What is the ruling on a man praying next to women due to the crowd?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In the last Hajj, we found it very difficult to pray in the Haram. We were forced to pray next to the women in the same row.
The Shaykh : Welcome. Good morning. Yes.
The questioner : This issue, O Shaykh, we found it on the upper floor, everywhere in the Haram. We went up to get away from the women, and we found women in front of us and behind us, even in the same row we were praying in. So are these prayers, O Shaykh, permissible, and what is their ruling in such a situation?
The Shaykh : Yes, but I want to draw your attention to something. Perhaps there is something in the phrasing. Did you have to pray next to the woman, or did they force you to?
The questioner : O Shaykh, I mean, the prayer is established...
The Shaykh : No, no, I don't want details.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You are prepared to answer the question with the fewest words.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Did you have to pray next to the women, or did those women force you to pray next to them? I mean, were you the one who intruded on them, or were they the ones who intruded on you? There is a difference between the two cases.
The questioner : It is not clear, O Shaykh. Everyone wants to pray.
The Shaykh : No, I am describing it to you now. I am describing it to you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Here is a woman standing in prayer, so I came and stood next to her. Here is a man standing, that is me. She came and prayed next to me. Is there no difference for you between the two?
The questioner : O Shaykh, I mean, we try to be careful...
Abu Layla : Answer.The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : My question is clear, may Allah reward you. Is there no difference between the two scenarios?
The questioner : We were forced, O Shaykh, to pray...
The Shaykh : I have not answered you yet. The matter, may Allah reward you, does not exceed one of the two scenarios. Either here is a woman praying and here is an empty space, so I came and prayed next to her. Or here is a man praying, that is me, and here is an empty space, so a woman came and prayed next to me. Do you have a third scenario?
The questioner : The third scenario, O Shaykh, is that both of them are together. They came at the time of prayer to stand in the same row.
The Shaykh : That does not happen.
Another questioner : No, O Shaykh, the third scenario is that...
The Shaykh : Be patient. We want to finish with this and then move on to something else. This does not happen except that one is ahead of the other, even if by a moment. And what happens is—we have performed Hajj, perhaps twenty-five or thirty times—and it is one of the two scenarios that occurs. I do not object logically, because there might be a third scenario, for example, but that is rare. The important thing is that the man is not the one who stands next to the woman. I am telling you now, take whatever scenario you want. Did you stand next to her?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : The matter is finished. As long as you did not stand next to her, then you are not the one responsible. But out of caution and so that there is nothing in your answer, either intended or unintended...
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I say, is it the woman who stood next to you? We are done with the man.
The questioner : Yes, yes, the woman.
The Shaykh : Good, good.
The questioner : The second scenario, the woman, yes.
The Shaykh : So let us help. We are trying to get the result, which is...
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, may Allah reward you with good. The woman is the one who...
The Shaykh : Good, now I can give you the answer.
The questioner: May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : There are two schools of thought among the scholars. One school says: if a man prays next to a woman in any of the two ways I mentioned, meaning whether he is the one who intruded on her or she is the one who intruded on him, then their prayer is invalid.
The questioner : Glory be to Allah.
The Shaykh : This is according to the Hanafi school. The other school says the prayer is valid, but the one who intruded sins. The one who intruded sins. Is that clear?
The questioner : The one who caused it.
The Shaykh : Ah, the one who caused it. So in that case, the prayer about which you raised the question is valid without doubt or hesitation. And you are also not sinful because you were not the one who intruded.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Are we going?
The questioner : He is doing well.
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : In the Haram, it is divided...
The Shaykh: Huh?
The questioner : No, no, in Hajj there is no division.
The Shaykh : Even if there is a division, even if there is a division, this division is religious, but the ones dividing it are not religious. I mean, ignorant women. In the Prophet's Mosque, in the courtyard outside, you would find women and men like this, meaning...
The questioner : Look, what is there, O our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Abu ... from the same topic.
