(Excerpt from Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amaanpuri’s book “Safbandi ke Ahkam wa Masail”)
◈ If women’s rows are on an upper floor or in a basement while the men’s rows are on ground level, and the women’s rows come ahead of the men’s rows, then the prayer is valid.
◈ If a wall or curtain is present between the women’s rows and the imam, the prayer is valid.
◈ In situations of necessity or excuse, if the women’s rows come ahead of the imam and there is a wall or curtain between them, the prayer remains valid. In such a screened situation, they will still be considered behind the imam.
◈ If the imam is in one room with a few followers, and due to lack of space others follow the imam from an adjacent room, it is valid.
◈ If in a house attached to the mosque the takbīrs of the imam can be heard, then following the imam from the roof or courtyard of that house is valid.
Arabic:
كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي من الليل في حجرته، وجدار الحجرة قصير ، فرأى الناس شخص النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقام أناس يصلون بصلاته .
Translation:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pray at night in his room, and the wall of the room was short. People saw the figure of the Prophet ﷺ and some stood to follow him in prayer.”
Reference: (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 729)
باب إذا كان بين الإمام وبين القوم حائط أو سترة
“Chapter: When there is a wall or screen between the imam and the followers.”
Arabic:
صليت مع أبي هريرة فوق المسجد بصلاة الإمام، وهو أسفل .
Translation:
“I prayed with Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه on the roof of the mosque, following the prayer of the imam who was below.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ḥasan)
Arabic:
رأيت سالم بن عبد الله صلى فوق ظهر المسجد صلاة المغرب، ومعه رجل آخر، يعني ويأتم بالإمام .
Translation:
“I saw Sālim ibn ʿAbdullāh رحمه الله praying Maghrib on the roof of the mosque along with another man, and they were following the imam.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
Arabic:
كان إلى جنب مسجدنا سطح، عن يمين المسجد، أسفل من الإمام، فكان قوم هاربين في إمارة الحجاج، وبينهم وبين المسجد حائط طويل يصلون على ذلك السطح، ويأتمون بالإمام، فذكرته لإبراهيم، فرآه حسنا.
Translation:
“Next to our mosque, on its right side, there was a surface lower than the imam’s place. During the rule of al-Ḥajjāj, some people who were fleeing would pray on that surface behind a long wall, following the imam of the mosque. I mentioned this to Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله, and he considered it good.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
Arabic:
سئل محمد عن الرجل يكون على ظهر بيت، يصلي بصلاة الإمام في رمضان؟ فقال : لا أعلم به بأسا، إلا أن يكون بين يدي الإمام .
Translation:
“Muhammad ibn Sīrīn رحمه الله was asked about a man who prays on the roof of a house following the imam during Ramadan. He replied: ‘I know no harm in it unless he is ahead of the imam.’”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
Arabic:
إن عروة كان يصلي بصلاة الإمام، وهو في دار حميد بن عبد الرحمن بن الحارث، وبينهما وبين المسجد طريق .
Translation:
“ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr رحمه الله would follow the imam while praying in the house of Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith, even though a road lay between them and the mosque.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
A narration is circulated:
Arabic:
من كان بينه وبين الإمام طريق أو نهر أو صف من نساء؛ فليس هو مع الإمام .
Translation:
“If a road, river, or row of women is between a person and the imam, he is not considered praying with the imam.”
(al-Mabsūṭ al-Sarakhsi 1/184, Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ 1/240, al-Bināyah 2/353, al-Muḥīṭ al-Burhānī 1/421)
This narration is fabricated and must be avoided.
Arabic:
نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقوم الإمام فوق شيء، والناس خلفه.
Translation:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the imam from standing on something elevated while the people are behind him.”
(Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1882)
The chain is weak due to the ʿanʿana of Sulaimān al-Aʿmash and Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī.
Arabic:
سألته عن المرأة تأتم بالإمام وبينهما طريق، فقال : ليس ذلك لها .
Translation:
“I asked him about a woman who follows the imam while a road lies between them. He said: ‘It is not permissible for her.’”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)
This statement contradicts authentic hadiths and the practice of the early generations; therefore, it is not accepted.
