not in the Masjid, his mind is there. After each Salah he has completed, he waits in anticipation for the next Salah. This indicates the strong attachment that he has for Allah Ta’ala because when a person loves someone, he wants to stay in front of his door. Thus, if a person wants to stay in the house of Allah Ta’ala, it is because of his love for Allah Ta’ala. Thus, it is a very noble state of mind that is very appreciable in the eyes of Allah Ta’ala.

The Masjid is the house of Allah Ta’ala. A person, who comes to the house of Allah Ta’ala, is a guest of Allah Ta’ala. Each person receives his guest according to his capacity in the most appropriate way possible. It is in this sense that Allah Ta’ala will honour His guest by granting him shade under His throne. 

Note that this applies only to men because according to Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam), the best place for a woman to perform Salah, is the most hidden place of her house. A woman, who is regular and punctual in her Salah and who performs it in the most hidden place of her house, will also benefit from this merit.

The best place for women to perform Salah

During the time of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam), the best place according to Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) for women to perform Salah, was the house. That is, a woman gets more reward when she performs Salah in her house because Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) preferred this itself for women. What Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) preferred for women, is incomparably better than what others are suggesting for women. 

Hazrat Umme Salamah (Radiyallahu Anha) reported that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"The best place for women to perform Salah is inside their homes."

Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas'ud (Radiyallahu Anhu) reported that Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"The best Salah by Allah Ta’ala that a woman performs is that Salah that she performs in the darkest corner of her house." (Saheeh Bin Khuzaimah)

When we analyse this Hadith, it gives us an idea to what extent Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) had the desire to see women performing Salah in their houses in a secluded, enclosed and most concealed corner.

Salah in Masjid Nabawi

As we know, there are many rewards for performing Salah in Masjid Nabawi. According to a Hadith of Hazrat Abu Hurairah (Radiyallahou Anhu), Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"A Salah in my Masjid (Masjid Nabawi) is better than one thousand Salah in another (Masjid) besides the Masjid-ul-Haram." (Saheeh Bukhari)

That is, a Salah which a person performs in Masjid Nabawi, in terms of rewards, exceeds one thousand Salah that is performed elsewhere, besides Masjid-ul-Haram. Despite all this Sawaab and the enormous reward that a woman could have reaped by performing Salah in Masjid Nabawi, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) preferred that women perform their Salah in their houses. According to a Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) made a Sahaabi named Hazrat Umme Humaid (Radiyallahu Anha) understand that her Salah in her house, is much better than her Salah in Masjid Nabawi.

(Saheeh Bin Khuzaimah)

We should not think that Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) deprived women of a great Sawaab because what Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) has chosen for women, is much better for them. If a woman is pleased to dress according to the choice of her husband, then how much joy must she feel by performing Salah in a place that is according to the choice of Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam)?

More Sawaab

This means that the Salah that a woman performs in her house makes her reap more Sawaab and reward than the Salah that she performs in Masjid Nabawi. A great Muhaddith (scholar of Hadith) named Muhammad Ishaaq Bin Khuzaimah (223H - 311H) says in his Saheeh Bin Khuzaimah:

"The statement of Nabi (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) that a Salah in my Masjid (Masjid Nabawi) is better than one thousand Salah in another Masjid, refers to men only and not women."

This explains the severe and the harsh attitude that the famous Sahaabi Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas'ud (Radiyallahu Anhum) adopted towards the women who were coming to the Masjid. According to an authentic narration of Tabrani, Musannaf Abdur Razzaaq and Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaibah, Hazrat Abdullah Bin Mas'ud (Radiyallahu Anhum) were driving out women of the Masjid and he was telling them:

"Come out, go to your houses. This is best for you."

Closer to the blessing of Allah Ta’ala

Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"Woman is an Aurah. When she goes out (of her house), Shaitaan follows her. The closest that a woman can be to the blessing of her Rabb, is when she is inside her house." (Saheeh Bin Khuzaimah)

'Aurah is something that a person is shy to expose. A person tends to hide such a thing. Thus, according to this Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) qualified a woman as 'Aurah which means that a woman is an entity which we should feel shy to expose in public. She is something that must be hidden as far as possible. And this is achieved when she stays in her house and she does not come out unnecessarily. And when she stays at home, without exposing herself to the public or without coming in front of strangers, she will become closer to the blessing of her Rabb. 

The best Salah

Thus, the Salah that she performs in a place that is closer to the blessing of her Rabb will also be the best Salah. That is, the Salah that a woman performs in the most remote and hidden place of her house, is the best Salah. In a Hadith, Rasulullah (Sallallaahu Alaihi Wasallam) said:

"The Salah of a woman which is most appreciable to Allah Ta’ala, is a Salah that she performs in the darkest corner of her house." (Saheeh Bin Khuzaimah)

[English version of "Ene dimoune ki so le cœur reste attaché avec masjid " – Al Jamiat – Vol.4 No.12]