From my inbox

[حامل المسك]

Dear Sisters & Brothers,

Assalamaualiakum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu !

I have received a lot of mails asking for evidences for the points of differences between a man and woman’s prayer given in my earlier mail. Every well read should know that there are five schools of thought in Islamic Jurisprudence. Namely, Hanafi, Hanbali, Shafai, Maliki and Salafi. If you go through the books of fiqh of these schools of thought , you will find differences and that difference make the today’s Muslim Ummah. Now please note that the points given in my earlier mail were according to the Hanafi school of thought.

Certainly there are sisters who follow their particular schools of understanding. They are free to post their understanding and I don’t see any reason for any conflict or fighting here on the forum.

The points given in my earlier mail are recorded from Hanafi school of thought and have basis according to their understanding. I am giving below an understanding according to the Hanafi school of thought. After going through you will come to know that whatever the other Fiqh school say is not of their ulamas whims and fancies, but there are evindences coming down to us since generations. Everyone has its own evidence of Hadeeth , It is just a matter of acceptance that you don’t accept my hadeeth as weak while I don’t accept yours as zaeef. It is just this otherwise the whole Ummah despite of these difference in schools of though , is united always.

Now something about Hanafi school of thought…….Among the four established Sunni schools of legal thought in Islam, the Hanafi school is the oldest, The Hanafi school also has the most followers among the four major Sunni schools. Both the Ottoman Empire and the Mughal Empire were Hanafi so the Hanafi school is still widespread in their former lands. The other three schools of thought are Shafi, Maliki, and Hanbali. Today, the Hanafi school is predominant among the Sunnis of Central Asia, Afghanistan, Pakistan and the most of the Indian Subcontinent, China, Southeast Asia, as well as in Iraq, Turkey, Albania, the Balkans and the Caucasus. Despite these differences, there is little or no animosity between the four schools of religious law within Sunni Islam.[3] Instead there is a cross-pollination of ideas and debate that serves to refine each school's understanding of Islam

Remember we are one in Deen not in thought process and understanings. My understanding may differe from yours but that does not make me hostile to you . Our Deen is one and that is where we stand united.

Now please go through the following article.

[حامل المسك]

Some people are of the view that all the laws of salah are common to both men and women, and that there is no difference between them. They also claim that the hadeeth 'Pray as you have seen me praying' is general and, therefore, should be applied equally to both men and women. It should be realised, however, that our own interpretation and logical inference of this hadeeth cannot compare with the other ahadeelh of the Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) and the verdicts and practice of the Sahabah and Tabi'un (رضئ الله عنهم) quoted below.

The Shariah has ordained distinct rules for men and women in many important questions of salah. For example,

Women do not have to give Adhan (call to Prayer) or Iqamah (second call to Prayer). Ibn Qudamah, may Allah have mercy on him, said: “We don’t know any difference between Muslim scholars (on this point).” (Al-Mughni ma`a Ash-Sharh Al-Kabir, 1/438).

All of the woman’s body must be covered during Prayer, except for her face and hands, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “No prayer will be accepted from an adult woman unless she wears a Khimar.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari) There is some dispute as to whether her heels and feet should be covered.

-The woman should keep her limbs close to her body during bowing and prostration, and not spread them out, because this is more modest and covering. (Al-Mughni, 2/258)

Hadeeth of Abu Mutee’ al-Hakam ibn ‘Abd-Allaah al-Balkhi from ‘Umar ibn Dharr from Mujaahid from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Umar who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When a woman sits during the prayer she should place one thigh against the other and when she prostrates she should press her stomach against her thighs, compressing herself in the most concealing manner, for Allaah looks at her and says: ‘O My angels, I call you to bear witness that I have forgiven her.’” Sunan al-Bayhaqi al-Kubra, 2/222.

A third hadeeth was narrated from Yazeed ibn Abi Habeeb, saying that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) passed by two women who were praying. He said: “When you prostrate, press some of your flesh to the ground, for women are not like men in that.”
This was narrated by Abu Dawood in al-Maraaseel (p. 118) and by al-Bayhaqi (2/223).

Al-Nawawi said: “In his Al-Mukhtasar, Ash-Shafi`i said that there is no difference between men and women in prayer, except that women should keep the parts of their bodies close to one another, and they should make their stomachs touch their thighs during prostration. This is more covering and preferable in bowing and the rest of the prayer as well.” (Al-Majmu`, 3/429)

-When the Imam makes a mistake in a congregational prayer men would correct him by saying, “Subhanallah”, while women would correct him by clapping (some describe it as clapping the palm of one hand against the back of the other). This is confirmed in a well-known Hadith.

