Islaam has honored woman and made her equal with man as regards obligatory acts of worship. Women are also encouraged to attend public gatherings on 'Eed al-Fitr and 'Eed al-Adha, so that they may take part in these blessed occasions. This is demonstrated in a number of hadeeth reported by Bukhaaree and Muslim, in which we see that the Prophet (S ) commanded that all the women should come out on these occasions, including adolescent and prepubescent girls, those who usually remained in seclusion, and virgins. He even commanded that menstruating women should come out, to take part in the joyous occasion, but they were to keep away from the prayer-place itself. His concern that all women should attend the prayer on the two 'Eed was so great that he ordered the one who had more than one jilbaab to give one to her sister who had none. In this way he encouraged both the attendance of all women at 'Eed prayers and mutual support and help to do good and righteous deeds. Umm 'Atiyyah (Radiallaahu Anha) said:

"The Messenger of Allaah (S) commanded us to bring to the 'Eed prayers the adolescent and prepubescent girls, those who usually remained in seclusion, and virgins, and he ordered those who were menstruating to keep away from the prayer-place." [Muslim 6/178, 179]

"We(women) used to be commanded to go out on the two 'Eeds, including those who usually stayed in seclusion, and virgins. The menstruating women went out too, and stayed behind the people, joining in the takbiraat (i.e “Allahu Akbar”)." [Muslim 6/179]

A woman came and stayed at the castle of Banu Khalaf, and reported something from her sister. Her sister's husband had taken part in twelve military campaigns with the Prophet (S ), and her sister herself accompanied him on six of them. She said: "We used to take care of the sick and wounded." Her sister asked the Prophet (S): "Is there anything wrong if one of us does not have a jilbaab and never goes out for that reason?" He said: "Let her friend give her one of her jilbaabs, so that she can come out and join the righteous gatherings of the Muslims." Hafsah said: 'When Umm 'Atiyyah arrived, I went to her and asked her, "Did you hear the Prophet (S ) say that?" She said, "May my father be sacrificed for him, yes I did.{She never mentioned him without saying "may my father be sacrificed for him"}. I heard him say, 'Let the young girls who usually stay in seclusion, or the young girls and those who usually stay in seclusion, and the menstruating women, go out and attend the righteous gathering of the believers, but let the menstruating women keep away from the prayer place itself.'" Hafsah said: 'I asked her, "Even the menstruating women?" She said, "Yes, are not menstruating women not present at 'Arafah and on other occassions?"" [Fathul Bari 2/469]

Bukhaaree also narrates another report from Umm 'Atiyyah, in which she says: "We used to be commanded to go out on the day of 'Eed, and we even brought the virgins out of their seclusion, and the menstruating women, who would stay behind the people, joining in their takbiraat and du'a's, hoping for the blessing and purity of that day." [Fathul Bari 2/469]

These saheeh hadeeth give a clear indication of the Prophet's concern for the intellectual and spiritual benefit of women. He ordered all the women to go out to the 'Eed prayer, including those who were menstruating, even though menstruating women are excused from praying and are not allowed to enter the prayer place itself. But his call was addressed to all women, because of his concern that they should take part in these two blessed events and attend the righteous gathering of the Muslims, joining in the takbiraat and du'a's, and being a part of the public life of Islaam which is discussed in the khutbah following the 'Eed prayer.

The Prophet (S) was concerned with the teaching and guidance of women, and wanted them to play a part in building the Muslim society, so he devoted part of his khutbah to women. He would come to the place where the women were gathered , and exhort and remind them, and he made doing this a duty of the imaam. We find this in a hadeeth narrated by Bukhaaree and Muslim from ibn Jurayi, who said:

"'Ata told me: 'I heard Jabir ibn 'Abdullaah say: 'The Prophet (S) stood up on the occasion of 'Eed al-Fitr and led the people in prayer. He began the prayer before the khutbah. Then he addressed the people. When the Prophet of Allaah (S) had finished his khutbah, he came to the women and spoke to them, whilst leaning on Bilal's arm, and Bilal spread out his cloak for the women to put their sadaqah in it,' "I{ibn Jurayi} said to 'Ata, 'Was it Zakaatul Fitr?' He said, 'No, it was the sadaqah that they gave at that time; one woman threw her ring into it, then others followed her lead.' I said to 'Ata, 'Is it a duty nowadays for the imaam to come to the women and address them when he has finished his khutbah?' He said, 'It most certainly is. This is a duty on them (imaams); what is wrong with them that they do not do that nowadays?'" [Fathul Bari 2/466, Muslim 6/174]

There is no doubt that the Prophet (S ) addressed the women in the 'Eed prayer-place, reminding them about their religion, and that he took charity from them, reconfirmed their adherence to their oath of allegiance, enjoined them to remember the teachings of Islaam, and motivated them to do good works. All of this was achieved by calling them to attend the congregational prayer on both 'Eeds. This is indicative of the importance of congregational prayer in the life of the Muslim individual and the Islaamic society.

Although Islaam does not oblige women to attend congregational prayer in the mosque, whenever women gather together, they are encouraged to offer the fard prayers in congregation. In this case, the one who is leading them in prayer should stand in the middle of the first row, not in the front, and they do not have to recite the adhaan or iqaamah. This is what Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet (S), used to do when she led other women in prayer. [ibn Jawzi, Ahkaam an-nisaa' 186,204, ibn Qudaamah, al-Mughni 2/202]