English translation
1652. Narrated Ḥafṣa (رضي الله عنها): (On the days of 'Eid) we used to forbid our virgins to go out (for 'Eid prayers). A lady came and stayed at the palace of Bani Khalaf. She mentioned that her sister was married to one of the Companions of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ who participated in twelve Ghazawat(1) along with Allāh's Messenger ﷺ and her sister was with him in six of them. She said, "We used to apply dressing to the wounded and look after the sick." She (her sister) asked Allāh's Messenger ﷺ, "Is there any harm for a woman to stay at home if she doesn't have a veil?" He said, "She should cover herself with the veil of her companion and she should take part in the good deeds and in the religious gatherings of the believers." When Umm 'Aṭiyya (رضي الله عنها) came, I asked her, "Did you hear anything about that?" Umm 'Aṭiyya said, "Bi abī," and she never mentioned the name of Allāh's Messenger ﷺ without saying "Bi abī" (i.e., 'Let my father be sacrificed for you'). We asked her, "Have you heard Allāh's Messenger ﷺ saying so-and-so (about women)?" She replied in the affirmative and said, "Let my father be sacrificed for him. He told us that unmarried mature virgins who stay often screened, or unmarried young virgins and mature girls who stay often screened should come out and take part in the good deeds and in the religious gatherings of the believers. But the menstruating women should keep away from the Muṣallā (a place for offering Ṣalāt — prayers)." I asked her, "The menstruating women?" She replied, "Don't they present themselves at 'Arafāt and at such and such places?"