There is a current controversy among Muslims on the circumstances in which women may act as imams—that is, lead a congregation in salat (prayer). Three of the four Sunni schools, as well as many Shia, agree that a woman may lead a congregation consisting of women alone in prayer, although the Maliki school does not allow this. According to all currently existing traditional schools of Islam, a woman cannot lead a mixed gender congregation in salat (prayer). Some schools make exceptions for Tarawih (optional Ramadan prayers) or for a congregation consisting only of close relatives. Certain medieval scholars—including Al-Tabari (838–932), Abu Thawr (764–854), Al-Muzani (791–878), and Ibn Arabi (1165–1240)—considered the practice permissible at least for optional (nafila) prayers; however, their views are not accepted by any major surviving group. A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Image of a woman on the Pioneer plaque sent to outer space. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For the Indian village, see Salat, Kulpahar. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... This page deals with Islamic thought. ... Islam (Arabic:  ) is a monotheistic religion based upon the teachings of Muhammad, a 7th century Arab religious and political figure. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Tarawih (تراويح) is an Arabic phrase referring to extra prayers given at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan. ... This article is about Islamic religious observances in the month of Ramadan. ... Balamis 14th century Persian version of Universal History by al-Tabari Abu Jafar Muhammad ibn Jarir at-Tabari AD 838-AD 923 (Father of Jafar, named Muhammad, son of Jarir from the province of Tabaristan, Arabic الطبري, ), was an author from Persia, one of the earlies, most prominent and... For the Maliki scholar, see Ibn al-Arabi. ...

Some Muslims in recent years have reactivated the debate, arguing that the spirit of the Qur'an and the letter of a disputed hadith indicate that women should be able to lead mixed congregations as well as single-sex ones, and that the prohibition of this developed as a result of sexism in the medieval environment, not as a part of true Islam. However, those who hold on to such views are the vast minority in the Muslim world. The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎, literally the recitation; also called ‎ The Noble Qurān; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that Sex discrimination be merged into this article or section. ...

Canonical position

The Qur'an does not address this issue directly; relevant precedents are therefore sought for in the hadith, the traditions attributed to Muhammad. The only hadith that unequivocally states that women may not lead mixed congregations is Ibn Majah (Kitab iqamat is-salat was-sunnati fiha) #1134, narrated through Jabir ibn Abdullah: "A woman may not lead a man in Prayer, nor may a Bedouin lead a believer of the Muhajirun or a corrupt person lead a committed Muslim in Prayer." However, Qatar-based scholar, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, [1] states that "The eminent scholars of Hadith say that the chain of reporters of this hadith is extremely weak, and hence, it is not to be taken as evidence in the question in hand." The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎, literally the recitation; also called ‎ The Noble Qurān; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ... Ibn Maja, full name Abu `Abdallah Muhammad ibn Yazid Ibn Maja al-Rab`i al-Qazwini, was a medieval scholar of hadith (the sayings of Muhammad). ... Given name Jabir ibn Abdullah. ... A Bedouin man resting on a hillside at Mount Sinai Bedouin, derived from the Arabic ( ‎), a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic pastoralist groups, who are found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via... Muhajir or Mohajir (Arabic: مهاجر) is an Arabic word meaning refugee or immigrant or emigrant. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Arabic: يوسف القرضاوي) (born September 9, 1926) is an Egyptian Muslim scholar and preacher best known for his popular al Jazeera program, ash-Shariah wal-Hayat (Shariah and Life), and IslamOnline, a website that he helped to found in 1997. ...

An indirectly relevant hadith is widely considered to be crucial, as Qaradawi goes on to state, since the imam stands at the front of the congregation. The hadith in question is #881 of Sahih Muslim: Sahih Muslim is a collection of sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad (also known as the sunnah). ... Abul Husayn Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj Qushayri al-Nisaburi (Arabic: أبو الحسين مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري) (born 204 A.H. - 261 (or 268?) A.H/ 875), Muslim Author of the second most widely recognized collection of Hadith in Sunni Islam. ...

Abu Huraira said: The best rows for men are the first rows, and the worst ones the last ones, and the best rows for women are the last ones and the worst ones for them are the first ones.[2]

The sunnah—actions of Muhammad (including but not limited to hadith)—is a more general source of precedent; it is usually considered to militate against women leading mixed congregations, as there are no reports of it happening in Muhammad's time, unless, as Amina Wadud suggested, the aforementioned Umm Waraqah hadith is interpreted to apply to her town rather than to her household alone. However, as noted above, there are also no reliable reports of his forbidding it. `Abdul-Rahman bin Sakhr Al-Azdi [AKA Abu Hurairah, Abu Hurayrah or even Abu Horaira. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Amina Wadud is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. ...

