Question:

As-Salamu Alaykum,

How are you all? I’ve a question to ask. I don’t know which one is the right path to follow. Some Sunni people here in UK said that women need to follow the imam while praying salaat. But is it allowed for women to follow the imam? I’m a Sunni girl and has been following Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama’at. But I’ve never learned that women needed to follow the imam. I would like to know if I should follow the imam while praying namaz or not?
I’ve also two points why I learned not to follow imam:

1. In Madrasa I was taught that Bibi Aisha R.A was praying Fajr and after praying she was reading Qur’an in masjid when Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddique R.A came in the masjid. That moment he was thinking if someone else would be in his place then he might do something wrong with her as shaitan can come between them anytime. So He R.A went to Muhammad Rasoulullah (SAW) to ask him advice. Since that day Muhammad (SAW) pbuh banned women from praying in masjid.
2. The way a woman and a man pray are different. What I mean to say is before going into sajdah a woman must sit down first then go in sajdah whereas a man does not need to sit down. He has to go directly into the sajdah. Even after sajdah a woman needs to sit down first then get up for the second rakaat but the men must not sit down. They should get up right after doing the sajdah. Now my point is women are already a step behind compare to men so how can they follow the imam? And also Muhammad (SAW) pbuh said: “It is preferable for women to pray at home in their room.”

Last question is should women as well pray namaz Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha?

Please can you ask Mawlana Sheikh Nazim about the topic above and give me a reply which path is the right one and which one should I follow?

Convey my family and my salam to Mawlana and every brothers and sisters.

Answer:

`Alaykum Salam,

The Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) never forbade women from going to masjid. On the contrary he forbade men from forbidding women. A woman can certainly pray behind the imam, as the women Companions did behind Prophet and as Tabi’i women did behind Ubay b. Ka’b and other Sahaba. She will get 27 times the reward when she prays in Jama’a. However, if she prays alone in the privacy of her house it is superior and she will get even more reward.

Hajj Gibril Haddad

Also read Women as Leaders.