A woman leading the prayer

Salmirah

Junior Member
Assalamualaikum brothers and sisters!
Hope you all are doing good by Allah's mercy :)
One question has been spinning around my mind for a long time and I thought I'd ask you all finally and I hope I will get the right answer in sha Allah.
Sometimes my mum, grand mother and I pray together in my room and we pray on our own.
What I have seen is that if there are more then 2 men praying together then one has to lead the prayer.
Now my question is that, is it for women as well? Can a woman lead other women during Salah? Or we should all pray on our own?
 

um muhammad al-mahdi

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله
Staff member
Assalamu Alaykum,

Here it is sister @Salmirah, I've copied it for you:

Imam for sisters praying in congregation
Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu ya Shaykh;
Is it permissible (or obligatory) for sisters to pray in Jama‘a (with a leader) if there are no brothers? I’ve heard different views on this.
Jazakumullahi khairan
wassalamu alaikum

wa alaikum us-salaam wa-rahmat ullaahi wa-barakaatuh

Praise be to Allaah.

It is permissible for women to pray in congregation among themselves. Their leader should stand in the middle of the row according to the narration regarding Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) which indicates that she used to lead women in prayer and would stand with them in the middle of the row. This has been narrated by ‘Abdur Razzaq in Al-Musannaf 3/141 and Daraqutni 1/404, and is authentic due to evidences for it.

Similarly Umm Al-Hasan narrated that she saw Umm Salmah (may Allaah be pleased with her) leading women in prayer while she stood in the middle of their row. This has been narrated by Ibn Abee Shaybah 2/88 and is also authentic due to other supporting evidences.

Ibn Qudamah has quoted the difference of opinion on whether congregation for women is recommended, and then says about their leader: “The one who leads them should stand in the middle of the row. We do not know of a difference of opinion on this among those who support that one women may lead others in congregation. Since it is recommended for the women to be covered, ….. standing in the middle of the row makes it a better covering for her from the sides.”(Al-Mughni, 2/202)

The author of Al-Muhadhdhab (4/295) says: “It is sunnah that the leader of women in congregation stand in the middle of them as narrated about ‘Aa’ishah and Umm Salmah that they lead women and stood in the middle of their row.”

For further details refer to Jaami‘ Ahkaam Al-Nisaa’ by Al-‘Adawi (1/351).

And Allaah knows what is most correct and best.
 

Matn_husn

Junior Member
Ibn Qudaamah said: it is Sunnah, when a woman to lead other women in prayer, for her to stand in the middle of the row in all cases, because they are ‘awrah. Al-Mughni, vol. 1, p. 347

Al-Nawawi said: The Sunnah is for a woman who is leading other women in prayer to stand in the middle of the row, because of the reports which state that ‘Aa’ishah and Umm Salamah led other women and they stood in the midst of them. Al-Majmoo’ Sharh al-Muhadhdab, vol. 4, p. 192

If women pray in congregation, then the one who is leading them should stand in the middle of the row, because that is more concealing, and a woman is required to cover as much as possible. It is known that if a woman stands in the midst of other women it is more concealing than if she were to stand in front of them. The evidence for that is the reports which were narrated from ‘Aa’ishah and Umm Salamah (may Allaah be pleased with them), “When a woman leads other women in prayer, she should stand in the middle of them.” This was the action of the Sahaabi women, and the more correct view is that this action of the Sahaabi women is to be taken as proof because there is no text narrated to the contrary. If a woman is leading one other woman in prayer, she should stand as a man stands with one other man.
 

Salmirah

Junior Member
JazakaAllahu khair for these valuable information. But unfortunately this is not what I wanted to know.
Like brothers, if there are more than 2 men then it's obligatory(isn't it?) for one of them to lead the prayer.
Likewise if there are more than 2 women, is it obligatory on us too? It's permissible I get it, nothing obligatory right? We can pray on our own if we wish?
I'm sorry if I sound annoying :(
 

um muhammad al-mahdi

لا اله الا الله محمد رسول الله
Staff member
Assalamu Alaykum sister, it's always nice when sister gather together to pray. A feeling of unity mashallah tabarakallah. I've found this anyway:

Is it better for women in the prayer-rooms of women’s colleges to pray together in jamaa’ah or individually? Which will bring the greater reward?

Praise be to Allaah.

We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:

It is better for them to pray in jamaa’ah, if possible, but the reward of twenty-seven times more applies only to men, because praying in jamaa’ah is obligatory for them.

“The correct view is that for women to pray in jamaa’ah, and for a woman to lead other women in prayer, are things that are permitted in Islam and indeed are mustahabb for them. The evidence (daleel) for that is the hadeeth of Um Waraqah that we have referred to above, in which it states that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave her permission to lead the (female) members of her household in prayer… It is also confirmed by the fact that some of the Mothers of the Believers led other women in prayer. It was reported from Laytah al-Hanafiyyah (from the tribe of Banu Haneefah) that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers led them in the obligatory prayer. And it was narrated from Tameemah bint Saleemah that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) led women in Maghrib prayer, and that she stood in the middle of them and recited Qur’aan aloud. It was also narrated that Um Salamah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to lead women in prayer in Ramadaan, and that she stood with them in the row. And it was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar used to tell one of his slave women to lead his womenfolk in prayer in Ramadaan.”

Al-Muhalla, 4/119-200
 

Salmirah

Junior Member
JazakaAllahu khair sister! :D
So it is permitted and indeed is mustahab.
Found my answer. May Allah reward you all for the valuable information, ameen!
 
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