Arabic:
إذا كان بينه وبين الإمام طريق، أو نهر، أو حائد، فليس معه .
Translation:
“If there is a road, river, or wall between a person and the imam, he is not with the imam.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222)
The chain is weak due to:
◈ Naʿīm ibn Abī Hind not having heard from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه
◈ Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth being a mudallis
◈ Layth ibn Abī Sulaym being weak and of poor memory
In the chain of Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (4880), there is disconnection, and both Sulaimān al-Taymī and ʿAbd al-Razzāq have ʿanʿana.
Arabic:
إنه كان يكره أن يصلي بصلاة الإمام، إذا كان بينهما طريق، أو نساء .
Translation:
“He disliked that one follow the imam when a road or women were between them.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222)
The chain is weak due to tadlīs of Sufyān al-Thawrī and al-Aʿmash.
The chain in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (4882) contains unknown narrators (Ibn Mujālid and his father), and ʿAbd al-Razzāq is a mudallis without explicit hearing.
Chains in al-Āthār of Abū Yūsuf (322) and al-Āthār of Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan (115) are also unreliable due to weak and discarded narrators.
If an intersex person (khunthā) exhibits male characteristics, he will stand in the men’s rows; if female characteristics, then in the women’s rows.
A khunthā mushkil (one with no clear characteristics) will stand with the men.
And Allah knows best.
✦ Prayer on Upper Floors and in Basements
◈ If women’s rows are on an upper floor or in a basement while the men’s rows are on ground level, and the women’s rows come ahead of the men’s rows, then the prayer is valid.
◈ If a wall or curtain is present between the women’s rows and the imam, the prayer is valid.
◈ In situations of necessity or excuse, if the women’s rows come ahead of the imam and there is a wall or curtain between them, the prayer remains valid. In such a screened situation, they will still be considered behind the imam.
◈ If the imam is in one room with a few followers, and due to lack of space others follow the imam from an adjacent room, it is valid.
◈ If in a house attached to the mosque the takbīrs of the imam can be heard, then following the imam from the roof or courtyard of that house is valid.
✦ Evidences
❀ 1. Ḥadīth of Sayyidah ʿĀ’ishah رضي الله عنها
Arabic:كان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يصلي من الليل في حجرته، وجدار الحجرة قصير ، فرأى الناس شخص النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، فقام أناس يصلون بصلاته .
Translation:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would pray at night in his room, and the wall of the room was short. People saw the figure of the Prophet ﷺ and some stood to follow him in prayer.”
Reference: (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 729)Imam al-Bukhārī رحمه الله titled the chapter:
باب إذا كان بين الإمام وبين القوم حائط أو سترة
“Chapter: When there is a wall or screen between the imam and the followers.”
❀ 2. Report of Ṣāliḥ Mawlā رحمه الله
Arabic:صليت مع أبي هريرة فوق المسجد بصلاة الإمام، وهو أسفل .
Translation:
“I prayed with Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه on the roof of the mosque, following the prayer of the imam who was below.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ḥasan)❀ 3. Report of Saʿīd ibn Muslim رحمه الله
Arabic:رأيت سالم بن عبد الله صلى فوق ظهر المسجد صلاة المغرب، ومعه رجل آخر، يعني ويأتم بالإمام .
Translation:
“I saw Sālim ibn ʿAbdullāh رحمه الله praying Maghrib on the roof of the mosque along with another man, and they were following the imam.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)❀ 4. Report of Manṣūr ibn Muʿtamir رحمه الله
Arabic:كان إلى جنب مسجدنا سطح، عن يمين المسجد، أسفل من الإمام، فكان قوم هاربين في إمارة الحجاج، وبينهم وبين المسجد حائط طويل يصلون على ذلك السطح، ويأتمون بالإمام، فذكرته لإبراهيم، فرآه حسنا.
