a woman who cannot find another woman to stand beside her stands alone behind the row, by agreement of the imams. A person is commanded to stand alongside others only when able to do so, not when unable.
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As for a follower praying behind the imam outside the mosque, or inside the mosque with a barrier between them, this is permissible by agreement of the imams if the rows are continuous. If a road or a river navigated by boats separates them, there are two well-known views, both reported from Ahmad:
The first is that it is not permissible, as Abū Hanīfah held.
The second is that it is permissible, as al-Shāfi'ī held.
If a barrier between them prevents both sight and passage, there are several views within Ahmad’s school and those of others. One view permits it; another does not. Another permits it within the mosque but not elsewhere. Yet another permits it when there is a need, but not otherwise.
There is no doubt that it is permissible whenever there is a need, without qualification, such as when the mosque doors are closed, or when the enclosure containing the imam is