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Fatwa CenterPraying in his own home rather than in the home of a single woman
Question
The main reason I am writing to you is below:
I am a married Muslim with two daughters and an adolescent sister. I live in a fenced community where there are two other neighbors who are Muslims and one non-Muslim. The distance from our home to the mosque is 1 km. We can't go for Morning prayers because we fear for our life lest we might be hurt. So we decided to make a Congregational prayer at our homes only for Morning Prayer since during day we are at work and we can pray in the town mosques.
At first we used to pray in the main big house which is our landlord's home who is married. It was going well since he's married and I am married too. But later they shifted in another house and I wasn't told about it. This house is rented by a woman who is living by herself. She is not married, and stays alone in the house with her little daughter, who's 6 years. I was told that she gave permission to pray in the living room of her apartment. But, for me I doubted and refrained from praying there since I didn't want to get attracted to her and soon find myself committing adultery. Therefore, I committed myself to praying with my family at my home. There are other 3 young men praying in her living room. I tried to talk to them but they refused to listen to me and asked me to give them proof for my refusal to join them for Morning prayers.
So my questions are:
1. Is it allowed to pray in the house of a free woman of this kind while you are a man?
2. Am I wrong to pray with my family in my own apartment?
3. What is the Islamic judgment on this matter?
Please give me Hadith or Ayat of Allah concerning this issue. I'd like to know if am wrong, then I can correct myself or if my friends are wrong then I present them the truth Islamicly with proof. Your quick response will be highly appreciated. Thank you very much.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
If the reality is as you mentioned then performing Fajr prayer in congregation is no longer an obligation upon you, for the fear you mentioned is a legal excuse for you to perform the prayer at the home rather than in the mosque.
It is not mandatory upon you to perform the prayer in the house of the woman or any other house since they are not mosques especially if there is any possibility of seduction. Also, you and all Muslims in this case should not enter the house of this woman.
The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "After today no man has to enter the place of a woman whose husband is not present, unless accompanied by a man or two." Imam Al-Nawawi said: "Though the Hadith proves that two or three men can stay in seclusion with an alien woman but most of the Shaf'ii scholars are of the opinion that it refers to a group of men whose presence together annulates any chance of seduction."
The men who are performing prayer in the woman's house are not allowed to look at that woman. In this case, your prayer in your house with your family members is better than performing it in the house of that woman.
However, if you all aspire to perform the Fajr prayer in congregation then you should gather in a house other than the woman's house.
Allah knows best.
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