Q. I recently attended a Hajj workshop where we were informed that women when praying in Makkah in the Haram should not find herself praying next to another man, be it her husband or a stranger, because she would invalidate his Salaat by praying next to him. She should find an empty spot within the haram or find herself amongst a group of ladies and make her Salaat there or make her Salaat in the hotel as this gives more privacy.
Before this, I used to hear that for the purpose of Hajj, Makkah is the only place where it is permissible for men and women to pray side by side since this is inevitable due to the millions of people performing hajj and praying at the same time in one place.
Can you please explain the ruling with regards to women praying 5 times Salaat or any Salaat in the haram whilst performing hajj?
A. The Haram of Makka is open for both males and females to perform Salaah. However, the rules pertaining to forming the lines etc. still remain. Hence, just as it would not be allowed for men and women to perform Salaah side by side in normal cases, so too, in the haram it will not be allowed. It is for this reason, we see that in the haram, special places are allocated for women to perform Salaah. Women who find themselves performing Salaah among the males are moved by the security officers of the haram. A woman must therefore find a private place where women would normally perform their Salaah, and perform her Salaah at that place. We have seen that the security officers are harsh on women who do not follow this rule.
Even though there is a massive crowd in the haram, it does not mean that a woman will perform Salaah side by side to a man. Even in this situation, women are still allotted their space and area for Salaah (where men are not allowed to perform their Salaah with the females). If the situation is that it becomes difficult to do the right thing, then you can wait to perform the Salaat when the crowd has eased-up or you can perform it in the room of the hotel.
And Allah knows best.
Mufti Waseem Khan