Leading Group Prayer At Home

Question: When leading a large group prayer in a house, it is valid to have people praying upstairs or downstairs?

Answer:

Wa alaykum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Dear questioner,

Thank you for your important question.

In the Shafi’i school, when praying in a house (not a mosque), those following the imam must be able to reach the imam without moving away from the qibla (izwirar). This means that if those who are praying upstairs or downstairs could only reach the imam by means of a staircase behind them, the prayer would not be valid (al Taqrirat al Sadida, Hasan al Kahf).

In the case of a sunna prayer, such as tarawih, there is no harm following another madhhab that allows it.

I pray this helps.

[Ustadh] Farid

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Farid Dingle has completed extensive years of study in the sciences of the Arabic language and the various Islamic Sciences. During his studies, he also earned a CIFE Certificate in Islamic Finance. Over the years he has developed a masterful ability to craft lessons that help non-Arabic speakers gain a deep understanding of the language. He currently teaches courses in the Arabic Language