A third source of precedent is the principle of ijma—consensus—supported by the hadith "My community will never agree upon an error." This is also generally quoted against it, since the consensus of the traditional jurists is overwhelmingly against it; however, supporters of the idea argue that this consensus is not universal. Ijmāʿ (إجماع) is an Arabic tern referring to the consensus of the ummah, the community of Muslims, those practicing Islam, or of the ulema, those learned in the relevant topic. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

With regard to women leading congregations of women, however, several hadith report that Muhammad's wife Aisha and Umm Salamah did so, and as a result most madhhabs support this. According to Qaradawi: For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). ... Aisha bint Abu Bakr (RA) (Arabic `āisha, she who lives, also transcribed as Aishah, Ayesha, Aisha, or Aisha, Turkish Ayşe etc. ... Umm Salamah was a wife of the Prophet Muhammad. ...

The hadith of `A’ishah and Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them). `Abdur-Raziq (5086), Ad-Daraqutni (1/404) and Al-Bayhaqi (3/131) reported from the narration of Abu Hazim Maysarah ibn Habib from Ra’itah Al-Hanafiyyah from `A’ishah that she led women in Prayer and stood among them in an obligatory Prayer. Moreover, Ibn Abi Shaybah (2/89) reported from the chain of narrators of Ibn Abi Layla from `Ata’ that `A’ishah used to say the Adhan, the Iqamah, and lead women in Prayer while standing among them in the same row. Al-Hakim also reported the same hadith from the chain of narrators of Layth Ibn Abi Sulaim from `Ata’, and the wording of the hadith mentioned here is Al-Hakim’s.

Furthermore, Ash-Shafi`i (315), Ibn Abi Shaybah (88/2) and `Abdur-Raziq (5082) reported from two chains of narrators that report the narration of `Ammar Ad-Dahni in which he stated that a woman from his tribe named Hujayrah narrated that Umm Salamh used to lead women in Prayer while standing among them in the same row.

The wording of `Abdur-Raziq for the same hadith is as follows: “Umm Salamah led us (women) in the `Asr Prayer and stood among us (in the same row).”

In addition, Al-Hafiz said in Ad-Dirayah (1/169), “Muhammad ibn Al-Husain reported from the narration of Ibrahim An-Nakh`i that `A’ishah used to lead women in Prayer during the month of Ramadan while standing among them in the same row.

Further, `Abdur-Raziq reported (5083) from the narration of Ibrahim ibn Muhammad from Dawud ibn Al-Husain from `Ikrimah from Ibn `Abbas that the latter said, “A woman can lead women in Prayer while standing between them.”

But, all of the hadiths state that the given women lead the other women in prayersd while standing among them in the same row, and not standing on the first row of the prayers as Imams do, and also states that they were only among the women and not all the worshippers such as males.

Women imams in women-only congregations

The schools differ on whether a woman may be imam (leader) of a Jama'ah (congregational) prayer if the congregation consists of women alone: three of the four Sunni madhhabs—Shafi'is, Hanafis, and Hanbalis—allow this, while Malikis do not. In such a case, the woman stands among the congregation in the front row, instead of alone in front of the congregation. In 2000, six marjas among Iran's Shia leadership declared that they too allowed women to lead a woman-only congregation, reversing a previous ban in that country. [3] Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ... Madhhab (Arabic مذهب pl. ... The Šāfiˤī madhab (Arabic: شافعي) is one of the four schools of fiqh, or religious law, within Sunni Islam. ... Hanafi (Arabic حنفي): (its followers are sometimes known in English as Hanafites or Hanifites)-- (cf Malikite, Shafiite, Hanbalite for the other schools of thought)--.is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This page deals with Islamic thought. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Marja (Arabic/Persian: مرجع), also appearing as Marja Taqlid or Marja Dini (Arabic/Persian: مرجع تقليد / مرجع ديني), literally means Source of Emulation or Religious Reference. It is the label provided to Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed...

An unusual feature of Islam in China is the existence of nüsi, mosques solely for women. The imams and all the congregants are women and men are not allowed into the mosques. On the other hand, in at least some communities where these mosques operated, women were also not allowed in the men's mosques. A handful of women have been trained as imams in order to serve these mosques. [4] In recent years, efforts have been made to establish similar mosques in India and Iran. [5] Islam has a rich heritage in China. ... The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca as it exists today A mosque is a place of worship for followers of the Islamic faith. ...

