Here are some information for you to make up your own mind.
"When Atikah, wife of Umar b. al-Khattab, used to ask Umar for permission to go to the mosque (for congregational prayer), he used to keep silence. Atikah would say: By the Lord, I will go unless you prohibit me. And he would NOT PROHIBIT." [Muwatta Imam Malik, #460]
Particularly, based on the above narration, there are some who allege that Hadrat Umar (r) restricted women from attending mosque. However, it is noteworthy that, for whatever reason he disliked his wife going to the mosque, he did not prevent her from going. Moreover, this is may have been a family matter, because we have no documented information that at the time of his Khilafat, he publicly said anything or did anything to prohibit women from attending mosque.
On the contrary, information about active and broadened role of women during his Khilafat abounds. For examples, during his Khilafat, women participated in battles. In reporting the participation of Muslim women in the battle of Yarmuk which took place during Hadrat Umar’s (r) Khilafat, Ibn Jarir Tabari in his Tarikh at-Tabari reports:
"Abu Umama and Ubada ibn Samit took part in the battle of Yarmuk. Abu Umama narrates that Muslim women fought in the battle of Yarmuk and Abu Sufian's Daughter Juwairia came out to fight along with a group of women. She was with her husband. She was martyred after a severe battle."[Vol. 2]
More interestingly, contrary to general perception about women’s role in Islamic history in general and during the Khilafat of Hadhrat Umar (r) in particular, women in large number, and yes - even single women, used to participate in battles. Moreover, such participation was not isolated cases. Again, in Tarikh at-Tabari, it is reported in regard to one of the Battles:
"They (the Romans) attacked hard and at one point they penetrated the main Muslim force. The women of the Quresh fought the advancing enemy with their swords. These women in general, and Umm Hakeem the daughter of Harith bin Hisham, performed innumerable acts of valor, so much so that they outperformed the men."
Furthermore, "Attiyah ibn al-Harith narrates from an eye witness that in the battle of Qadisia, the largest number of women were from the people of Bajeela and Nakha'. There were 700 SINGLE WOMEN from the people of Nakha' and 1000 from Bajeela. Consequently, they married as many men from various clans across Arabia. Thus the people of Nakha' became the in-laws of the muhajereen and the people of Bajeela."
If this is the general picture of women’s participation during the time of Hadhrat Umar (r), let any conscientious person reach his or her own conclusion about Hadhrat Umar (r) restricting women from attending mosques. Even though the narration regarding Hadhrat Umar’s wife begs further explanation, but it is undeniable that women had even broadened role during Hadhrat Umar’s (r) Khilafat. Hijab was no barrier to them.
[The author is a former editor of NABIC Newsletter and a faculty at Upper Iowa University.
E-mail address: farooqm59@yahoo.com]
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