A female memoriser (hafizah) of the Holy Quran sent some questions to Hazrat Amirul Momineen, Khalifatul Masih Vaa. She asked:
“Can I lead my father in tarawih prayer? […]”
Huzoor-e-Anwaraa, in his letter dated 25 July 2021, provided the following reply to the questions:
“In Islam, only men are obligated to observe salat in congregation. Women’s observing salat in congregation has the status of a supererogatory act of worship. Therefore, in the presence of men, a woman cannot become their imam and lead them in congregational prayers. Neither the Holy Prophetsa nor any of his successors after him ever assigned a woman to the position of an imam of men. Likewise, whenever the Promised Messiahas, who is the Hakam ‘Adl of this age, used to offer his prayers at home due to some illness, he used to lead the prayers himself despite being unwell.
“Thus, whether it is a case of nafl or fardh prayers, if both men and women are present in a place and a congregational prayer is to be offered, then the imam of that salat must be a man. […]”
