Tonight my friend and I prayed isha and 6 rakahs of taraweeh on the street because every part of the women’s section was brimming and the queue to get in was loooong. What was disappointing was that while so many women had made the trip to Allah’s house to seek the benefit of

taraweeh, something we may not have the opportunity, focus, or discipline, to do at home, there was an announcement made saying that perhaps our prayer at home is better. The irony, and the greater disappointment, is that the spaces that would usually be open to us to pray in -

the basement, the gallery - had become allocated to the men. So while women waited for 8 rakahs to finish, and some of us (many women joined us) were praying on the street, the men were comfortable inside. Taraweeh is a nafl prayer, meaning it’s better for *everyone - women and

men* to pray at home. Has the spaces that we usually have access to been open, and it was the men praying outside, would there have been an announcement saying it’s better for them to pray at home? Why when there is a large demand *for a NAFL prayer* are women deemed the lesser

priority for prayer space? Why is there acknowledgement for men’s (valid) seeking of a mosque environment for taraweeh/tahajjud and lesser acknowledgment for women’s (equally valid) pursuit? Why are we always last in first out?

This isn’t a madhab issue. The hanafi madhab (which is followed by East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre) proposes that it’s better for women to pray at home but doesn’t contradict the Prophet pbuh who said not to prevent women from entering. The consensus is that sunnah and nafl prayers are all better

East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre offered at home, by both genders. So my questions still stand.

Moreover, on the hanafi opinion here’s a video explainer of the position:

East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre A friend of a friend kindly provided some more context, that the announcement was made with an apology which I appreciate. But ngl questions still stand: why weren’t we able to use the gallery or the basement like we have before? would the men have also been told home is better?

East London Mosque & London Muslim Centre Been called a zionist, autistic (??), and a fitna spreader for pointing out that women shouldn’t be relegated to the street while men take our spaces for a prayer that’s better at home *for everyone* 🤞🏼 may Allah release men from the shackles of their hatred of women