Women as imams of mixed-gender congregations

Traditionally

In the Hanafi madhhab, women are allowed to lead mixed congregations in the optional tarāwīh prayers in Ramadan if they are well-versed in the Qur'ān; however, they are to stand behind the men, in the women's rows, rather than in front. The Hanifite jurists stipulate that this to be permissible only for old women and only when no man knowledgeable in the Qur'ān is present. They do not consider it permissible for the Jum'ah (Friday) prayer (as this is an obligatory prayer, which is not enacted upon women). Hanafi (Arabic حنفي): (its followers are sometimes known in English as Hanafites or Hanifites)-- (cf Malikite, Shafiite, Hanbalite for the other schools of thought)--.is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... Madhhab (Arabic مذهب pl. ... Tarawih (تراويح) is an Arabic phrase referring to extra prayers given at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan. ... This article is about Islamic religious observances in the month of Ramadan. ... The Qurān [1] (Arabic: ‎, literally the recitation; also called ‎ The Noble Qurān; also transliterated as Quran, Koran, and Al-Quran) is the central religious text of Islam. ...

In the early years of Islam, one sect of Kharijites founded by Habib ibn-Yazīd al-Harūrī held that it was permissible to entrust the imamate to a woman if she were able to carry out the required duties. The founder's wife, Ghazāla al-Harūriyya, even commanded troops, following the example of Abu Sufyan's daughter Juwayriyya at the battle of Yarmuk. Kharijites (Arabic خوارج, literally Those who Go Out [1]) is a general term embracing a variety of Islamic sects which, while initially accepting the caliphate of Ali, later rejected him. ... Ghazāla al-HarÅ«riyya was the wife of Habib ibn-YazÄ«d al-HarÅ«rÄ«, founder of the HarÅ«riyya sect of Kharijite Islam, which held that it is permissible to entrust the imamate to a woman if she is able to carry out the required duties. ... Abu Sufyan ibn Harb was the leader of the Banu Abd Shams clan of the Quraish tribe, and was the chieftain of the entire Quraish tribe, making him one of, if not the most powerful men in Mecca during the lifetime of Muhammad. ... Combatants Byzantine Empire Muslim Arabs Commanders Theodore the Sacellarius Baänes Khalid ibn Walid Strength About 200,000 About 24,000 Casualties Very Heavy,About 50,000 Unknown,Relativly low The Battle of Yarmuk (also spelled Yarmuq or Hieromyax) took place between the Muslim Arabs and the Byzantine Empire in...

Modern Islamic academicians such as Dr. Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, based on the Umm Waraqah hadith mentioned above, consider it permissible for a knowledgeable woman to lead mixed prayers within her own household, as he considers this to largely obviate the danger of the men being aroused by her presence. This view, however, is rejected by the vast majority of Fiqh "jurisprudence" specialists and religious experts. However, few fatawa exist permitting women to lead a mixed gender congregation regardless of familial relationship- most notably one by Dr. Khaled Abou el Fadl, who recommends that the placement of the imam be made with greater modesty in mind for a female imam. Some traditional scholars caution against Yusuf Qaradawi's methodology and especially his excessive leniency to the point of laxity. He does not limit himself to the relied upon positions of the four Sunni schools of fiqh and is notorious among scholars for his many aberrant positions. They respect him as a scholar; they are cautious and caution others about those positions of his that depart from the mainstream. Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Arabic: يوسف القرضاوي) (born September 9, 1926) is an Egyptian Muslim scholar and preacher best known for his popular al Jazeera program, ash-Shariah wal-Hayat (Shariah and Life), and IslamOnline, a website that he helped to found in 1997. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

South Africa (1994 to date)

One of the earliest reported cases of a woman imam in the West occurred in 1995 in Johannesburg, South Africa. For about two years, a congregation met every Friday for the Jum'ah prayer and every night in Ramadan for the special tarāwīh prayer in a building owned by the Muslim Youth Movement of South Africa (MYM). [6] The khutbah for the Jumu'ah was delivered by either a male or female khatib and the imams for the prayer also included men and women. One of the prime movers behind this congregation was well-known South African Muslim women's rights activist Shamima Shaikh (1960–1998). [7] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... City motto: Unity in Development Province Gauteng Mayor Amos Masondo Area  - % water 1,644 km² 0. ... This article is about Islamic religious observances in the month of Ramadan. ... Tarawih (تراويح) is an Arabic phrase referring to extra prayers given at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan. ... Khutba is an Islamic sermon delivered after or before Salah. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Shamima Shaikh (September 14, 1960 - January 8, 1998) is South Africas most well-known Muslim womens rights activist. ...

