perform alignment with men in supererogatory prayer and lead them in it according to one narration, unlike the woman. Al-Hasan said regarding three people, one of whom is a woman: "They stand separately, one behind the other." Our evidence is the hadith of Anas, and it is the opinion of most scholars; we know of no one who disagreed with it except al-Hasan. Following the Sunnah is better, and the opinion of al-Hasan leads to the man standing alone (faddan), and the hadith of Wabisa and Ali ibn Shayban refutes it. (16) If men, boys, hermaphrodites (khuntha), and women gather, the men move forward, then the boys, then the hermaphrodites, then the women, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed and [placed the men in rows, then placed] (17) the young boys behind them. Recorded by Abu Dawud. (18)
Section: If a woman stands in the row of men (19), it is disliked, but her prayer is not invalidated, nor is the prayer of the one next to her. This is the school of al-Shafi'i. Abu Bakr said: "The prayer of the one next to her and behind her is invalidated, but not hers." This is the opinion of Abu Hanifa, because he is prohibited from standing next to her, resembling the case if he stood in front of the Imam. Our evidence is that if she stood [in that position] outside of prayer, his prayer would not be invalidated, so it is the same in prayer. It has been established that Aisha would lie down in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) while he was praying. (20) As for their argument that he is prohibited: we say that she is the one prohibited from standing with
(16) The hadith of Wabisa and the hadith of Ali ibn Shayban will come in issue 259, pages 49, 50. (17) Omitted from the original (al-asl). (18) In: The Chapter on the place of boys in the row, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/156. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 5/341, 342. (19) In (A) and (M): "the man (al-rajul)." (20) The hadith will come in one of the sections of issue 263, and it contains that he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to pray at night while Aisha was lying down in front of him like the laying out of a funeral bier. Recorded by al-Bukhari, in: The Chapter on praying on a bed/mat, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 1/107. And Muslim, in: The Chapter on lying down in front of the person praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/366. And Abu Dawud, in: The Chapter on those who say a woman does not invalidate the prayer, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/163. And al-Nasa'i, in: The Chapter on one who leaves ablution after touching his wife without desire, from the Book of Purification. Al-Mujtaba 1/85. And Ibn Majah, in: The Chapter on one who prays while there is something between him and the qibla, from the Book of Establishing Prayer. Sunan Ibn Majah 1/307. And al-Darimi, in: The Chapter on a woman being in front of the person praying, from the Book of Prayer. Sunan al-Darimi 1/328. And Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad = 6/37, 103, 126, 134, 199, 200, 231, 260, 275.
