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Fatwa CenterWomen praying Friday prayer in separate room in the mosque
Question
There is a mosque in the city where I live; it has two buildings, one for men and the other for women. These two buildings are close together separated by a narrow walking path and a small lawn. The buildings are in the same lot. The women's section has a mike to hear the Imam, but they do not have a view of the Imam neither can they see the rows of men. The women have their regular, Friday prayer and all the optional prayers in Jama'ah in this mosque. I was wondering if it is permissible for women to pray in this Masjid.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The majority of Muslim scholars are of the opinion that the prayer of those who follow an Imam while there is a barrier between them and the Imam in way that they cannot see him or those who are in the front rows, is invalid.
Malikiyah and Hanabilah according to one condition allowed following an Imam if they can listen to him only or see one of the followers in front rows. All the above details are concerning the congregational prayers.
As for Friday prayer, one of the compulsory conditions for the validity of the prayer is performing it in the mosque. If the mosque does not suffice and the rows continue to the outside, in this case it is allowed to perform the prayers out of the mosque on the road.
Ibn Taymiyah said in his Fatawa: "If the mosque does not have room for rows they may set the rows outside the mosque. If the rows are continuous and joined with each other then the prayer is valid. If there is a barrier between the rows so that they cannot see the front rows their prayer is not valid despite of hearing the sound of Takbeer. This is the preponderant opinion of scholars."
Therefore, Friday prayer of the women who are performing in a separate building is not correct.
Allah knows best.
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