A year earlier, Amina Wadud (see below) became the first woman in South Africa to deliver the jum'ah khutbah, at the Claremont Main Road Mosque in Cape Town. Farid Esack discusses this event in his 1997 book Qur'an, Liberation, and Pluralism. [8] Following that event, both the Claremont Main Road Mosque and Masjidul Islam, in Johannesburg, often have had women speakers for Jum'ah. Amina Wadud is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. ... City motto: Spes Bona (Latin: Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Province Western Cape Mayor Helen Zille Area  - % water 2,499 km² N/A Population  - Total (2004)  - Density Not ranked 2,893,251 1,158/km² Established 1652 Time zone SAST (UTC+2... Farid Esack is a South African Progressive Muslim writer and scholar. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In January 1998, as per her wishes, one of the four funeral prayers for Ms. Shaikh was led by a woman friend. January * January 1998 - A massive ice storm, caused by El Niño, strikes New England, southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting in widespread power failures, severe damage to forests, and a number of deaths. ...

In 2003, a new venue for Eid prayer was established in Durban by a group of individuals and was later taken on by an organisation called Taking Islam to the People (TIP). The venue is designed to allow entire families to attend the Eid prayer together in a pleasant and comfortable atmosphere. Located at Durban's North Beach, the Eid prayer is an open-air event performed against the backdrop of the Indian Ocean. Each event includes two khutbahs, one each by a male and a female. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Durban (Zulu: eThekwini (IPA: ) is the second most populous city in South Africa, forming part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. ...

To date five women have offered khutbah's at this venue. They are Lubna Nadvi, Zaytun Suleyman, Fatima Seedat, Fatima Hendricks and Mariam Seedat.

Canada

2004: 20-year-old Maryam Mirza, delivered the second half of the Eid al-Fitr khutbah at the Etobicoke mosque in Toronto, Canada, run by the United Muslim Association. The Islamic holiday of Eid ul-Fitr (Arabic: عيد الفطر) marks the end of Ramadan. ...

2004: Yasmin Shadeer led the night 'Isha prayer with her congregants including men and women. [9] This is the first recorded occasion in contemporary times where a woman led a congregation in prayer in a mosque. The United Muslim Association is determined to continue this practice of having women delivering the khutbah and leading the salah.

2005: Raheel Raza led a Friday service, delivering the khutbah and leading the prayers of the mixed-gender congregation organized by the Muslim Canadian Congress [10] to celebrate Earth Day in the backyard of the downtown Toronto home of activist Tarek Fatah, under Police protection, after refusal by Mosques to host such a prayer and threats by Islamists to stop it. The Muslim Canadian Congress is a grassroots organization that claims to provide a voice to Muslims who support a progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion. ... Earth Day Flag. ... Tarek Fatah (born November 20, 1949) is a secular Muslim Canadian political activist, writer and TV host. ...

Pamela Taylor, a Muslim since 1986 gave the Friday khutbah and led mixed-gender prayers in Toronto, Canada at the UMA mosque at the invitation of the Muslim Canadian Congress [11] on Canada Day. The Muslim Canadian Congress is a grassroots organization that claims to provide a voice to Muslims who support a progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion. ... Canada Day (French: Fête du Canada) is Canadas national holiday. ...

The former Mufti of Marseille, Sohaib binCheikh, requests that either Raheel Raza [12] or Pamela Taylor lead him in prayer during a visit to Canada. The prayers are sponsored by the Muslim Canadian Congress [13] and held in a private venue with a mixed gender congregation. The Muslim Canadian Congress is a grassroots organization that claims to provide a voice to Muslims who support a progressive, liberal, pluralistic, democratic, and secular society where everyone has the freedom of religion. ...

Bahrain

2004: In an aborted attempt of a woman delivering a Jum'ah khutbah, Bahraini police arrested a 40-year old woman in 2004 for trying to deliver the khutbah at one of the biggest mosques in the island state. The incident took place on the last Friday of Ramadan. The would-be khatib was wearing full male dress with an artificial beard and moustache. The mosque was packed with 7000 worshippers. When sat on the minbar just before she was to deliver the khutbah, some worshippers realised that the new imam was a woman in disguise. They and the mosque's imam, Sheikh Adnan Al-Qattan, handed her over to the police. [14] Khutba is an Islamic sermon delivered after or before Salah. ... Khutba is an Islamic sermon delivered after or before Salah. ... For other uses, see Sheikh (disambiguation). ...

