Two Contemporary Issues in Congregational Prayer: Live Broadcasting and Women’s Congregation
1. Following the Imam via Live Broadcast
Many people have asked: Since we are compelled to pray in our homes, can we follow an imam via live broadcast by radio, TV, or other means of ‘live-streaming’?
A congregational prayer is valid if there are two or more individuals praying in the same space. Recall that the Prophet, salla l-lahu `alayhi wa-sallam, said that the whole earth has been made a masjid for him. Therefore, your praying at home is always valid and acceptable when compelling circumstances make attendance at a place of congregation impractical or (as in this time of pandemic) harmful to yourself or others. If you are alone, then pray alone, attentively, knowing your effort is valid. If you are two or more, pray in congregation, as that is more beneficial.
However, a congregational prayer is not valid if the one leading the prayer and the one(s) following are not in the same space. You cannot follow an imam who is not physically with you, even if you see his image and hear his voice. For the congregational prayer to be valid, those in the row behind the imam must be able to see and hear him, following his movements (from standing to bowing to prostrating to sitting). The worshippers in subsequent rows follow the row ahead, which in turn is following the imam’s movements.
During the prayer, if the imam makes a mistake—perhaps forgetting a verse or a part of a movement—someone can gently draw his attention to it with the tabih. After the salam, worshippers again follow the imam in performing any corrective sajdahs, as the Messenger taught us. None of this is possible if the imam and the congregation are in different physical locations. Moreover, even the best technology can fail: what happens to worshippers if the transmission abruptly cuts off?
In short, people should arrange congregational prayer according to known conditions for its validity. Technology is no substitute for genuine human presence, awareness, and attendance: your interior response—thoughts and emotions—differs greatly between seeing a picture of something and seeing the thing itself. Similarly, if it were a hundred per cent reliable, technology could not replace actual, mutual presence of imam and followers.
The question arises because Muslims love the Qur’an and love to hear it recited in full during the tarawih prayers of Ramadan. If, in these times, you pray at home (in congregation or alone) but do not know enough Qur’an by heart, it is permissible to read from the Mushaf during the prayer (as explained in an earlier fatwa). Always remember that there is compassion (rahmah) and wisdom (hikmah) both in what Allah and His Messenger command and in what they only commend. Respecting the distinction between fard and nafl opens a way to growth in humility and gratitude to Allah and His Messenger, and it improves our worship in all circumstances—even pandemic and lockdown. If Allah and His Messenger offer ease, what becomes of our manners if we refuse it?
2. Women’s Congregational Prayer
Can women form their own congregational prayers, and can one of them lead as imam?
If there is no suitable man to lead the prayer, then women may form their own congregation, with one woman standing in the middle of the first row to lead. This was the practice of the wives of the Prophet and other female Companions, and it is the ruling of the majority of Sunni scholars.
Abd al-Razzaq and Ibn Abi Shaybah both narrate that Umm Salamah (the mother of the believers) led women in the asr prayer, standing in the middle of the row (see Abd al-Razzaq, al-Musannaf, “al-salah,” section “al-mar’ah ta’ummu al-nisa’”; Ibn Abi Shaybah, al-Musannaf, “al-salah,” the same section). Khayrah, the mother of al-Hasan al-Basri, narrates that Umm Salamah used to lead women in prayer during Ramadan while standing with them in their row (Ibn Abi Shaybah). Yahya ibn Said al-Ansari narrates that A’ishah (the mother of the believers) led women in **nafl** prayer and stood among them in the row (Abd al-Razzaq). Ibn Abbas said that a woman leads other women in **nafl** prayer, standing in their midst (Abd al-Razzaq). It is also mentioned that Abdullah ibn Umar commanded one of his female servants to lead the women of his household in the Ramadan night prayers (Ibn Hazm, al-Muhalla). There are many further early scholarly references (treated in detail in my book Ibn Hazm on the lawfulness of women attending the prayer in the mosque).
Although many Hanafi scholars consider women’s congregational prayer disliked, it is a weak opinion. The Hanafi jurist Maulana Abd al-Hayy Firangi Mahalli writes in Umdat al-Riayah 1/176: “The weakness of this opinion (disliking women’s congregational prayer) is obvious. It is not at all an obscure matter.” He notes that the arguments offered by Hanafi scholars for disliking women’s congregational prayer are feeble, as proven in Tuhfat al-nubala’ fi ma’alat jamaat al-nisa’, where the conclusion is that it is not disliked.
How could it be disliked when Umm Salamah and `A’ishah led the women in tarawih and in the fard prayers, as Ibn Abi Shaybah and others record? In the lifetime of the Prophet himself, on his guidance, Umm Waraqah led the prayers (as recorded by Imam Abu Dawud).
3. Summary
- Live Broadcast for Congregational Prayer
Congregational prayer requires the imam and followers to be physically together in the same location for the prayer’s movements and corrections to be valid. Following an imam remotely through technology (radio, TV, or live streaming) does not fulfill that requirement. If one cannot attend a mosque because of circumstances (e.g., pandemic), praying alone or forming a congregation at home is permissible. When these compelling situations end, normal congregational practices should resume. - Women Leading and Attending Congregational Prayer
Women may form their own congregational prayer, with one woman acting as imam in the first row. This was the practice of some of the Prophet’s wives and female Companions. A large body of evidence from the early generations supports this, including traditions where `A’ishah, Umm Salamah, and others led women in prayer. Although some Hanafi scholars deem it disliked, that stance is weak. The stronger, majority opinion (and practice attested in early sources) is that it is permissible—and sometimes even necessary—for women to lead and attend congregational prayers among themselves if no suitable man is available.
In short, the fundamental rules and practices of congregational prayer remain the same regardless of changing circumstances, but believers should be mindful of the special conditions (e.g., the pandemic, the presence or absence of a suitable imam) that can alter how those rules are applied.
