Is it permissible to make a player-place in which women will be in front of the imam?
Question

                What is the ruling on making a place for women to pray (Taraweeh) in front of the mosque (i.e., the prayer-place will be in front of the imam and they will be separated by the wall of the mosque)? There is no other place for the women to pray.
Praise be to Allah.
    Firstly: 

    It is better for a woman to pray in her house. It was 
    narrated from Umm Humayd,  the wife of Abu Humayd al-Saa’idi, that she came 
    to the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said: “O 
    Messenger of Allaah, I love to pray with you.” He said: “I know that you 
    love to pray with me, but your praying in your room is better for you than 
    your praying in your house, and your praying in your house is better for you 
    than your praying in your courtyard, and your praying in your courtyard is 
    better for you than your praying in the mosque of your people, and your 
    praying in the mosque of your people is better for you than your praying in 
    my mosque.” So she gave orders that a ‘mosque’ be built for her in the 
    innermost and darkest part of her house, and she used to pray there until 
    she met Allaah (i.e., died).  

    Narrated by Ahmad, 26550; classed as saheeh by Ibn Khuzaymah, 
    1689; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 340. 

    ‘Abd al-‘Azeem Abaadi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

    The reason here is that women's praying at home is better so 
    as to avoid fitnah, and that was more strongly emphasized after the 
    tabarruj (wanton display) that women introduced. 

    ‘Awn al-Ma’bood, 1/193. 
However, if a woman 
    wants to go to the mosque to pray, it is not permissible for anyone to stop 
    her, if she adheres to the conditions stipulated for her to go out, because 
    the Messenger  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Do not 
    stop your womenfolk from going to the mosques if they ask you for 
    permission.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 865; Muslim, 442. 

    See also question no. 9232. 

    Secondly: 

    The basic principle concerning prayer in congregation is that 
    the members of the congregation should be behind the imam. The scholars 
    differed concerning the ruling on one who prays in front of the imam. The 
    most correct of the views is that it is permissible when there is an 
    excuse. 

    Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) 
    was asked: 

    Does prayer count if one prays in front of the imam or behind 
    him in the mosque with a barrier between them, or not? 

    He replied: 

    If a person prays in front of the imam, there are three 
    scholarly views: 

    1 – The prayer is valid in all cases, even though it may be 
    makrooh. This is the well-known view of the madhhab of Maalik, and is the 
    former view of al-Shaafa’i. 

    2 – It is not valid in all cases, as is the view of Abu 
    Haneefah, and of al-Shaafa’i and Ahmad according to the well-known views of 
    their madhhabs. 

    3 – It is valid if there is an excuse, but not otherwise, 
    such as if there is crowding and a person cannot offer Friday prayer or the 
    funeral prayer except by standing in front of the imam. In that case, 
    praying in front of the imam is better than not praying at all. 

    This is the view of a number of scholars, and it is an 
    opinion in the madhhab of Ahmad and others. It is the fairest view and is 
    the most likely to be correct, because the most that can be said about not 
    standing in front of the imam is that it is one of the obligatory duties of 
    praying in congregation, and all the obligatory duties may be waived when 
    there is an excuse, even if they are essential parts of the prayer. So it is 
    more appropriate to say that the obligatory duties that are specific to 
    prayer in congregation prayer may be waived. Hence things that the 
    worshipper is unable to do are waived in his case, such as standing, 
    reciting, clothing himself, purity (tahaarah) and so on. 

    In the case of prayer in congregation, he may sit in the 
    odd-numbered rak’ahs for the purpose of following the imam (i.e., he may sit 
    after the first and third rak’ahs – this applies to one who joins the prayer 
    late, after one rak’ah). If he does that deliberately when he is praying 
    alone, his prayer is invalid. If he catches up with the imam when he is 
    prostrating or sitting, then he should say takbeer and prostrate with him or 
    sit with him, in order to follow him, even though that will not count for 
    him. And he should do the prostration of forgetfulness with the imam, even 
    though he is not the one who forgot. 

    Also, during the fear prayer, he does not have to face 
    towards the qiblah, and he does many actions, and he leaves the imam before 
    the salaam, and he makes up the first rak’ah before the imam says the 
    salaam, and he does other things that are done in order to be part of the 
    congregation. But if he does them with no excuse, then his prayer is 
    invalid.  

    The point here is that one prays in congregation according to 
    what one is able to do. If the member of the congregation cannot follow the 
    imam except by standing in front of him, the most that can be said is that 
    he has not stood where he should in order to be part of the congregation, 
    and this is less serious than other options. 
The same applies to 
    praying behind a row standing alone. If a person cannot find someone to join 
    him, and he did not pull someone out of the row to stand with him, then he 
    should pray standing alone behind the row; he should not leave the 
    congregation. Similarly, if a woman cannot find another woman to stand with 
    her, then she should stand on her own behind the row. This is according to 
    the consensus of the imams, because standing with another person in a row is 
    enjoined when it is possible, not when it is not possible. 

    Al-Fataawa al-Kubra, 2/331-333 

    Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was 
    asked: Is it permissible for a member of the congregation to stand in front 
    of the imam? 

    He replied: 

    The correct view is that it is obligatory for the imam to 
    stand in front, and it is not permissible for a member of the congregation 
    to stand in front of the imam, because the imaam is supposed to be an 
    example and his place is in front of the members of the congregation, so it 
    is not permissible for a person to pray in front of the imam. The Prophet 
     (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to pray in front of 
    the Sahaabah (may Allaah be pleased with them), and based on that, the 
    prayer of those who pray in front of the imam does not count, and they have 
    to repeat their prayer. But some scholars made an exception in cases of 
    necessity, such as if the mosque is small and there is not enough room for 
    everyone; in that case they may pray to the right and the left of the imam, 
    and in front of him and behind him, because of necessity.  End quote. 

    Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 
    13/44 
Based on this, you should try hard to make the place for women behind the imam; if there is no place and you cannot bring the imam forward, then there is no sin in it, in sha Allaah. 

    And Allaah knows best.