USA

The Wadud Prayer: (March 18, 2005) NOTE The Wadud prayer is not the first woman-led mixed-gender congregational prayer (see the above noted events), but the first to gain national and international attention. March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In early 2005, it was announced that Amina Wadud, an African American Muslim, and a professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, would lead a congregation in Friday salat prayer in New York, sponsored by the Muslim Women's Freedom Tour, [15] under the leadership of Asra Q. Nomani, by the website "Muslim WakeUp!," and by members of the Progressive Muslim Union. Nomani has written that she was inspired to organize the event after reading Michael Muhammad Knight's novel The Taqwacores ISBN 1-57027-167-4 in which a burqa-clad punk girl leads her male housemates in prayer. The Assembly of Muslim Jurists in America responded by issuing a fatwa reiterating the traditional view: 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Amina Wadud is an Associate Professor of Islamic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, Virginia. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or simply black) is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... Islamic Studies is the academic discipline which focuses on Islamic issues. ... Virginia Commonwealth University, or VCU, is a large public American research university with its main campuses located in downtown Richmond, Virginia. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Asra Nomani on Book TV Asra Q. Nomani is an Indian-American Muslim journalist, author, and feminist, known as an activist in the Muslim reform and Islamic feminist movements. ... A website (or Web site) is a collection of web pages, images, videos and other digital assets and hosted on a particular domain or subdomain on the World Wide Web. ... Muslim Wake Up (sometimes abbreviated MWU!) is a website founded to promote progressive and reformist ideas within Islam. ... The Taqwacores (2004) ISBN 1570271674 by Michael Muhammad Knight is the authors third novel, set in Buffalo, New York, about punk rock and Islam. ... A fatwa (Arabic: ‎; plural fatāwa), is a legal pronouncement in Islam made by a mufti, a scholar capable of issuing judgments on Sharia (Islamic law). ...

A unanimous consensus for the entire Ummah (Muslim community) in the east and west [is] that women can not lead the Friday prayer nor can they deliver the [sermon]. Whoever takes part in such a prayer, then his prayer is nullified, whether he was an Imam or a follower.

Supporters of the event insisted that, to the contrary, it was a long overdue change; Khaled Abou El-Fadl, professor of Islamic Studies at UCLA, California (apparently unaware of previous cases of women leading mixed congregations), said, This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The University of California, Los Angeles, generally known as UCLA, is a public university whose main campus is located in the affluent Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ...

What the fundamentalists are worried about is that there's going to be a ripple effect not just in the U.S. but all over the Muslim world. The women who are learned and frustrated that they cannot be the imam are going to see that someone got the guts to break ranks and do it.

Three mosques refused the group; the event was then scheduled to be held at an art gallery in the SoHo district of Manhattan, but this site was changed after a bomb threat. The final site selected for the service was the Synod House owned by and adjoining the Episcopal Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Soho is an area of central Londons West End, in the borough of the City of Westminster. ... The Borough of Manhattan, highlighted in yellow, lies between the East River and the Hudson River. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The arms of the Episcopal Church are based on the St Georges Cross, a symbol of England (mother of world Anglicanism), with a saltire reminiscent of the Cross of St Andrew in the canton in reference to the historical origins of the American episcopate in the Scottish Episcopal Church. ... The Cathedral of St. ... The Upper West Side is a neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River above West 59th Street. ...

On Friday March 18, Amina Wadud acted as imam for a congregation of about 60 women and 40 men seated together, without the traditional separate male and female sections. The call to prayer was given by another woman, Suheyla El-Attar. Wadud stated, March 18 is the 77th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (78th in leap years). ... Adhan (Arabic: أَذَان aḏān; also: aazan, athan) is the Islamic call to prayer, recited by the muezzin. ...

I don't want to change Muslim mosques. I want to encourage the hearts of Muslims, both in their public, private and ritual affairs, to believe they are one and equal.

A small number of protestors gathered outside.

