Is It Permissible For Men And Women To Establish Prayer In The Same Row At Al-Masjid Al-Haram?
Is it permissible for men and women to establish prayer in the same row at al-Masjid al-Haram?
While establishing prayer in congregation, the order of the rows should be as follows: men, boys, and women. This order was taught by the Prophet Muhammad (Muslim, Salat, 132; Abu Dawud, Salat, 99; Tirmidhi, Salat, 54; Nasa’i, Imamat, 33; Ibn Majah, Iqamat al-Salat, 52). It is fardh to obey this order between men and women and sunnah to obey it between men and boys (Marghinani, al-Hidayah, I, 370; Kasani, Bada’i, I, 159).
If men and women stand on the same line in the prayers established in congregation, it is called muhadhat al-nisa (aligning with women), which means women’s establishing prayer in the same row side by side or in front of men. It is not a permissible practice for any schools for women and men to establish prayer in a mixed form. However, there are different opinions on the effect of the mentioned situation on men’s prayer.
According to Hanafis, the prayer of the man behind or near them is invalidated if a woman or a girl who has reached puberty or has a short time before reaching puberty establishes prayer in front of or near a man without any cover, a similar obstacle, or a difference of height at least equal to a man’s height between them (Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, II, 316-317).
According to Shafi’i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools, on the other hand, it does not invalidate the prayer of either side when a man and woman establish prayer next to each other. However, it is a disliked act (Rafii, a-‘Aziz, II, 174; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, III, 89; Hattab, Mawahib, II, 435; Buhuti, Kashshaf, II, 385-386; Jaziri, al-Madhahib al-Arba‘a, I, 268). This displeasure is not considered in the Ka’bah as it is an obligatory situation. Because it is too hard for men and women to stand and establish prayer separately there.
In this regard, in the event that the men and women who are followers of Hanafi school cannot find the opportunity to establish prayer in separate places during Hajj, they may establish their prayers by following the rules of the mentioned three schools. Necessity and impossibility are the grounds of this ruling.
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATW
