Short answer
They can pray in congregation, and it is rewarding. The husband leads and the wife stands behind him, not beside him, even if she is the only one following. If a son or another man joins, he stands to the imam's right. In the Hanafi school a woman standing level with a man in a shared prayer can make the man's prayer invalid.
A husband may lead his wife in prayer, with her standing behind him. A woman standing in line with a man in a prayer they share, when the imam intends to lead women, invalidates the man's prayer in the Hanafi school (muhadhat). For men, praying the fard with the masjid congregation remains the priority.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A woman standing beside a man in prayer is disliked but does not invalidate anyone's prayer.
- Hanbali
- A woman standing beside a man is disliked but does not invalidate the prayer.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ encouraged spouses to pray together: if a man wakes his wife at night and they pray two rakats together, they are written among those who remember Allah much. Anas described praying behind him with an orphan boy beside him, while an elderly woman stood behind them. That is the arrangement for a family congregation.
- The husband stands in front as imam.
- The wife stands behind him, not at his side, even if she is the only follower.
- One man or boy joining stands at the imam's right, level with him or slightly back.
- Two or more men stand in a row behind the imam, and the women stand behind the men.
The Hanafi school is strict about a woman standing level with a man in a prayer they share: if the conditions are met, the man's prayer is invalid. So keep the wife behind. Recitation is loud in Fajr, Maghrib and Isha as usual. For men, the masjid congregation still comes first for the fard prayers; praying with your wife is ideal for tahajjud and other nafl, or when you have missed the masjid. Jumuah cannot be prayed this way; see can you pray Jummah at home.
Related: who should lead the prayer, how women pray and are women allowed in the mosque.
The evidence
Sunan Abi Dawud 1309
Grading to be checked... إذا أيقظ الرجل أهله من الليل فصليا ...
"If a man wakes his wife at night and they both pray."
Spouses praying together is praised.
Sahih Muslim 658
Sahih... وصففت أنا واليتيم وراءه والعجوز من ورائنا ...
"The orphan and I lined up behind him, and the old woman behind us."
A woman stands behind the men, even when she is alone.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the imamate. A woman stands behind; a woman level with a man in a shared prayer invalidates his prayer when its conditions are met.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Salah, chapter on the imamate. Sets out the conditions of muhadhat.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Chapter on the position of the imam and followers. The Shafi'i view that standing beside is disliked but valid.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.