Afterwards, the general ˤUlamā' response from across the world has been similar to that of the widely watched Shaykh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, who responded that, while a woman could lead other women and even possibly her family in salat, she could not lead a mixed group including non-mahram males: Ulema (, translit: , singular: , translit: , scholar) (Islamic clergy) refers to the educated class of Muslim scholars engaged in the several fields of Islamic studies. ... Shaikh (شيخ, also rendered as Sheik, Shaykh or Sheikh) is a word in the Arabic language meaning an elder or a revered old man. ... Yusuf al-Qaradawi (Arabic: يوسف القرضاوي) (born September 9, 1926) is an Egyptian Muslim scholar and preacher best known for his popular al Jazeera program, ash-Shariah wal-Hayat (Shariah and Life), and IslamOnline, a website that he helped to found in 1997. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... In Islamic sharia legal terminology, a mahram (Arabic محرم, also transcribed mahrim or maharem) is an unmarriageable kin with whom sexual intercourse would be considered incestuous, a punishable taboo. ...

The currently extant juristic schools agree that it is not permissible for women to lead men in the obligatory Prayer, though some scholars voice the opinion that the woman who is well-versed in the Qur'ān may lead the members of her family, including men, in Prayer on the basis that there is no room for stirring instincts in this case.

The Progressive Muslim Union followed the Wadud prayer with a Woman-led Prayer initiative. The initiative sought to bring together the varied Progressive opinions on the prayer as well as engage more conservative Muslims by encouraging further debate, highlighting legal opinions in support of the prayer (as well as giving space to the overwhelming negative opinions), facilitating Muslims who would like to organize future prayers, and documenting those events as they heard of them. Progressives and others sympathetic to bringing about a transformation of gender privilege in Islam continue to work for the establishment of woman-led prayer.

Many perceived the Wadud prayer to be an inevitable reaction to the deplorable situation of women in mosques in North America. The attention garnered by the event forced more conservative Muslim organizations to publicly acknowledge the situtation and call for changes. ISNA responded with guidelines for Women-Friendly Mosques. Scholars such as Imam Zaid Shakir and Dr. Louay M. Safi have been calling attention to and working to change mosque conditions for years. For example, see Imam Zaid's essay "Flight from the Masjid", and Safi'sWomen and the Masjid between Two Extremes and Towards Women Friendly Mosques. Progressives and others would argue, though, that mosque conditions are merely a symptom of a widespread sense of male entitlement following centuries of male privilege in the intellectual and political power centers of Islam. Louay M. Safi was born in Damascus. ...

Women continue to lead prayers in the United States in Queer and Mainstream communities with or without media coverage such as Nakia Jackson's 2006 Eid al-Adha prayer.

Spain

Spanish Muslims have been some of the greatest supporters of the woman-led prayer movement in Islam. Spanish Muslim religious scholar Abdennur Prado responded immediately to the Wadud prayer with a supportive legal opinion. In October of 2005 Wadud led a mixed gender congregational prayer in Barcelona.

See also

• Imam
• Shia Imam
• Liberal movements within Islam
• Effect of feminism on religion

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The Shia Imam is considered by the Shia sect of Islam to be the rightful successor to Muhammad, and is similar to the Caliph in Sunni Islam. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... Feminism is a collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies largely motivated by or concerned with the liberation of women from subordination to men. ...

External links

• The Progressive Muslim Union's Woman-led Prayer Initiative
• Female-Led Prayer, ForPeopleWhoThink.org website under the theologian and specialist in classical Islamic law - "Allama Dr. Abu Yusuf Khaleel Al-Corentini" pseudonyms "Mohamad K. Yusuff" and Khaleel Mohammed]
• The Islamic Basis for Female-Led Prayer, article on Muslim Wake Up
  • A rebuttal by
• Fatwa by Qaradawi
• Articles on Women's Right in Islam by Louay M. Safi
• Fatwa by Muhammad Nur Abdallah
• Muslim women in Europe
• http://www.islammessage.com/bb/index.php?showtopic=2637: Abdullah Hamid
• A Critique Of The Argument For Woman-Led Friday Prayers by Dr. Hina Azam
• A Critique of A Critique Of The Argument For Woman-Led Friday Prayers by Umm Yasmin
• Fatwa by Ali Gum'a of Al-Azhar
• ruling by Zarabozo (includes Arabic quotes)
• RELIGIOUS CONSERVATISM: FEMINIST THEOLOGY AS A MEANS OF COMBATING INJUSTICE TOWARD WOMEN IN MUSLIM COMMUNITIES/CULTURE by Riffat Hasan
• An Examination of the Issue of Female Prayer Leadership by Imam Zaid Shakir
• Women in Society: Political Participation
• Women as Imam
• A Treatise on Maliki Fiqh
• Dr. Khaled Abou el-Fadl's fatwa on women leading prayer