[حامل المسك]

• Jumuah is fardh upon men but not on women, and the Eid prayer is wajib for men but again not for women

Sayyiduna Tariq bin Shthab (رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم), said, 'Jumuah in congregation is an obligatory duty upon every Muslim except four people: a slave, a woman, a child, and one who is sick.’' - Abu Dawood 1067 and Hakim 1062. Hakim declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.


Sayyidatuna Umm Atiyyah . says as part of a longer hadeeth, 'We have been forbidden from following funerals and there is no Jumuah upon us. - Ibn Khuzaimah 1722

• The reward of congregational prayer for men is twenty seven times more than an individual prayer. Contrary to this, the more rewarding prayer of a woman is that which is most concealed and performed within the confines of her innermost living quarters.


The multiplied reward for praying in congregation applies only to men. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to a woman, “I know that you like to pray with me… but your prayer in your house is better for you than your praying in the mosque of your people…” This hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad (Musnad, Baaqi al-Ansaar, 25842; classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, no. 337)

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'The prayer of a woman in her makhda' (partition) is better than her prayer in her hujrah (chamber), and her prayer in her hujrah is better than her prayer in her bait (house). - Abu Dawood Masaail of Imam Ahmad narrated by his son Abdullah 373. and Ibn Khuzaimah 1690.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (رضئ الله عنه ) narrates that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, The most beloved salah to Allah of a woman is one that she performs in the darkest spot of her home - Ibn Khuzaimah 1691, and Tabarani in al M'ujam al Kabeer as mentioned by Hafidh Haithami 2/35. Hafidh Haithami also says that its narrators are authentic.

• Unlike men women should not give adhan or say the iqamah.

Sayyidatuna Asmaa (R) narrates as part of a longer hadeeth that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'There is no adhan iqamah or Jumuah upon women.'- Baihaqi 1921. 543 Baihaqi 1920.


Sayyidatuna Ibn Umar (R) says 'There is no adhan or iqamah upon women.'-Baihaqi 1920

• There is a great difference in the awrah of a man and that of a woman in salah. Women must cover their entire body including the hair, leaving only the face, hands and feet exposed.

Ummul Mu'mineen Aisha (R) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'Allah does not accept the salah of a mature female without a scarf. - Ahmad 24012, Ibn Majah 655, Abu Dawood 641, Tirmidhi 377, Ibn Khuzaiir 775, Hakim 917 and Baihaqi 3254. Hakim declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.

"Allaah will not accept the prayer of a woman who has started to menstruate, except with a khimaar (covering)" (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, Ibn Maajah and al-Tirmidhi, with a saheeh isnaad)

Abu Dawud reported from Umm Salamah that she asked the Prophet about a woman who prayed wearing a dir’ (chemise or upper garment) and a khimaar (head cover), but no izaar (lower garment). He said: "The woman is ‘awrah

• Women cannot lead men in salah.

Abu Bakrah (رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said ‘Never will those people succeed who have appointed a woman over them.’ -545 Ahmad 19507, Bukhari 4163, Tirmidhi 2262 and Nasai 5388.

Jabir bin Abdullah (رضئ الله عنه ) reports as part of a longer hadeeth that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, Know that a woman should not lead a man in salah.' - Ibn Majah 1081 and Baihaqi 5131.


• For the purpose of correcting or deterring someone in salah men should say 'subhanallah' loudly, whilst women are only allowed to clap their hands.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (رضئ الله عنه )reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'Tasbeeh is for men, and clapping is for women. - Bukhari 1145.

The different postures, positions and rulings concerning the prayers of the female are not the invention of a group or an individual but teaching of the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) himself. He was the very first person differentiate between the prayer of a man and a woman.

Yazid bin Abi Habib reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) passed by two women who were praying salah. He said, 'When you prostrate, let part of your body cling to the earth, for women are unlike men in this regard'. - Abu Dawood in his al Maraseel pl8 (Muassasah al Risalah edition), and Baiha 3201.


Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (رضئ الله عنه ) narrates that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'When a woman sits in salah she should place one thigh over the other, and when she prostrates she should press her stomach to her thighs in a manner that is the most concealing for her. Indeed Allah looks at her saying, "Oh my angels! I make you witness that I have forgiven her."- Baihaqi 3199. He also declared it dhaeef.



