Salat - The Muslim Prayer Book — Page 59
S al a t —The Muslim Prayer Book 59 Rak‘at , he may complete his Prayer; otherwise he should terminate his Prayer and join in the congregation. 5. If the Prayer has already started, it is forbidden for a worshipper to run and join in the congregation. 6. Out of respect for their chastity and honour, women are not advised to stand for Prayer in front of men. For this reason, the rows of women are always behind the men’s rows. This gives the women complete freedom to offer their Prayers in the back rows without being embarrassed by the presence of men. It is preferable however, to have a separate enclosure for women. It also follows from the above that a woman cannot lead a congregation of men, but can lead a congregation of women. This means that she can lead a congregation consisting of children of either sex among the worshippers, but not adult men. 7. Women need not say Adh a n for their congregational Prayers. The female Im a m stands in the middle of the first row, according to common practice, and not ahead of the congregation as in the case of a male Im a m. 8. If the Im a m commits a mistake while leading the congregation, the following method is adopted to point it out to him: i. If the mistake is an incorrect recitation of the Holy Quran, or the Im a m has forgotten a verse of the Holy Quran, anyone in the congregation who clearly remembers the correct wording, should