The Women who hear the Takbir, but they do not see the Imam nor those who are behind him
Question:
We have a Masjid that is made up of two floors. The upper floor is for the men and the lower floor is for the women. The women offer the prayers on this lower floor in congregation with the men, while the men are on the upper floor. The women do not see the Imam nor do they see the rows of the men. However, they hear the Takbir by way of the microphone. So, what is the ruling of their prayer in this situation?
Answer:
As long as the situation is like what was mentioned, the prayer of all of the people is correct, as all of them are inside of the Masjid and it is possible for them to follow by way of hearing the voice of the Imam through the microphone. This is the more correct of the two opinions of the scholars.
The only considerable difference of opinion is concerning the situation when some of the people who are being led in prayer are outside of the Masjid and they do not see the Imam nor any of those praying behind him. And Allah is the Giver of success.
Shaykh `Abdul-`Azeez Bin Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 3, p26, DARUSSALAM.
