A women praying two-Rak'ahs on arrival from a journey

16-1-2013 | IslamWeb

Question:

Salam alaikum, I have read following in a fatwa by the Noble Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen, rahimahullah: "... for certainly, it’s from the Sunnah that when a person arrives from a journey and before he enters his house, he first goes to the mosque and prays two units inside. This has been reported in the long Hadeeth of K’ab ibn Maalik ..." Should only men pray 2 Rak'ah or also women? If women should also pray them, should they pray them preferably at home instead of in the mosque, since the prayer of a woman is better when done at home? Salam alaikum

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.

 

It is permissible for a woman to pray these two Rak’ahs because women are the sisters of men, and what is confirmed as permissible for men is also permissible for women unless there is evidence which proves there is a difference.

If a woman prays these two Rak’ahs, she should pray them at home as her prayer at home is better for her.

However, some jurists stated that praying these two Rak’ahs is not restricted to the mosque. Al-Bujayrimi  quoted Ar-Ramli on these two Rak’ahs saying: “Perhaps restricting (them) to the mosque is because the mosque is better and not for specifying them to be performed only in the mosque.”

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 88799.

Allaah Knows best.