Is it prescribed for women to pray in congregation among themselves, and is it prescribed for them to recite the adhan and iqamah, where does the one who leads them stand, and does she recite loudly or not?
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The questioner : There are questions that have come regarding the congregational prayer among women: Is the congregational prayer established for them? Do they have an iqamah? Does the imam stand in the middle of the first row? And does she recite loudly?
The Shaykh : Yes, it is prescribed for women to pray in congregation just as it is prescribed for men. It is prescribed for them to say the ameen and the iqamah just as it is prescribed for men. It is prescribed for them to recite loudly just as it is prescribed for men, except in specific cases. If the women are, as is the case now, in a room upstairs and there are no men present, then if the woman calls the adhan, gives the iqamah, and recites loudly, no one from the strangers or those foreign to her will hear her voice. This is, as we said, like the men. Because I mentioned in some of the previous answers the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): “Women are the counterparts of men.” So everything that is prescribed for men is prescribed for women, except for what is excluded. From this exclusion is that the woman who leads the women does not stand in front of them, but rather stands in the row with them. She does not stand in front and does not stand behind. Where do we get this from? From what is authentic from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that when she led the women, she would stand in the middle of them.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is prescribed for women to pray in congregation just as it is prescribed for men. It is prescribed for them to say the ameen and the iqamah just as it is prescribed for men. It is prescribed for them to recite loudly just as it is prescribed for men, except in specific cases. If the women are, as is the case now, in a room upstairs and there are no men present, then if the woman calls the adhan, gives the iqamah, and recites loudly, no one from the strangers or those foreign to her will hear her voice. This is, as we said, like the men. Because I mentioned in some of the previous answers the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): “Women are the counterparts of men.” So everything that is prescribed for men is prescribed for women, except for what is excluded. From this exclusion is that the woman who leads the women does not stand in front of them, but rather stands in the row with them. She does not stand in front and does not stand behind. Where do we get this from? From what is authentic from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that when she led the women, she would stand in the middle of them.