Does a woman pray in the presence of men, or does she delay the prayer until they leave?

The questioner : Oh Shaykh, the matter of emotions... or we traveled to Madinah... then sometimes the women, I was going out with my sister, and she was ignorant of the matters of Islamic law. One time in the market in Madinah, the Maghrib adhan was called, and she wanted to pray. She said to me, "I prayed with the women, and then men came in front of us, and then men were behind us... and we ended up in the middle of the men. So in this situation, for example, the Maghrib adhan is called... is it better for them to pray with the women, or should she enter..."

The Shaykh : I mean, there is no middle ground, for example.

The questioner : No, she prayed the last part, and then actually, she saw herself in the middle of the men, she and two or three others, and then it is not possible... the large spaces in the Haram, the crowding, and the lack of cooperation among Muslims, meaning... the Haram applies the system first, and secondly, it applies the Shari'ah.

The Shaykh : Ah?

The questioner : So she comes, for example, to the Maghrib prayer... does she pray it at home, or does she pray it in an anomalous position?

The Shaykh : Of course, it is better to pray it at home.

The questioner : And she delays it with the 'Isha' prayer.

The Shaykh : Yes, especially if she is, as you say, a traveler; she is a traveler.

The questioner : Yes...

The Shaykh : It is not like that.

The questioner : Okay, let us consider the second possibility for a local girl, because

The Shaykh : ... she needs some knowledge; you need to weigh the harm against the benefit, and whichever prevails is what the ruling is based on. Meaning, she needs some knowledge that... the men... the knowledge, so that it remains with the women, so the basic ruling is, meaning, the way out.