Ruling on a woman who leads her relatives in praying Taraweeh when she is menstruating, and ruling on the prayer of those who prayed behind her
Question

                I am a girl, and when I got my monthly period for the first time, I was very shy, so I did not refrain from praying, and I prayed at the time of my period. That is because I was very shy, lest my family asked me, Why aren’t you praying?

On a number of occasions, I felt very shy in front of my sisters, and sometimes I would lead them in praying Taraweeh. All of that was because of extreme shyness. What is the ruling on that? Do I have to offer any expiation?
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly: 

	Menstruation is something that Allah has decreed for the 
	daughters of Adam, and it is something natural that women are used to, so it 
	is not permissible for a person to fall into something that Allah has 
	prohibited to her, and that the Shaytaan makes fair-seeming to her, and say 
	that that was because of shyness concerning menstruation. 

	In fact this is weakness and a failure to comply with the 
	command of Allah, because shyness or modesty does not bring anything but 
	good, but what happened, and many similar things that happen, is purely 
	wrong; it cannot be the case that what made you do that was the kind of 
	shyness that is praiseworthy according to the laws of Allah. The scholars 
	are unanimously agreed that it is prohibited to pray during the days of the 
	monthly period and postpartum bleeding (nifaas), and if the menstruating 
	woman goes against that ruling and prays, then she is disobeying Allah and 
	has committed a grave sin. 

	What you must do is repent to Allah, may He be glorified and 
	exalted, from this grave evil deed and ask Him for forgiveness for your sin, 
	and beware of doing such a thing again, no matter what the Shaytaan makes 
	fair-seeming to you, and no matter what kind of excuses he tries to instill 
	in your mind. True shyness is shyness before Allah, which means that you 
	feel too shy before Him to commit this evil deed, namely praying without 
	being in a state of purification and going against His command to the 
	menstruating woman to refrain from praying. 

	An-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: 

	The ummah is unanimously agreed that it is haraam for the 
	menstruating woman to pray, whether the prayer is obligatory or 
	supererogatory. 

	End quote from al-Majmoo‘ (2/351) 

	Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was 
	asked:

	Is it permissible for a menstruating woman to pray, if she 
	prays out of shyness? 

	He replied: 

	It is not permissible for a menstruating woman to pray, 
	because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, 
	according to the hadith of Abu Sa‘eed (may Allah have mercy on him): “Is it 
	not the case that when she menstruates, she does not pray or fast?” This 
	hadith is proven in as-Saheehayn. So she should not pray; it is 
	haraam for her to pray and her prayer is not valid if she does it, and she 
	does not have to make it up, because ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with 
	her) said: We were instructed to make up the fasts, but we were not 
	instructed to make up the prayers. 

	It is haraam for a woman to pray (whilst menstruating) out of 
	shyness, and it is not permissible for her to pray when she is menstruating, 
	or to pray when her period has ended but she has not yet done ghusl. If she 
	does not have any water, then she should do tayammum and pray, until she can 
	find water, then she should do ghusl. 

	End quote from Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (11/271) 

	For more information on the ruling on a woman who 
	deliberately prays when she is not in a state of purification, please see 
	the answer to question no. 65731 

	Secondly: 

	With regard to your leading people in praying Taraweeh at the 
	time of your period, this was another sin, from which you must repent, feel 
	regret, and resolve not to do it again. With regard to the prayer of those 
	who prayed behind you, and were not aware of your condition, their prayer is 
	valid, because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (694) from Abu Hurayrah, 
	according to which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be 
	upon him) said: “They [imams] lead you in prayer, and if they get it right, 
	then it is in your favour, and if they get it wrong, then it is in your 
	favour but against them.” 

	In Sunan Ibn Maajah (981) it says: “The imam is 
	responsible. If he does well, then he will have the reward and so will they, 
	but if he does badly, then that will count against him but not against 
	them.”

	Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami‘ 
	no. 2786 

	Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Ibn 
	al-Mundhir said: This hadith refutes those who claim that if the prayer of 
	the imam is rendered invalid, the prayer of those who prayed behind him is 
	also rendered invalid.

	End quote from Fath al-Baari (2/188) 

	Ibn Hajar said: al-Baghawi said in Sharh as-Sunnah: 
	This indicates that if one who is in a state of minor impurity leads people 
	in prayer, the prayer of those who pray behind him is valid, but he has to 
	repeat the prayer.

	End quote from Fath al-Baari (2/188) 

	Ash-Shawkaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: This 
	indicates that if the imam does something wrong, such as if he deliberately 
	fails to comply with one of the conditions or essential parts of the prayer, 
	then he is sinning, but there is no sin on those who prayed behind him 
	because of his wrong action.

	End quote from Nayl al-Awtaar (3/208) 

	Al-Majd Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) said in 
	Muntaqa al-Akhbaar: It is soundly narrated from ‘Umar that he led the 
	people in prayer when he was junub but was not aware of that, so he repeated 
	it but they did not. Something similar was narrated from ‘Uthmaan. And it 
	was narrated from ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him). End quote. 

	See Nayl al-Awtaar Sharh Muntaqa al-Akhbaar (3/207) 

	And Allah knows best.