Question:

1. If doing a prayer collectively at home, whats the layout or how should you stand?

Imam > Men > Male Kids > Women > Women Children

Is the above correct?

2. Also, what if you have 2 guys and 1 women? would it be imam at front guy near side and women behind?

Answer:

Bismillāhi Taʿala,

Waʿlaikum Assalām Waraḥmatullāh,

At the outset we wish to place on record the importance of men and male children to pray at the Masjid. Ahādīth of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam mention great rewards for those who walk towards the masjid and become the guests of none other than Allah Ta‘ālā himself. Frequenting masājid and keeping an active link to masājid will also earn us the shade of the Arsh of Allah Ta‘āla on the day of Qiyāmah when there shall be no shade at all. Moreover, if the house-hold has younger children, it is important to inculcate the position of congregational salah at Masjid in them. The best and most efficient manner of this is through practice. When these children will see their elders making an additional effort to attend Masajid then the value and honour of Masajid will enter their hearts.

At the same time we cannot overlook that many families who organize the congregational jamā‘at at home fail to abide by the laws of hijab. This way, while they try to attain the reward of congregational salah, they lose out on the sin of intermingling with those women in family who are not their maharim (from whom a person has to observe hijāb). Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wasallam has mentioned that the ideal place for women to perform their salah is in the darkest corner of the house. In essence, privacy increases the rewards of the worship of women. Such collective prayers in the home will lose out on those rewards.

That being said, if for some reason a collective jamā‘at is made then the order of rows in salah will be as follows:

1. The order that you have mentioned is correct.[1]

Imām
|
Men
|
Male Children
|
Females
|
Female Children

2. If you have two men and woman praying in jamā‘at then Imām will stand in front and the male muqtadī (follower) will stand next him, but a step backward. The female will stand in the back. [2]

Imam
          Man
|
Female

Wallāhu Aʿlam,

Wassalamu ʿalaykum, 

Mufti Faisal al-Mahmudi
www.fatwa.ca

[1] فيقدم الأحرار البالغون ثم صبيانهم، ثم العبيد البالغون ثم صبيانهم، ثم الأحرار الخناثي الكبار ثم صغارهم، ثم الأرقاء الخناثي الكبار ثم صغارهم، ثم الحرائر الكبار ثم صغارهن، ثم الإماء الكبار ثم صغارهن كما في الحلية (الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 571))

[2] (قوله أما الواحدة فتتأخر) فلو كان معه رجل أيضا يقيمه عن يمينه والمرأة خلفهما (الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) (1/ 566))