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
The Shaykh : Welcome. Good morning. Yes.
The questioner : This issue, O Shaykh, we found it on the upper floor, everywhere in the Haram. We went up to get away from the women, and we found women in front of us and behind us, even in the same row we were praying in. So are these prayers, O Shaykh, permissible, and what is their ruling in such a situation?
The Shaykh : Yes, but I want to draw your attention to something. Perhaps there is something in the phrasing. Did you have to pray next to the woman, or did they force you to?
The questioner : O Shaykh, I mean, the prayer is established...
The Shaykh : No, no, I don't want details.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : You are prepared to answer the question with the fewest words.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Did you have to pray next to the women, or did those women force you to pray next to them? I mean, were you the one who intruded on them, or were they the ones who intruded on you? There is a difference between the two cases.
The questioner : It is not clear, O Shaykh. Everyone wants to pray.
The Shaykh : No, I am describing it to you now. I am describing it to you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Here is a woman standing in prayer, so I came and stood next to her. Here is a man standing, that is me. She came and prayed next to me. Is there no difference for you between the two?
The questioner : O Shaykh, I mean, we try to be careful...
Abu Layla : Answer.The Shaykh : May Allah guide you.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : My question is clear, may Allah reward you. Is there no difference between the two scenarios?
The questioner : We were forced, O Shaykh, to pray...
The Shaykh : I have not answered you yet. The matter, may Allah reward you, does not exceed one of the two scenarios. Either here is a woman praying and here is an empty space, so I came and prayed next to her. Or here is a man praying, that is me, and here is an empty space, so a woman came and prayed next to me. Do you have a third scenario?
The questioner : The third scenario, O Shaykh, is that both of them are together. They came at the time of prayer to stand in the same row.
The Shaykh : That does not happen.
Another questioner : No, O Shaykh, the third scenario is that...
The Shaykh : Be patient. We want to finish with this and then move on to something else. This does not happen except that one is ahead of the other, even if by a moment. And what happens is—we have performed Hajj, perhaps twenty-five or thirty times—and it is one of the two scenarios that occurs. I do not object logically, because there might be a third scenario, for example, but that is rare. The important thing is that the man is not the one who stands next to the woman. I am telling you now, take whatever scenario you want. Did you stand next to her?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : The matter is finished. As long as you did not stand next to her, then you are not the one responsible. But out of caution and so that there is nothing in your answer, either intended or unintended...
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I say, is it the woman who stood next to you? We are done with the man.
The questioner : Yes, yes, the woman.
The Shaykh : Good, good.
The questioner : The second scenario, the woman, yes.
The Shaykh : So let us help. We are trying to get the result, which is...
The questioner : Yes, O Shaykh, may Allah reward you with good. The woman is the one who...
The Shaykh : Good, now I can give you the answer.
The questioner: May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : There are two schools of thought among the scholars. One school says: if a man prays next to a woman in any of the two ways I mentioned, meaning whether he is the one who intruded on her or she is the one who intruded on him, then their prayer is invalid.
The questioner : Glory be to Allah.
The Shaykh : This is according to the Hanafi school. The other school says the prayer is valid, but the one who intruded sins. The one who intruded sins. Is that clear?
The questioner : The one who caused it.
The Shaykh : Ah, the one who caused it. So in that case, the prayer about which you raised the question is valid without doubt or hesitation. And you are also not sinful because you were not the one who intruded.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Are we going?
The questioner : He is doing well.
The Shaykh : Yes, praise be to Allah.
The questioner : In the Haram, it is divided...
The Shaykh: Huh?
The questioner : No, no, in Hajj there is no division.
The Shaykh : Even if there is a division, even if there is a division, this division is religious, but the ones dividing it are not religious. I mean, ignorant women. In the Prophet's Mosque, in the courtyard outside, you would find women and men like this, meaning...
The questioner : Look, what is there, O our Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Abu ... from the same topic.
The Shaykh : Please go ahead.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.