Is it obligatory for the imam to order the women to straighten their rows?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. In some mosques, the women are not reminded to straighten their rows, and it is well known that women are lax in straightening their rows.
The Shaykh : It is true that many people do not care about this, and many women also do not care. They hear that it is permissible for a woman to stand in a row by herself behind the rows, so you find each one in her own place based on this. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that if the women form rows, it is obligatory for them to stand in rows. Therefore, the prayer of one woman standing in a row behind the women is not valid unless that is valid for a man, meaning that the row is completed. Yes, and this is something that we should point out, but I do not know if there are any women present or if there is a man here. May Allah remind me.
The Shaykh : It is true that many people do not care about this, and many women also do not care. They hear that it is permissible for a woman to stand in a row by herself behind the rows, so you find each one in her own place based on this. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) says that if the women form rows, it is obligatory for them to stand in rows. Therefore, the prayer of one woman standing in a row behind the women is not valid unless that is valid for a man, meaning that the row is completed. Yes, and this is something that we should point out, but I do not know if there are any women present or if there is a man here. May Allah remind me.