Q. Is a woman allowed to go to the Mosque without her husband's permission?

I have heard that after the death of the Prophet saaws that Umar, r.a., did not want to permit his wife to go to the Mosque without his permission. And that 'Aisha r.a. said that if the Prophet saaws saw how times had changed since his death, he would have ruled differently. Does that mean that the permissibility was abrogated? JazakAllah, I really appreciate it.

A. 'Aisha nor Umar nor any pious salaf can abrogate a ruling of the Prophet .

A wife needs her husband's permission to leave the house for anything. But he cannot deny her permission to leave the house for her to meet her needs (food, medicine, the like) or to go to the mosque. SO it becomes his obligation to say YES, you CAN GO. If he does not, her rights are from Allah and she can still go. But for peace in her marriage, she also has the option to stay home if that's what her husband wanted. Maybe he knows something she doesn't about why it's not good for her to go.

But she has a greater obligation to her body, to take care of her health, if that ever becomes an issue (such as needing to leave the house for emergency medical care). Similarly, he can deny her permission if he reasonably believes that her going may cause her to be killed or physically injured as he has a greater obligation to protect her. In addition, he needs to consider her mental health needs to interact with other human beings, but not for her to socialize with idle talk, but to learn the deen and be involved in occasional charity activities with other muslimahs, keeping in mind that her greater charity obligations are to her family.

The Prophet clearly ruled it halal (permissible) for a woman to go to the Mosque without her husband's permission.

The Prophet said: "If one of your women seek permission to go to the Mosque, then do not forbid her." [Reported by Ibn 'Umar (radiyallahu 'anhu), Related by al-Bukhaaree, Muslim, Ahmad, and Nisaa'ee. Shaikh al-Albaani says it is authentic in Saheehul-Jaami' No. 319]

During his lifetime, this ruling was not abrogated. Any ruling that differs from him after his lifetime is an innovation, even if it came from one of the pious salaf. Even a pious muslim can be in error, so it is not to completely discredit the Muslim to say he is wrong in a matter.

We adhere to the sunnah of the Prophet without question. However, regarding other men:

Any time an Imam, school of thought, madhdhab, etc., differs from what is clearly established by the Prophet saaws on a matter, we cannot blindly follow that madhhab, that salaf, that Imam, even if it is Umar himself. However, keep in mind, during the Prophet's lifetime, sahaba such as Umar would innovate matters or engage in activities, and if the Prophet saaws spoke out against it, then it became a ruling that it is haram (prohibited) to do whatever the act was. If, however, the sahaba (companions), such as Umar (r.a.) or whomever, did an act in front of or to the Prophet's knowledge, and he did NOT speak out against it, then it is considered a halal act.

Allah says (translated which means):

It is not for a believer, man or woman, when Allâh and His Messenger have decreed a matter that they should have any option in their decision. And whoever disobeys Allâh and His Messenger, he has indeed strayed in a plain error. [AlAhzab 33:36]