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He,(PBUH)allowed them to leave the mosque first lest they mix with men
Umm Salamah (the Prophet’s wife) narrated:
“Whenever the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, concluded his prayers, the women would get up and he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, would stay for a while in his place before getting up.” Az-Zuhri said: “The purpose of this was that the women might leave before the men who had finished their prayer.”1
Umm Salamah narrated:
“Whenever the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, concluded his prayers, the women would depart and enter their houses before the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, departed.”2
Islam realizes the reality of human nature and deals with people based on the fact that Allah is best acquainted with His creation and knows what would reform them and what could lead them to destruction
Allah Says (what means):
. «Does He not know those whom He created?»
[Quran: 67:14]
Islam discourages free and unbridled contact between men and wom- en in order to check the consequences of undesirable impulses. It puts restraint to such impelling forces that might play a disastrous role in cor- rupting the mind of men and women.
The sexual instinct is the greatest weakness of the human race and thus, regulations related to male-female interaction are essential to the soundness of human civilization. If ignored, they threaten its very surviv- al, and that is why the issue of segregation between men and women was legislated in Islam as a preventive measure.
When Allah forbade adultery and fornication, He also forbade the things that could lead to it. For example, looking without restrictions at the opposite gender or exchanging gazes between men and women is forbidden because it leads to the major sin of adultery and fornication.
Touching women for men (and men for women) is another forbidden matter because it arouses the desire and eventually leads to sin.
Inter- mixing between men and women is yet another means that leads to great temptation.
One clear evidence for the keenness of Islam to protect people from the evil of their own selves and the whispers of Satan is seen in the Proph- et’s behavior mentioned in the narration above. The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, deliberately delayed turning around after the prayer to face the congregation to allow women who came to perform an act of worship to depart to avoid mixing.
If this was the preventive measure practiced in connection to prayer, then it is legislated in people’s everyday dealings with far greater reason, and as they say, “Prevention is better than cure.”
المراجع
- 1 Reported by Al-Bukhaari (837).
- Reported by Al-Bukhaari (850).
