Can Women Pray Taraweeh in a Separate Neighboring Building with Only Speakers and No Connected Rows?
Question
Our masjid purchased a neighboring church that is on a separate plot of land next to the mosque. It is a completely separate building, there are no rows outside the masjid connecting the two, and there is walking distance between them. Can women pray Taraweeh in that building while the men pray in the masjid, using connected speakers to follow the imam?
Answer
Alhamdulillah, wassalatu wassalamu ala rasulillah, wa ala alihi wa sahbihi ajmain.
In congregational prayer, Sharia requires more than simply hearing the imam’s voice. The core issue is whether the congregation is considered one connected gathering in place, or two separate congregations linked only by audio.
1. The Shar‘i Context
The Prophet said:
“The imam is appointed to be followed.”
Sahih al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim
Following the imam requires a real congregational unity, not merely a broadcast.
2. The Condition of Connection in Congregational Prayer
The jurists stated that for salah in congregation to be valid, the followers must be connected to the imam in one of the recognized ways, such as:
- Being in the same masjid space
- Being connected through continuous rows
- Having a continuous physical connection that does not sever the congregation
When there is separation by distance, and no continuous rows, the congregation is considered cut off.
This is why the scholars generally did not allow a person to pray behind an imam in another location by simply hearing a voice, because this removes the meaning of jamaah as a gathered prayer.
3. Application to Two Separate Buildings With Walking Distance
In your clarified situation:
- The building is separate
- There is walking distance
- There are no connecting rows outside
- The women would be relying only on speakers
This is not considered ittisal of the congregation. It becomes essentially:
- One congregation in the masjid
- A separate group in another building attempting to follow by audio
Most scholars do not validate this as a single jamaah, because the physical continuity that defines jamaah is absent.
4. What Women Should Do Instead
Women may still pray Taraweeh in that building, but it should be established as one of the following:
- A separate congregation led by a qualified imam in that building
- Individual prayer (especially if staffing is limited)
- Coordinated schedule where women pray there with their own imam while men pray in the masjid
If the masjid wishes to unify the worship experience, the sound system may be used for reminders, Qur’an recitation outside prayer, or lectures, but not as the sole basis for following the imam in salah.
5. Relevant Usul Principles
العبادات مبناها على التوقيف
Acts of worship are based on revelation and fixed limits.
Congregational prayer has defined conditions that cannot be replaced by new forms unless supported by evidence.
الحكم يدور مع علته وجودا وعدما
A ruling follows its effective cause.
The effective cause for joining an imam is real congregational connection. When that cause is absent, the permissibility ends.
سد الذرائع
Blocking the means.
Allowing separated broadcast-based jamaah opens the door to replacing real congregational prayer with remote following, which undermines the meaning and limits of jamaah.
Final Ruling
If the neighboring building is fully separate, with walking distance between it and the masjid, and there are no connecting rows that unite the congregation, then women may not pray Taraweeh as followers of the imam in the masjid merely by listening through speakers.
They may still pray Taraweeh in that building by establishing their own congregation with an imam, or by praying individually, while using the sound system for reminders or lectures outside the prayer itself.
And Allah knows best.