What about if there is only two women? Is there a ruling of where the leader should stand? Currently she stands to the left of me and a couple inches back, even when she is leading. Again, these are the extra prayers, I do all the obligatory prayers leading myself.
Prayer in congregation may be held with two people, an imam and a follower
two people are enough to pray in congregation, whether that is in the house or elsewhere.
Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “
Chapter: Two or more form a congregation (jamaa’ah).” Then he narrated the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allaah be pleased with him), that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the time for prayer comes, give the adhaan and iqaamah then let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer.” (al-Bukhaari, 658).
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
“Chapter: Two or more form a congregation”: this heading was narrated in a hadeeth which was narrated via weak isnaads, which said that the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man praying by himself and said: “
Will not a man perform an act of charity for him and pray with him?” So a man stood up and prayed with him, and he said: “These two are a congregation (jamaa’ah).”
The story mentioned – apart from the words, “These two are a congregation” – was narrated by Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi with a different, saheeh, isnaad.
He also said:
This (the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allaah be pleased with him)) may be understood as meaning that the smallest a congregation can be is an imam and one follower, which is more general in meaning than saying that the follower may be a man or a boy or a woman.
The hadeeth referred to by
al-Haafiz is narrated by
Abu Dawood (554) who
classed it as saheeh.
The report is as follows:
It was narrated from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) saw a man praying on his own and said: “Why doesn’t a man perform an act of charity for him and pray with him?” Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2652.
It says in ‘Awn al-Ma’bood: so that he may attain the reward of praying in congregation, so it will be as if he gave him charity.
It was narrated from Ubayy ibn Ka’b (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “… for a man to pray with another man is better than his praying alone, and for a man to pray with two other men is better than his praying with one man. The more there are, the more beloved that is to Allaah.”
Al-Nasaa’i, 843; Abu Dawood, 554; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami’, 2242.
But it should be noted that what is required of men is to offer the prayers in congregation in the mosque; it is not permissible to offer the obligatory prayers at home, whether in congregation or alone, unless one has an excuse.
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that's meaning
2 women can pray in congregation one of them an imam and other a follower
2 men can pray in congregation one of them an imam and other a follower
.................................................................................................
woman + man .......the man is an imam and the woman is a follower
Ruling on woman being imaam for men
It is not permissible for a woman to lead men in prayer. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Keep women behind [in the back rows] as Allaah has commanded.” (Narrated by ‘Abd al-Razzaaq in his Musannaf, 5115. The isnaad stops at Ibn Mas’ood with a longer report than this; the isnaad is saheeh but it is not proven that this was said by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)).
Moreover, the position of imaam in the mosque is a kind of wilaayah [public office], and wilaayah is only for men.
“No nation prospers that appoints a woman over its affairs [wilaayah]” (narrated by al-Bukhaari, 13/45, 46),
as the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said.
There is an exception made by the Hanbalis, but this is a weak opinion. This view says that a woman may lead the men in taraaweeh if she reads well and the men present are illiterate, but she should be behind them and they should be in front of her. But there is no evidence (daleel) to support this view. The point is that it is not permissible for a woman to lead men in prayer. Yes, women may lead other women in prayer, it is OK if she leads other women. This is fine, as stated in the report of Umm Waraqah leading some of her mahrams, but as for her leading non-mahram men or as a public office [wilaayah], such as being an imaam in a mosque, this is not permitted.
Fataawa Samaahat al-Shaykh ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Humayd, p. 130
<wasalam>