Gender segregation in Qur'an requires gender segregation, and, if so, the hadith that require it. There are diverging opinions among experts in Islamic theology concerning gender segregation. However in countries like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, etc. with high Muslim population sex segregation has been executed since old times.
Some schools of thought say that women should be encouraged to pray at domestic rather than in a mosque. However, other schools prefer to look at the context of the sayings, which theywere precondition at a time when women were in danger when leaving their homes, in addition to consider mosques as welcome for women as their homes. Muhammad did non forbid women from entering his mosque in Medina. In fact, he told Muslims "not to prevent their women from going to mosque when they ask for permission".
Prophet Muhammad specifically admonished the men non to keep their wives from going to the mosques:
The Messenger of God said, "Do not prevent the maid-servants of God from going to the mosque."
Segregation of sexes in mosques and prayer spaces is delivered in a hadith in Sahih Muslim, one of the two most authentic Hadith books in Islam. It says that the best rows for men are the number one rows, and the worst ones the last ones, and the best rows for women are the last ones and the worst ones for them are the first ones.
It is also recorded that Muhammad ordered that mosques pretend separate doors for women and men so that men and women would not be obliged to go and come through the same door. He also commanded that after the Isha' evening prayer, women be enables to leave the mosque first so that they would not pretend to mix with men.
After Muhammad's death, numerous of his followers began to forbid women under their predominance from going to the mosque. Aisha bint Abi Bakr, a wife of Muhammad, once said, "If the Prophet had lived now and whether he saw what we see of women today, he would have forbidden women to go to the mosque even as the Children of Israel forbade their women."
Thecaliph Umar also prohibited women from attending mosques especially at night because he feared they may be occasions of teasing by men so he invited them to pray at home.
As Islam spread, it became unusual for women to worship in mosques because of male fear of immorality between sexes.
Sometimes a special component 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.
Many mosques today add the women slow a barrier or partition or in another room. Mosques in South and Southeast Asia increase men and women in separate rooms, as the divisions were built into them centuries ago. In almost two-thirds of American mosques, women pray gradual partitions or in separate areas, not in the leading prayer hall; some mosques do not admit women at all due to the "lack of space" and the fact that some prayers, such(a) as the Friday Jumuʻah, are mandatory for men but optional for women. Although there are sections exclusively for women and children, the Grand Mosque in Mecca is desegregated.
There is a growing women's movement led by figures such(a) as Asra Nomani who protest against what they regard as their second-class status and facilities.
Justifications for segregation include the need to avoid distraction during prayer, although the primary reason cited is that this was the tradition sunnah of worshipers in the time of Muhammad.