Translation:
“Next to our mosque, on its right side, there was a surface lower than the imam’s place. During the rule of al-Ḥajjāj, some people who were fleeing would pray on that surface behind a long wall, following the imam of the mosque. I mentioned this to Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله, and he considered it good.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)❀ 5. Report of ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAwn رحمه الله
Arabic:سئل محمد عن الرجل يكون على ظهر بيت، يصلي بصلاة الإمام في رمضان؟ فقال : لا أعلم به بأسا، إلا أن يكون بين يدي الإمام .
Translation:
“Muhammad ibn Sīrīn رحمه الله was asked about a man who prays on the roof of a house following the imam during Ramadan. He replied: ‘I know no harm in it unless he is ahead of the imam.’”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)❀ 6. Report of Hishām ibn ʿUrwah رحمه الله
Arabic:إن عروة كان يصلي بصلاة الإمام، وهو في دار حميد بن عبد الرحمن بن الحارث، وبينهما وبين المسجد طريق .
Translation:
“ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr رحمه الله would follow the imam while praying in the house of Ḥumayd ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith, even though a road lay between them and the mosque.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)✦ Important Notes (Fā’ida)
❶ Fabricated Report on Barriers Between Imam and Followers
A narration is circulated:
Arabic:من كان بينه وبين الإمام طريق أو نهر أو صف من نساء؛ فليس هو مع الإمام .
Translation:
“If a road, river, or row of women is between a person and the imam, he is not considered praying with the imam.”
(al-Mabsūṭ al-Sarakhsi 1/184, Badā’iʿ al-Ṣanā’iʿ 1/240, al-Bināyah 2/353, al-Muḥīṭ al-Burhānī 1/421)This narration is fabricated and must be avoided.
❷ Narration Attributed to ʿUqbah ibn ʿAmr Abū Masʿūd al-Anṣārī رضي الله عنه
Arabic:نهى رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أن يقوم الإمام فوق شيء، والناس خلفه.
Translation:
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade the imam from standing on something elevated while the people are behind him.”
(Sunan al-Dāraquṭnī: 1882)The chain is weak due to the ʿanʿana of Sulaimān al-Aʿmash and Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī.
❸ Statement of al-Shaʿbī رحمه الله
Arabic:سألته عن المرأة تأتم بالإمام وبينهما طريق، فقال : ليس ذلك لها .
Translation:
“I asked him about a woman who follows the imam while a road lies between them. He said: ‘It is not permissible for her.’”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222 – chain ṣaḥīḥ)This statement contradicts authentic hadiths and the practice of the early generations; therefore, it is not accepted.
❹ Report Attributed to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb رضي الله عنه
Arabic:إذا كان بينه وبين الإمام طريق، أو نهر، أو حائد، فليس معه .
Translation:
“If there is a road, river, or wall between a person and the imam, he is not with the imam.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222)The chain is weak due to:
◈ Naʿīm ibn Abī Hind not having heard from ʿUmar رضي الله عنه
◈ Ḥafṣ ibn Ghiyāth being a mudallis
◈ Layth ibn Abī Sulaym being weak and of poor memory
In the chain of Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (4880), there is disconnection, and both Sulaimān al-Taymī and ʿAbd al-Razzāq have ʿanʿana.
❺ Statement Attributed to Imām Ibrāhīm al-Nakhaʿī رحمه الله
Arabic:إنه كان يكره أن يصلي بصلاة الإمام، إذا كان بينهما طريق، أو نساء .
Translation:
“He disliked that one follow the imam when a road or women were between them.”
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah 2/222)The chain is weak due to tadlīs of Sufyān al-Thawrī and al-Aʿmash.
The chain in Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq (4882) contains unknown narrators (Ibn Mujālid and his father), and ʿAbd al-Razzāq is a mudallis without explicit hearing.
Chains in al-Āthār of Abū Yūsuf (322) and al-Āthār of Muḥammad ibn al-Ḥasan (115) are also unreliable due to weak and discarded narrators.
✦ Important Note on the Intersex Person (Khunthā)
If an intersex person (khunthā) exhibits male characteristics, he will stand in the men’s rows; if female characteristics, then in the women’s rows.
A khunthā mushkil (one with no clear characteristics) will stand with the men.
And Allah knows best.
