Question:
I am studying in a Sharia college and am superior to my husband in terms of fiqh and education, while my husband is half illiterate. Can I lead the prayer for him on this basis?
Answer:
A woman cannot be the imam of a man, whether he is her husband, son, or father. The Prophet ﷺ said:
لن يفلح قوم ولوا أمرهم امرأة
“A nation will never prosper that entrusts its affairs to a woman.”
Even if a woman is more educated than a man, she is not qualified for the position of imamate. As for the saying of the Prophet ﷺ:
يؤم القوم أقرأهم لكتاب الله
“The leadership of the people (i.e., the one who leads the prayer) should be given to the person who is more knowledgeable of the Book of Allah.”
So a woman is not qualified for this address alongside a man. The command of Allah the Exalted is:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِنْ نِسَاءٍ عَسَى أَنْ يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهُنَّ
“O you who have believed! Let not a people ridicule another people; perhaps they may be better than them. Nor let women ridicule other women; perhaps they may be better than them.”
In this verse, Allah Almighty has divided society into two parts: that is, men and women. On this basis, a woman does not fall under the generality of يوم القوم اقرئهم لكتاب الله.
