Jamaat Salaah and Imaamat

Q: In a Shafie masjid, when the imam makes salams at the end of the prayer, the congregation waits until he has completed both salams, then they make their own salams. Sometimes the salams of the imam are lengthy, making the congregation wait for a long period (longer than 3 subhanallahs). If a Hanafi follower also delays his salam in this manner (waiting for the imam to complete), will his salat become invalid due to delaying a wajib (i.e. intentionally delaying the first salam)?

Q: Please can you clarify for me. There is a masjid/classrooms/ladies namaaz area in one building. The masjid-mens namaaz area is on the first floor. The wuzu khanaa, classrooms and ladies namaaz area downstairs. The classrooms are used for namaaz when there is an overflow of males. The ladies area has a separate entrance door to that for the men and classrooms.

In some peoples mind, the ladies area does not form part of the masjid. They call it rooms. So they say, the ladies are not going to the masjid. Is this thinking correct? Can the ladies go to the masjid/rooms to make namaaz? Can the ladies read namaaz behind an Imam in Jamaat? Can the ladies go to the masjid/rooms to read namaaz but not in Jamaat? Can the ladies go to the masjid/rooms to read Taraweeh salaat in Jamaat? Can the ladies go to the masjid/rooms to listen to lectures? Can the ladies go to the masjid/rooms for a nikah? Can the Bride go to the masjid for her nikah but being in the ladies section? 

Are Ladies permitted to go to the masjid for any reason whatsoever?

Can the ladies go for Eid Namaaz to an Eid Ghah?

Please advise.

Q: If one is in a mosque and the person that leads the prayer makes masah over regular socks. Now is this reason for one beforehand that one should not pray behind him (as normally people wash their feet in the morning and then wipe for the salaah thereafter), or is it essential that one must have seen him wiping before that actual prayer? 

Q: The mosque I go to, basically everyone of those who lead the salaah wipes over regular socks. Must I repeat my salaah?

Q: What do the four madhabs say regarding congregational salaah for men? Do they say it is wajib or only mustahab? Can you cite references in your answer?

Q: If I enter the musjid and join the salaah while the Imam is in ruku, then after saying the takbeer, should I go straight into ruku or should I first recite the sana? If I should not recite the sana before going into ruku, then when should I recite it?

Q: Is it preferable for the Imam to lengthen the Ruku' briefly when hearing someone entering the Masjid to join the Salaah?

Q: I visited a certain website, according to them hanafis can't pray behind Imams of the haramain if they don't take care of the masaail in wudu as hanafis do i.e they should do masah of head to more than quarter of the head, if they don't do we can't pray behind them. I think this is not good, at the time of Sahaba there would not have been such an issue as to not offer salah behind any specific sahabi. Please clarify.

Q:

1. List the circumstances under which an Imam who is the most knowledgeable may in his own presence permit a man of lesser knowlege to be Imam for that Salaah; meaning that how is it possible for an Aalim to permit a hafiz to be Imam when the more knowledgeable person has the responsibility by virtue of his greater knowledge to correctly be the appropriate Imam?
2. Does the Imaamat of the unappointed Imaam, despite it being out of place, does the Salaah of such an Imaam and that of those musallees following such an unappointed Imaam, become an invalid or null and void Salaah?

Q: The Imaam of my Musjid trims his beard to less than a fist length. Should I pray salah after him or not?