a man stands to his right, and the woman stands behind them. If there are two men with them, they stand behind him, and the woman stands behind them. If one of them is a young boy in a voluntary prayer, the man and the boy stand behind him, and the woman stands behind them, according to the hadith of Anas. If it is an obligatory prayer, we have already mentioned that, and the woman stands behind them. If she stands with them in the row in these situations, it is valid, and neither her prayer nor theirs is invalidated, according to what we mentioned previously. If a single man and a woman stand behind the Imam, Ibn Hamid said: It is not valid, because she does not follow him as an Imam, so she does not form a row with him. Ibn Aqil said: It is valid, according to the most correct of the two views, because a person whose prayer is valid stood with him, so it is similar to the case where a man stands with him. It is not a condition that the follower be someone whose leadership (Imamship) is valid, as evidenced by the one who can recite well with the illiterate one, and the sinful one and the one performing a voluntary prayer with the one performing an obligatory one.

Section: If the follower is a single person and he says the opening takbir to the left of the Imam, the Imam turns him to his right, and his initial takbir (tahrima) is not invalidated, just as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did with Ibn Abbas and Jabir. If he says the takbir alone behind the Imam, then moves forward to his right, or another comes and stands with him, or he moves forward to a row in front of him, or if there are two and one of them says the takbir and the other is hesitant, then he says the takbir before the Imam raises his head from bowing, or one says the takbir to his right and senses another, so he steps back with him before the second one enters the state of ihram, then he enters the state of ihram with him, or he enters the state of ihram to his left and another comes and stands to his right before the Imam raises his head from bowing, their prayer is valid. Ahmad has stated, in the narration of al-Athram, regarding two men who stand behind the Imam while there is no one else behind him: If one of them says the takbir before...