Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuhu. At our office premises prayer hall, there is an imam who conducts prayers on Fridays and during the month of Ramadan. There is a small room earmarked for women in front of the minbar which is separated from the imam by a barred window, like a wall. My question is whether the women, who are technically standing in front of the imam, and not behind him, can follow him in the prayer? Please clarify. May Allaah reward you much.

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

Shaykh 'Abdullah ibn Jibreen was asked a similar question, which reads, “An imaam leads the congregation in prayer and in front of him is a room for women; are they allowed to be led in prayer by this imaam even if this room separates between them and the direction of the Qiblah of the imaam, meaning that they pray in front of the imaam?

He replied, “It is not permissible for the congregation to pray in front of the imaam regardless of whether it be done by men or women and whether they are in a room, or in a park, or in a desert; all of the congregation should be praying behind the imaam or on his sides, even if they are separated with a wall or a barrier, provided that he is in front of them or at one of their sides.”

Allah knows best.