Women Giving Alms
9-4-2001 | IslamWeb
Question:
What is the meaning of the Prophet ordering that women should give alms in the Hadeeth where he saw most of the occupants of Hell-fire were women?
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Once the Prophet went out to offer the prayer of ‘Eed Al-Adhha or ‘Eed Al-Fitr and he passed by some women and said, “O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hellfire were you (women).” They asked, “Why is it so, o Prophet of Allah?” He replied, “You curse frequently and are ungrateful to your husbands. I have not seen anyone more deficient in mind and religion than you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you.” The women asked, “O Prophet of Allah! What is deficient in our mind and religion?” He said, “Is not the witness of two women equal to the witness of one man?” They replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her mind.” “Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor fast during her menses?” The women replied in the affirmative. He said, “This is the deficiency in her religion.”
So, when the Prophet saw that women outnumbered men in Hellfire, he told them the reason for this and advised them of how to avoid being thrown into Hellfire.
The Prophet also said: “A person who calls people to do good deeds will get the same reward as those who follow him and do good, and nothing will be diminished from the requital of the latter. Similarly those, who call the people towards vice will have the same punishment as those who follow them without any diminution in the punishment of the perpetrators” [Muslim].
As regards how to be safe, Allah Says (what means): {Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small (sins).} [Quran 11:114].
So, Allah ordered women to spend on good in order to expiate for all the sins that they commit.
In another narration (of the same Hadeeth), the Prophet added: “And repent to Allah”.
This Hadeeth is yet another evidence that the Prophet cares very much about his nation (Ummah); he has not left any form of good without advising us to do it and he has not left any form of evil without clarifying it to us and warned us of it.
Allah knows best.