We do not have any text in the Qur’an or the Hadith that specifies the aims of women’s participation in the social life of the Muslim community. However, we can easily deduce these from texts and reports of events where such participation occurred. The first of these aims is to make life easy.
Islam aims to build a good, pure and clean social life that must always maintain good progress, steering away form difficulty. It wants its followers, men and women, to approach life with ease and serenity. In all matters, religious and secular, Muslims look up to the Prophet (peace be upon him) for guidance. On the question of an easy approach to life in general, Aishah reports: “Whenever the Prophet (peace be upon him) had two options to choose from, he chose the easier one, unless it involved disobedience to God. If it did, he would steer far away from it.” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
During the Prophet’s time, women used to go to him with their questions, or whenever they needed something. They did not ask their husbands or men relatives to do that for them. A man may be too busy, or unwilling, or may not see the importance of the question, or may not be able to fully understand and deliver the question or the answer. It was easier for everybody, then, that a woman who had a question to go to the Prophet herself, even though she would meet men there, as the Prophet was often with some of his companions. We will quote some examples:
Buraydah reports: “I was sitting with the Prophet when a woman came to him and said: ‘I gave my mother a slave woman, but my mother has now died. (What is her position now?)’ The Prophet said: ‘Your reward is confirmed and you now regain the slave woman through inheritance...’ (Related by Muslim.)
Ibn Abbas reports: “A woman from the tribe of Juhaynah asked the Prophet: ‘My mother made a pledge to God to offer the pilgrimage, but she did not do that before death overtook her. Shall I do the pilgrimage on her behalf?’ The Prophet said: ‘Yes! Do it on her behalf...’” (Related by Al-Bukhari.)
Fatimah bint Qays reports... that “she was married to Abu Amr ibn Hafs ibn Al-Mugheerah. When he divorced her for the third time she came to the Prophet asking his ruling on her leaving home. He ordered her to move to the home of Ibn Umm Maktoom, a blind man.” (Related by Muslim.)
Sometimes men asked their wives to speak to the Prophet and put questions to him. One example is reported by Zaynab, Abdullah ibn Masood’s wife: “Zaynab used to support her husband and a number of orphans under her care. She said to Abdullah, her husband: ‘Ask God’s Messenger whether it is acceptable that I should support you and my orphans out of my zakah?’ He said to her: ‘Go and ask the Prophet yourself.’ She went out to put her question to the Prophet...” (Related by Al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
This incident brings to mind a rather unusual story related by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Hadith anthology, Al-Musnad, reporting that an Ansari man sent his wife to ask the Prophet a question which it would have been better that a man should put it. When his wife brought him the answer, he was not satisfied, and he sent her to ask him again, pointing out further details. Neither the man nor his wife felt any embarrassment. Moreover, to make things easy for people, the Prophet did not object to the woman coming to ask him when her husband was at home. The Hadith in question goes as follows:
“A man from the Ansar kissed his wife when he was fasting. Following his instructions, his wife asked the Prophet about that. The Prophet told her that he, i.e. God’s Messenger, does that. The woman told her husband the answer, but he said to her: ‘The Prophet may be given concessions in some areas. Go back to him and find out.’ She went back to the Prophet and said: ‘You as a Prophet may have certain concessions.’ The Prophet said: ‘I am the most God-fearing person among you and I know best the limits set by God...’” (Related by Ahmad.)
It is indeed as Lady Aishah said: The Prophet led the way in making things easier for the Muslim community in all situations. If social mixing between men and women and their frequent contact would make life easier, but there were some impediments preventing it, he would show the way out which ensured that life is put back on an easy course. Here is an example reported by Jabir ibn Abdullah: “My maternal aunt was divorced. She wanted to go out to her farm to gather the fruit of her date trees. A man reproached her for going out during her waiting period. She went to the Prophet and asked him about that. He said: ‘Yes, you can go out to gather your dates. When doing so, you may give something for charity or do some other good work.’” (Related by Muslim.)
Another example is reported by Al-Tabari on Qatadah’s authority: “The Prophet specified (in the conditions of the pledge of loyalty given by women) that they would not wail for their dead relatives, and that they would not talk to men. Abd Al-Rahman ibn Awf said: ‘We may have guests and we may be away from our women.’ The Prophet said: ‘I do not mean those.’” The Prophet’s answer shows that he did not mean talking seriously to trusted men. He only meant frivolous talking to unworthy men. It should be noted here that Abd Al-Rahman ibn Awf, a truly God-fearing companion of the Prophet, raised an important point: It would be very hard for women if they could not speak to men who may arrive as guests when these women happen to be on their own. The Prophet’s answer ensured that no hardship was left unremoved.