Weekly Wisdom - 2/27

1084.Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "The best of the men's rows (in Salat) is the first row and the worst is the last; but the best of the woman's row is the last and the worst of their rows is the first.''
[Muslim].

Commentary: Islam has strongly condemned the association of men and women and enjoined women to keep away from mixing with men and observe Hijab (veil). The merit and demerit of place, in the rows in prayer, mentioned in this Hadith is with reference to this background because in the days of the Prophet (PBUH) women used to perform Salat in the Prophet's mosque and their rows were at the end of the gathering. There was no gallery nor a separate section for them. Thus, for men the best place for performing Salat in congregation is the first row because it is farthest from women. The best place for women in Salat in congregation is the last row because it is farthest from men. On the contrary, the last row of men was near the first row of women and for this reason it was regarded as the worst one. Every row of the people performing Salat is good but due to the reason just mentioned, the first row of men and the last row of women are more meritorious, while the last row of men and the first row of women have a lesser merit.