# Can a woman be an imam and lead the prayer?

*Can a woman be an imam?*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/eokcnwggiba/s/13/
- Date: 2021-01-26 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #199 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (50:21–52:59)
- Status: latest answer on its topic; general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoKcNwGGIBA&t=3021s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/eokcnwggiba/

**Topics:** Women in worship and mosques; Congregation, Friday and Eid prayer

**Question as asked:** Can a woman become an imam? If not, why? And why can men and women pray next to each other in the Kaaba?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Yes: a woman can be an imam and her leading the prayer is valid, though whether it works in practice depends on her society accepting it.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says a woman can be an imam and her leading the prayer is permissible and valid, though whether imamship works in practice depends on whether her society accepts it.

**Evidence, his words at 50:35:** “she can become an imam islam is concerned but then imamship has certain interactions it's it's a working it's a working model” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eoKcNwGGIBA&t=3035s)

## Longer summary

A questioner asks whether a woman can become an imam and, if not, why, given that men and women can pray next to each other at the Kaaba. Mufti Abu Layth says he will bypass the details: she can become an imam as far as Islam is concerned, but imamship is a working model, part of which is representing the community and giving sermons, so it works only if her society accepts it, though it is not inherently invalid. Her leading the prayer, he says, is likewise permissible and valid, though not usually done, for reasons he calls rather obvious. He then reads a viewer's thanks for helping him let go of cult behaviour and jokes about a question on sugar babies.

## Sources and names cited

- imam

## Transcript (machine tier, 50:21–52:59)

[50:05] so uh yeah hope that explains mufti can a woman become an imam ifrah mo if you're doing it you're doing it look at these people and imama in the making right there mufti can a woman become an imam if not why can women and men pray next to each other if not why and why they can pray next to each other in kaaba why

[50:35] this this one's coming fully prepared well i'll just bypass all of that by saying look she can become an imam islam is concerned but then imamship has certain interactions it's it's a working it's a working model it's not something which is just a theory part of it is a representative in society that gives a sermon now

[51:14] if your society accepts that then fine if your society does not accept that then it's not going to work as an imam because if in that society people don't accept it then you know it's going to be a problem even though it's not it's it's not inherently invalid the other thing is that the imam leading the salah yeah once again it's permissible the salah would be valid it's not usually done and i i think it's rather obvious why it's not done

[51:52] so yeah that one this one no not nice but uh yeah that's that's the kind of reasoning behind it but uh cool okay let's move on soleiman shah says uh suleiman shah's question is kind of just gone people oh there it is mufti you've helped me out so much in letting go of the cult behavior love islam more and more by the way my friend is asking if sugar babes are halal

[52:24] you want to eat right so what is going on move this up different creation myths in different cultures and islamic narratives the universe creation what's your thoughts yeah definitely i feel that look um it's true that i feel that there's a common kind of origin to a lot of these

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment eoKcNwGGIBA/s/13. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/eokcnwggiba/s/13/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.