excerpt from “Ṣaff Bandi ke Aḥkām wa Masā’il” by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri:
When one man, one child, and one woman are praying in congregation:
❖ The child stands to the right of the man,
❖ The woman stands alone behind both of them.
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى به وبأمه ، أو خالته ، قال : فأقامني عن يمينه ، وأقام المرأة خلفنا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led me and my mother—or my maternal aunt—in prayer. He ﷺ placed me on his right side and the woman behind us.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 660]
صلى بي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وبامرأة من أهلي، فأقامني عن يمينه، والمرأة خلفنا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led me and a woman from my household in prayer. He ﷺ made me stand on his right side, and the woman stood behind us.”
[Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad: 1/302 | Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 805]
Its chain is authentic.
Declared Ṣaḥīḥ by Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (1537) and Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمهما الله (2204)
صليت أنا ويتيم في بيتنا خلف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأمي أم سليم خلفنا
“I and an orphan offered prayer behind the Prophet ﷺ in our house, and my mother, Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها, stood behind us.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 727 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 658]
If children are sensible, understand how to perform prayer, and are aware of purity and impurity, then they may stand alongside the men in the row.
However, some people place young, immature children—who have not even performed wuḍū’—in the rows.
This is incorrect and can negatively affect the validity and discipline of the congregation, especially the Imām's prayer.
Prayer Arrangement: One Man, One Child, and One Woman
When one man, one child, and one woman are praying in congregation:
❖ The child stands to the right of the man,
❖ The woman stands alone behind both of them.
❀ Narration from Sayyidunā Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه:
إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى به وبأمه ، أو خالته ، قال : فأقامني عن يمينه ، وأقام المرأة خلفنا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led me and my mother—or my maternal aunt—in prayer. He ﷺ placed me on his right side and the woman behind us.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 660]❀ Another narration:
صلى بي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم وبامرأة من أهلي، فأقامني عن يمينه، والمرأة خلفنا
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led me and a woman from my household in prayer. He ﷺ made me stand on his right side, and the woman stood behind us.”
[Musnad al-Imām Aḥmad: 1/302 | Sunan al-Nasā’ī: 805] Its chain is authentic.Declared Ṣaḥīḥ by Imām Ibn Khuzaymah (1537) and Imām Ibn Ḥibbān رحمهما الله (2204)
Note:
Boys may also stand with men in the row if space allows.
❀ Statement of Sayyidunā Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه:
صليت أنا ويتيم في بيتنا خلف النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، وأمي أم سليم خلفنا
“I and an orphan offered prayer behind the Prophet ﷺ in our house, and my mother, Umm Sulaym رضي الله عنها, stood behind us.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 727 | Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 658] Ruling:
If children are sensible, understand how to perform prayer, and are aware of purity and impurity, then they may stand alongside the men in the row.
However, some people place young, immature children—who have not even performed wuḍū’—in the rows.
This is incorrect and can negatively affect the validity and discipline of the congregation, especially the Imām's prayer.
