A woman standing level with a man (muhadhat)

Question

What is the ruling concerning a woman of about 45 or 50 years of age who comes to the mosque for the congregational prayer every time: sometimes she stands alone at the back, and sometimes alongside the men on the left side, at a distance of one or two cubits? Is this permissible according to the Shari'a, or what should be done?

Answer

[ar]الفتوى في زماننا على أنهن لا يخرجن — وإن كن عجائز — إلى الجماعات، لا في الليل ولا في النهار؛ لغلبة الفتنة والفساد وقرب يوم المعاد[/ar] “The fatwa in our time is that they (women) do not go out to the congregations — even if they are elderly — neither by night nor by day, because of the prevalence of temptation and corruption and the nearness of the Day of Return.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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