Editing Mosque (section)

===Gender separation===
{{See also|Gender segregation and Islam|Women's mosques|Islamic Bill of Rights for Women in the Mosque}}
[[File:Sultan Abdul Majid mosque in Byblos, Lebanon (for women only).JPG|thumb|A women-only mosque in [[Byblos]], Lebanon]]

There is nothing written in the Qur'an about the issue of space in mosques and gender separation. Traditional rules have segregated women and men. By traditional rules, women are most often told to occupy the rows behind the men. In part, this was a practical matter as the traditional posture for prayer{{spaced ndash}}kneeling on the floor, head to the ground{{spaced ndash}}made mixed-gender prayer uncomfortably revealing for many women and distracting for some men. Traditionalists try to argue that Muhammad preferred women to pray at home rather than at a mosque, and they cite a ''[[hadith|ḥadīth]]'' in which Muhammad supposedly said: "The best mosques for women are the inner parts of their houses," although women were active participants in the mosque started by Muhammad. Muhammad told Muslims not to forbid women from entering mosques. They are allowed to go in.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://muftiwp.gov.my/ms/artikel/al-kafi-li-al-fatawi/2835-al-kafi-936-tempat-solat-yang-terbaik-bagi-seorang-wanita-2 |title=Al-Kafi #936: Tempat Solat Yang Terbaik Bagi Seorang Wanita |trans-title=Al-Kafi #936: The Best Prayer Place For A Woman |language=ms |author=  Mohammad Izzhar Faizzy Osman |work=Mufti of Federal Territory's Office |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref> The second Sunni caliph '[[Umar]] at one time prohibited women from attending mosques especially at night because he feared they might be sexually harassed or assaulted by men, so he required them to pray at home.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/womeninsociety.html#mosque |access-date=April 15, 2006 |title=Women in Society |publisher=University of Southern California |website=Compendium of Muslim Texts |last=Doi |first=Abdur Rahman I. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060409200739/http://usc.edu/dept/MSA/humanrelations/womeninislam/womeninsociety.html |archive-date=April 9, 2006 }}</ref> Sometimes a special part of the mosque was railed off for women; for example, the governor of Mecca in 870 had ropes tied between the columns to make a separate place for women.<ref name="Masdjid1" />

Many mosques today will put the women behind a barrier or partition or in another room. Mosques in [[South Asia|South]] and [[Southeast Asia]] put men and women in separate rooms, as the divisions were built into them centuries ago. In nearly two-thirds of American mosques, women pray behind partitions or in separate areas, not in the main prayer hall; some mosques do not admit women at all due to the lack of space and the fact that some prayers, such as the Friday Jumuʻah, are mandatory for men but optional for women.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.malaysiadateline.com/wanita-dari-maghribi-terkejut-kaum-hawa-di-malaysia-tak-solat-jumaat-masjid-pula-dipenuhi-kaum-adam-sahaja/ |title=Wanita dari Maghribi terkejut kaum Hawa di Malaysia tak solat Jumaat, masjid pula dipenuhi kaum Adam sahaja |trans-title=A woman from Morocco is surprised that women in Malaysia doesn't perform Friday prayer, instead the mosque is only filled with men |quote=Beberapa individu menerangkan bahawa ruangan solat wanita akan dibuka kepada golongan lelaki sewaktu solat Jumaat. Ini kerana mereka akan terpaksa bersembahyang di luar masjid atau atas jalan tar dengan ruangan solat yang tidak mencukupi. |trans-quote=Some individuals explained that women's prayer space will be opened to men during Friday prayer. This is because they would have to pray outside the mosque or on top of the paved road due to inadequate prayer space. |language=ms |author=Kim Syazie |work=Malaysia Dateline |date=20 March 2024 |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref> Although there are sections exclusively for women and children, the Grand Mosque in Mecca is desegregated.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.columbiajournalist.org/rw1_dinges/2005/article.asp?subj=national&course=rw1_dinges&id=624 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060527161519/http://www.columbiajournalist.org/rw1_dinges/2005/article.asp?subj=national&course=rw1_dinges&id=624 |archive-date=May 27, 2006 |access-date=April 9, 2006 |date=January 26, 2006 |title=Muslim Women Seek More Equitable Role in Mosques |last=Rezk |first=Rawya |publisher=The Columbia Journalist }}</ref>