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Is it better for a woman to stay at home than to go out for charitable deeds, seeking knowledge, and maintaining kinship ties, knowing that she wears a niqab and goes out almost daily? And does the meaning of the hadith: "Women are awrah (private/exposed), and indeed, a woman does not leave her house when there is nothing wrong with her but Shaytan will look out for her and say, 'You will not pass by anyone but he will be impressed by you.' And indeed, a woman puts on her clothes and it is said, 'Where do you want to go?' So she says, 'I will visit a sick person,' or 'I will attend a funeral,' or 'I will pray in a mosque.' And a woman has not worshipped her Lord like she worships Him in her house," mean that her staying at home is better than those actions?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The acts of worship that a woman can perform in her home are better than her going out. A woman's prayer in her home is better for her than her prayer in the mosque, due to the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: "A woman's prayer in her house is better than her prayer in her courtyard, and her prayer in her private chamber is better than her prayer in her house."

As for acts of worship that cannot be performed at home, such as visiting the sick, maintaining kinship ties, and da'wah activities, going out for them is better, because staying home would lead to the neglect of these acts of worship. It is permissible for a woman to go out to perform acts of obedience, as long as she adheres to the Islamic manners of hijab, lowering the gaze, and avoiding mixing with men.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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