excerpt from “Ṣaff Bandi ke Aḥkām wa Masā’il” by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri:
It is permissible for a man to lead a group consisting only of women in prayer, as established by the following narration:
Sayyidunā Ubayy bin Kaʿb رضي الله عنه reported:
“I said: O Messenger of Allah! Tonight I performed something.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: ‘Ubayy, what was that?’
He replied:
‘The women of the household said: We do not know how to recite the Qur’an, so please lead us in prayer.’
صليت بهن ثمان ركعات ، ثم أوترت ، قال : فكان شبه الرضا، ولم يقل شيئا
“So I led them in eight rakʿahs (of Tarāwīḥ), and then offered Witr. The Prophet ﷺ remained silent, as if expressing approval.”
[Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 2/362 | Zawā’id of Musnad Aḥmad: 5/115 | al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ by al-Ṭabarānī: 4/141 | Qiyām al-Layl by al-Marwazī: 217]
Its chain is ḥasan (sound).
Women Praying Behind a Man Without Any Men Present
It is permissible for a man to lead a group consisting only of women in prayer, as established by the following narration:
❀ Incident Involving Sayyidunā Ubayy bin Kaʿb رضي الله عنه:
Sayyidunā Ubayy bin Kaʿb رضي الله عنه reported:
“I said: O Messenger of Allah! Tonight I performed something.”
The Prophet ﷺ asked: ‘Ubayy, what was that?’
He replied:
‘The women of the household said: We do not know how to recite the Qur’an, so please lead us in prayer.’
صليت بهن ثمان ركعات ، ثم أوترت ، قال : فكان شبه الرضا، ولم يقل شيئا
“So I led them in eight rakʿahs (of Tarāwīḥ), and then offered Witr. The Prophet ﷺ remained silent, as if expressing approval.”
[Musnad Abī Yaʿlā: 2/362 | Zawā’id of Musnad Aḥmad: 5/115 | al-Muʿjam al-Awsaṭ by al-Ṭabarānī: 4/141 | Qiyām al-Layl by al-Marwazī: 217] Its chain is ḥasan (sound). Authentication:
- Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمه الله declared this ḥadīth Ṣaḥīḥ (authentic)
[Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān: 2550] - Ḥāfiẓ Haythamī رحمه الله said its chain is ḥasan (sound)
[Majmaʿ al-Zawā’id: 2/74]
