Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
When is a woman allowed to lead a man in prayer if it is allowed at all?
As stated by Imam Nawawi in the Majmu’, the vast majority of scholars from the predecessors and the successors, the scholars of all four schools and others being one in this matter, [agree] that it is not valid for a man to follow a woman. This is based on the hadith of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, where he said: The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, spoke to us and said: “A woman should not lead a man.” Ibn Majah and al-Baihaqi narrated this hadith with a weak chain of transmission, but it is strengthened by another hadith whose soundness is agreed upon: “A people who give their affairs over to a woman will never prosper.” This is also established by the fact that women did not lead men among anyone we recognize in any age, because if this were permissible, it would have happened because there would have been a need for it.
A different opinion has been transmitted from Imams Abi Thaur, al-Muzani, and Ibn Jarir where they said: A man’s prayer is valid behind her. Imam Ibn Qudama al-Hanbali mentioned in the Mughni that some of the Hanbalis have said that it is permissible for a woman to lead men in the Tarawih prayer and that she stands behind them, based on what Abu Dawud narrated from Um Waraqa bint Abdullah Ibn al-Harith: “That the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, appointed a muezzin to call the adhan for her, and ordered her to lead the people of her house in prayer.” They said: This [hadith] is general for men and women.
I said: These two opinions go against the position of the majority, as you already know. These [opinions] are an example of an unusual difference of opinion, as explained by Imam Mawardi in the Hawi and there is no sound evidence to prove this [difference].
And the Hadith of Um Waraqa that they have mentioned is not a valid argument, because the Prophet, peace be upon him, permitted her to lead the women of her household, as clearly stated in the narration of Daraqutni from Ibn Qudama.
There is wisdom behind the position of the majority that is understood by everyone with a sound heart and that is: the woman can be a source of temptation or a test [for men], and she attracts their attention. Therefore, a man’s following her in prayer would lead to thoughts of indecency, desire for her, and pursuit of her. This would not be an appropriate situation in a place of worship where the goal is the attainment of piety.
The Muslims need to know that what the majority of scholars have said is from the rulings of the Sacred Law, toward which we must progress, without paying heed to the claims of opponents of Sacred Law and those scholars who say that such rulings devalue and restrict women. All of this is false and goes against the texts of the pure Sacred Law that raised the status of woman and gave her rights that preserved her humanity, dignity, religion, honor, and property rights that were absent from other laws in the past and the present. We also know for certain that the noble Shari’a tends to curtail women’s exposure to situations and positions where they will mix with strange men. This is not because of some deficiency in her, but because of a wise understanding of her nature from the One who created her. The Exalted has said: “Should He not know, – He that created? And He is the One that understands the finest mysteries (and) is well-acquainted (with them).” This [wisdom] frees her to attain to a tremendous goal that only woman can do and that is: Protecting her household, her husband, and her children who are the men of the society and the defenders of the land and the intellectuals and the scholars. This is in addition to closing the door of the temptation that arises from the mixing of men and women, as is apparent to any intelligent person, whether Muslim or Kafir.
It is the perspective of the Shari’a that we the Muslims take pride in, because it is a perspective that is highly accurate for those who are just. And we see today that countries that call for women’s liberation in the wrong sense, are the most morally corrupt places, afflicted with homosexuality, fatal diseases, illegitimate children, destruction of family life and social relations, and the disappearance of the tradition of married life and the father figure, to the extent that the father and the husband are not able to prevent their daughter or wife from having illicit boyfriends or male confidants, and [they are not able to stop] other types of corruption and debauchery.
This is not to say that it is absolutely unlawful for a woman and man to have anything to do with each other. This is not something a knowledgeable person would even say, and the Shari’a would reject this. However, the objective is to caution against the temptation of those who are deluded. As to the legal ruling on contact between men and women, there are parameters and conditions [for this contact] determined by the scholars, which are well-known to the Muslims. [Let me] emphatically direct your attention to the fact that Islamic history is replete with shining examples of great women who had a tremendous impact in many areas of life.
And Allah alone is the Guide and the Facilitator to what is right.
Amjad Rasheed
[Translated by Zaynab Ansari]