Is a woman’s prayer in her home better than her prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram?

The Shaykh : Be patient, be patient in the discussion. Stand up. The man objected to us; he does not contradict, what is this discussion? He says this man is deficient and has not added, because he missed a prostration and the sitting between the two prostrations, so he is still deficient, my brother, he brought a rak'ah after that, he came after the imam’s taslim with a rak'ah, so the rak'ah in which he left the sitting and the prostration became an addition, the important thing is is it an addition or not? Praise be to Allah, Allah has given me victory over you.

The questioner : A woman asks: If a woman comes to Makkah, is it permissible, or is her prayer in her home better than in al-Masjid al-Haram, especially if fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) is feared?

The Shaykh : By Allah, I had hoped this question would have come to me before. It is a great pity that women come here and perform 'Umrah, then they come to al-Masjid al-Haram to pray in it. And we, with the trust that our Lord, the Exalted and Majestic, has given us, must clarify to these women that their prayer in their homes is better than their prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram, better, especially with what the questioner mentioned regarding fitnah (trial, discord or temptation), the pushing of men, and harming the men, until you find a person who is trying to move forward, for example, the woman does not say, "So-and-so, allow me to pass," no, she just comes and passes and harms the people. Even if she is not harming the people, if she came and prayed in the place farthest from the men, her prayer in her home is better. And O my brothers, may Allah bless you, O men and women, the Shari'ah is not what one’s self desires; the Shari'ah is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) brought. I give you an example so that it becomes clear to you that conforming to the Shari'ah is the good, the reward, and humility. A man wanted to pray the Sunnah of Fajr. The Sunnah in the Sunnah of Fajr is to lighten it, to make it light. So if someone said at this noble time, "I would like to lengthen the Sunnah of Fajr," we would say to him, "You are wrong." Meaning, if a person wanted to lengthen it, he would say, "Subhan Rabbi" three times in the Sunnah of Fajr, and he would say, "I want to ask Allah in this prostration, which is a place of supplication, so I will supplicate to Allah in my prostration." We would say, "You are wrong, do not supplicate to Allah, you are not better than the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). He used to lighten the Sunnah of Fajr so much that A'ishah would say, 'I used to say, did he recite al-Fatihah (Surat al-Fatihah), because of how he lightened it.'" So now we have two men, one prayed the Sunnah of Fajr lightly in the amount of three minutes, and the other prayed it; the first did not take more than three minutes in worship, and this one took ten minutes. But the first one hit the Sunnah, and hitting the Sunnah contains much good. Another man, or rather two men, are praying behind the Maqam Ibrahim, the Sunnah of tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah). One said, "This is a noble place, I will lengthen the prayer and increase my supplication," and the other lightened the prayer and left, leaving the Maqam for those who deserve it. Which one is better? The second one is better? Yes, even though the first one did more and was longer, but we say conforming to the Sunnah is all good. If the woman could imagine what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: and their homes are better for them. This is the word of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And where did the Messenger say this? He said it in Madinah, even though he said:
We also say here that their homes are better for them and a greater reward with Allah. And let the women know that the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Some scholars held that this is specific to the prayer in which there is jama'ah (congregation), and there is no prayer with jama'ah except for men. Meaning, for example, according to some scholars, if a person prayed the greeting of the mosque here, it would be like any other, because they say the prayer that is preferred is only the five prayers in which jama'ah is prescribed. I do not agree with this opinion, but I mention it so that they know that the matter is not a matter of air. So I call upon the women of the Muslims to remain in their homes and pray in their homes, for it is a greater reward for them than praying in this place. And I am amazed that some women come carried in a cart, burdening their families and burdening themselves, just to pray in this place, and they have no concern except to reach al-Masjid al-Haram and not stay in the house. And you, praise be to Allah, every person has his wife, so let him encourage her, not prevent her by prohibition, for it is not possible to prevent her, and the Messenger says: He encourages her, saying, "Your staying in the house is better for you than your going out," because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said their homes are better for them. I ask Allah to guide everyone to what is good and right. And here this meeting ends, and until tomorrow morning, if Allah wills.