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﴿ فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ ﴾

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The ruling on a man leading women in prayer

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He says: Is it permissible for a man to lead women in prayer?
Answer: Yes, it is permissible for a man to lead women in prayer, including in the tarawih prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) visited Anas ibn Malik, and Anas led the prayer with an orphan in their home. The orphan formed a row behind Anas, and Umm Sulaym formed a row behind them. The women used to pray behind the imam in the mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during his lifetime (peace and blessings be upon him) and after his passing (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, there is no harm in women praying behind an imam, even if he is the only man and they are all women. This is because seclusion (khalwah) with two or more women is not forbidden; seclusion is only forbidden when it is with one woman. This is based on his (peace and blessings be upon him) saying:
A man should not be alone with a woman, for Satan is the third among them.لا يخلون رجل بامرأة فإن الشيطان ثالثهما
Al-Mustadrak lil-Hakim 2:94
. So if there are women with her, or men with her, it is not called seclusion. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed with Anas, the orphan, and Umm Sulaym all together, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) led them in prayer. Likewise, in Ramadan, if a man leads women in tarawih at home, whether he is blind or sighted, there is no harm. If he is sighted, they should cover themselves from him and maintain their hijab. When he says the closing salam, they should not uncover themselves for him; rather, they should remain veiled, covering their faces and other parts of their bodies when he turns toward them and when he says the salam. There is no harm in this, because the objective is to avoid seclusion and to avoid looking at the awrah (parts of the body that must be covered). If they are covered from the sighted person, or if the imam is blind and there is no seclusion, there is no harm in that. However, if the imam is blind, it is safer and further from fitnah (trial, discord or temptation). Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you with good.
Source binbaz.org.sa

The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.

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