“I and the orphan stood behind him, and the elderly woman stood behind us.” (1)

He also narrated: “The orphan and I prayed in our house behind the Prophet ﷺ, and my mother—Umm Sulaym—stood behind us,” recorded by al-Bukhari.

If more than one woman is present, they should form one or more rows behind the men, for the Prophet ﷺ would place the men in front, the boys behind them, and the women behind the boys; this was reported by Aḥmad. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best rows for men are the first ones, and the worst are the last; the best rows for women are the last ones, and the worst are the first.” (2)

These two reports show that women must line up in rows behind the men and should not pray individually and scattered when praying behind them, whether the prayer is obligatory or tarāwīḥ.

E – If the imam makes a mistake during the prayer, a woman should draw his attention by striking the palm of one hand against the other, because the Prophet ﷺ said, “If something occurs in the prayer, the men should say subḥān Allāh, and the women should clap.” (3) This is a concession allowing them to