Can a Woman Lead Other Women in Prayer? – Sharʿī Guidance
Source: Aḥkām wa Masāʾil – Bāb al-Ṣalāh, Vol. 1, p. 156
Question:
Can a woman lead other women in prayer?
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
A specific ḥadīth is often presented in this matter as proof:
«عَنْ أُمِّ وَرَقَةَ بِنْتِ عَبْدِ اﷲِ ابْنِ الْحَارِثِ الْأَنْصَارِی ، وَکَانَتْ قَدْ جَمَعَتِ الْقُرْآنَ ، وَکَانَ النَّبِیُّ ﷺ قَدْ أَمَرَهَا أَنْ تَؤُمَّ أَهْلَ دَارِهَا ، وَکَانَ لَهَا مُؤَذِّنٌ ، وَکَانَتْ تَؤُمُّ أَهْلَ دَارِهَا»
(Wordings of Aḥmad)
Meaning:
“ʿUmm Waraqah bint ʿAbdullāh ibn Ḥārith al-Anṣārī رضي الله عنها, who had memorized the Qurʾān, narrated that the Prophet ﷺ instructed her to lead the people of her household in prayer. She had a muʾadhdhin, and she used to lead her household in prayer.”
Views of the Muḥaddithīn and Status of the Ḥadīth:
- Some scholars of ḥadīth have graded this narration as ṣaḥīḥ (authentic), and others as ḥasan (sound).
- However, the renowned muḥaddith Muḥibbullāh Shāh Rāshidī رحمه الله, in an article published in al-Iʿtiṣām, considered this narration weak (ḍaʿīf).
Objection on the Chain:
According to Muḥibbullāh Shāh Rāshidī رحمه الله:
- The chain of this ḥadīth includes Laylā and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Khallād, both of whom are majhūl (unknown) narrators.
- If one majhūl narrator is corroborated only by another majhūl narrator, neither can be established as trustworthy.
Sharʿī Ruling:
In light of the above, leading prayer by women (i.e., one woman acting as imām for other women) is not established from the Qurʾān and Sunnah.
References:
- Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl, ḥasan, 2/255–256, ḥadīth 493
- Abū Dāwūd, Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Imāmat al-Nisāʾ
- Ibn Khuzaymah declared the ḥadīth ṣaḥīḥ
- Ḥaḍrat Umm Salamah رضي الله عنها also led women in prayer, standing in the middle of the row
- This narration has also been declared ṣaḥīḥ by Ibn Abī Shaybah and Ibn Ḥazm
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bi-ṣ-ṣawāb.
