Editing Mosque (section)

===Prayer leading===
Appointment of a prayer leader is considered desirable, but not always obligatory.<ref name="mawardi112">{{Cite book |last=Abu al-Hasankok Ibn Muhammad Ibn Habib |first=Al-Mawardi |author-link=Al-Mawardi |title=The Ordinances of Government (''Al-Ahkam al-Sultaniyya w'al-Wilayat al-Diniyya'') |publisher=Garnet Publishing |location=Lebanon |year=2000 |isbn=978-1-85964-140-8 |page=184}}</ref> The permanent prayer leader ([[imam]]) must be a free honest individual and is authoritative in religious matters.<ref name="mawardi112" /> In mosques constructed and maintained by the government, the prayer leader is appointed by the ruler;<ref name="mawardi112" /> in private mosques, appointment is made by members of the congregation through [[majority rule|majority voting]]. According to the [[Hanafi]] [[Madh'hab|school]] of Islamic jurisprudence, the individual who built the mosque has a stronger claim to the title of imam, but this view is not shared by the other schools.<ref name="mawardi112" />

Leadership at prayer falls into three categories, depending on the type of prayer: five daily prayers, Friday prayer, or optional prayers.<ref name="mawardi112" /> According to the Hanafi and [[Maliki]] school of Islamic jurisprudence, appointment of a prayer leader for Friday service is mandatory because otherwise the prayer is invalid. The [[Shafi'i]] and [[Hanbali]] schools argue that the appointment is not necessary and the prayer is valid as long as it is performed in a congregation. A slave may lead a Friday prayer, but Muslim authorities disagree over whether the job can be done by a minor.<ref name="mawardi112" /> An imam appointed to lead Friday prayers may also lead at the five daily prayers; [[List of Islamic studies scholars|Muslim scholars]] agree to the leader appointed for five daily services may lead the Friday service as well.<ref name="mawardi112" />

All Muslim authorities hold the consensus opinion that only men may lead prayer for men.<ref name="mawardi112" /> Nevertheless, women prayer leaders are allowed to lead prayer in front of all-female congregations.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z9WF1fRGOsQC&q=false&pg=PA63 |title=Karin van Nieuwkerk, 'Women Embracing Islam'|page=63 |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=978-0-292-77376-9 |year=2006}}</ref>