News & Current Affairs
Women Can Now Pray Tarawih At the Eidgah in Lucknow, India.
Aishbagh Eidgah in Lucknow will welcome women to conduct Tarawih namaz for the first time this Ramadan.
One of the most important prayers for Muslims is called tarawih namaz, and it consists of reading extensive passages from the Quran while also praying a large number of "rakahs" (cycles of movement involved in Islamic prayer) during the holy month of Ramadan.
This year, Imam Eidgah Maulana Khalid Rasheed Farangi Mahali has announced that a section of the Eidgah would be set aside for women to pray the Tarawih namaz for Ramadan.
In 2016, women were given the right to pray in the Eidgah on Eid and Bakrid for the first time.
"The entry for women will be from the designated gate of the Eidgah to offer namaz at its Baradari. Several women believe that Tarawih namaz is only for men, but Fikah and Fatwa mentioned that tarawih should be taken up as a habit by both women and men," The rector of the Islamic Centre of India, Mahali, said. "There is a mention that in the times of the Sahaba (one of the four caliphs), the practise of women offering tarawih was followed. The doors of the mosques are and will always remain open for the women," he added.
Muslim women throughout the world are praising and celebrating the change.
Educator Fatima Asad said: "At times, it becomes problematic for women to offer namaz properly at home due to bustle of the servants and children. This move will provide proper space and a peaceful environment for the women. The Eidgah should provide proper sanitation, safety and pardah so that women feel comfortable while offering namaz, " she said.
"In several Muslim countries, this provision has been made available for several years. I am happy that finally women got their rights in Lucknow," she added.