What is the ruling on congregational prayer in hotels and courtyards surrounding the Grand Mosque in Mecca? Does this contradict the virtue of completing the first rows? Is it permissible for a man to prevent his wife from going to the Grand Mosque due to overcrowding? And is her prayer valid in her room with the congregation if she is close to the Grand Mosque?

The jurisprudential schools differ on the ruling regarding a congregant following the Imam when there is an obstruction preventing vision. The Hanafis and Malikis validate the following absolutely. The Shafi'is, however, differentiate between prayer inside the mosque and outside it. The Hanbalis have two narrations.

The connection of rows is not a condition for the validity of prayer, according to the preponderant opinion. A congregant following the Imam of the Haram (definition) while in a hotel is a matter of dispute among scholars, and many of them validate it. Similarly, prayer in the courtyards surrounding the mosque, if there is no obstruction preventing vision, is valid, with some scholars stipulating that the distance between the congregant and the last person in the congregation should not exceed 300 cubits.

It is permissible for a husband to prevent his wife from going out to pray in the mosque if he fears temptation for her, or if she jostles with men, or if she does not adhere to the legitimate guidelines for going out. In this case, her prayer at home is better.