How Does a Woman Follow a Man In Prayer?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

My wife and I often pray together at home. What is the fiqh of being a follower? Being a lady, she is not accustomed to following. Therefore, she would like some advice.

Answer

I pray you are well.

When following, the prayer of a lady is fairly similar to her prayer on her own. What she needs to bear in mind are the following:

1. She cannot stand parallel to the imam. She should stand slightly behind him.

2. The movements of the imam must be followed immediately. When he moves to go into the standing, bowing, or prostrations she should do so as well without delay. The same for the salam at the end.

3. She should not recite any Quran – this includes the Fatiha and the additional sura. The imam’s recitation is sufficient.

4. She doesn’t say “sami‘a llahu li-man hamidah“ (Allah hears those who praise Him).

The rest of the prayer is the same as her own prayer in terms of movements and wordings. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

The prayer is a gift and a means of great good for us. One example is mentioned in the hadith “When the imam says ‘amin’, say it too, for whoever’s ‘amin’ coincides with that of the angels, his past sins are forgiven.“ [Bukhari]

May Allah make the prayer a means of purification and ascension for us all.
[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.