Prayer: What Are the Rulings on Women Attending and Standing in Congregational Prayer (Positioning, Separation, and Veiling)?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Prayer: What Are the Rulings on Women Attending and Standing in Congregational Prayer (Positioning, Separation, and Veiling)?

English:

Question #595:

What is the ruling of participation of women in congregational prayer as far as being makrūh or mustaḥabb is concerned?

i. What are the rules if women stand behind men?

ii. Do women need to have something separating them from the men when they are standing behind them?

iii. Is there any need for something to veil the women when they are offering prayer along side the men?

iv. It must be noted that to separate women from men, even when they are behind the men, during the prayers, the speech, etc is humiliating and insulting to women.

Answer #595:

There is no problem in women’s attendance and participation in congregational prayer. There is no need for anything to separate the women from the men if they are standing behind the men. However, if women are performing prayers along side men, then it is preferable to have something to separate them to eradicate the karāhah arising due to the association of men with women in prayer. It is merely an assumption and baseless to say that separation affects the status and dignity of women. Furthermore, it is incorrect to enter one’s own opinion in jurisprudential matters.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Prayer