Sayyiduna Wail bin Hujr (رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) said, 'Oh Ibn Hujr! When you pray make your hands level with your ears. And the woman shall raise her hands close to her bosom.'- Tabarani in al M'ujam al Kabeer 22/19 no.28. Hafidh Haithami says 2/103, 'Tabarani

We derive some very important and fundamental principles about the prayer of a woman from all the above ahadeeth.

• The laws of salah are not always the same for men and women.
• The sunnah posture of a female in any position of salah is that which is the most concealing for her.

Imam Baihaqi says,

'All of the laws of salah in which a woman differs from a man are based on the principle of satr (concealment) . This means that the woman is instructed to do all that which is more concealing for her. The following chapters of hadeeth explain this meaning in detail.' Baihaqi 2/314.

As mentioned earlier, this variation in the salah of a woman has been prescribed by none other than the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) himself. It has remained the practice of the whole ummah till this day and is also reflected in the rulings of the Sahabah and Tabi'un. The ulama and fuqaha of all four schools have always recognised this difference and, as is evident in their books of fiqh, have always observed the above principles whenever making a ruling about the salah of a woman. Following are a few narrations detailing the verdicts and practice of the Sahabah & together with the verdicts of some of the Tabi 'un and the ulama of the different schools of fiqh:

Verdicts and practice of the Sahabah (رضئ الله عنهم)

Khalid bin al Lajlaaj reports as part of a longer hadeeth that women were ordered to do tarabb'u i.e., to draw out one's right leg towards the right side of the body and to place the left leg beneath the right leg when sitting in salah. --- Ibn Abi Shaibah 2783

Nafi' narrates that Safiyyah (رضئ الله عنها) would pray and do tarabb'u. -Abdul Razzaq 5074 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2784

Nafi' also narrates that the womenfolk of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar's (رضئ الله عنه ) family would do tarabb'u. -Ibn Abi Shaibah 2789

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (رضئ الله عنه ) was once asked, 'How did women pray their salah during the time of the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) ' He replied, 'They used to sit cross legged until they were told to practice ihtifazNarrated by all three, Abu Muhammad al Bukhari, Qadhi Umar bin al Hasan Ashnani, and Ibn Khusruw in their Musnads of Imam Abu Hanifah’s ahadeeth Ihtifaz is to lean to one side and rest on the posterior. It is more or less the same a sadl.

Sayyiduna Ali (رضئ الله عنه ) says, 'When a woman prostrates she should do ihtifaz and press her thighs together.', and in Abdul Razzaq's narration 'press her thighs against her stomach.'Abdul Razzaq 5072 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2777. Muhaddith Dhafar Ahmad Uthmani 3/32 has declared it hasan.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (رضئ الله عنه ) was asked about the prayer of a woman. He replied, 'She should pull herself close together and do ihtifaz.’Ibn Abi Shaibah 2778.


Verdicts of the Tabi'un and other ulama:

Ibn Jurayj reports, 'I asked Ataa: "Should a woman motion with her hands at the time of takbeer as a man does?" he replied, "She should not raise her hands with takbeer in the manner of men." Ataa then demonstrated (the way in which she should.) He placed his hands very low and then pulled them towards him. He then said, "The posture of a woman in salah is not that of a man."Abdul Razzaq 5066 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2474

Ataa also says, 'A woman should pull herself together when she bows down into ruk'u: she should bring up her arms to her stomach and pull herself together as much as possible. When she prostrates she should bring up her arms close to her and press her bosom and stomach against her thighs: she should pull herself together as much as possible.Abdul Razzaq 5069

Hasan al Basri says, 'A woman should pull herself close together in sujud.' Ibn Abi Shaibah 2781

Hasan and Qatadah both say, 'When a woman prostrates she should pull herself together as much as possible. She should not allow for any space between her limbs so that her posterior is not raised.'Abdul Razzaq 5068

One certain author has argued that all the descriptions of the Prophet's ( صلى الله علیه وسلم) prayer are equally applicable to both men and women and there is nothing in the sunnah that excludes women from any of them. Insha Allah the contents of this chapter will answer that claim. The author then goes on to say that this is the view of Ibrahim al Nakhai who said, 'A woman's actions in the prayer are the same as a man's.' - transmitted by Ibn Abi Shaibah (1/75/2), with a saheeh sanad from him.

This is not what Ibrahim al Nakhai said at all nor is it his view. His narration transmitted by Ibn Abi Shaibah actually reads, 'A woman will sit in salah just as a man does.'Ibn Abi Shaibah 1/242, no 2788 This somehow has been misquoted as 'A woman's actions in the prayer are the same as a man's.'!

In fact, Ibrahim al Nakhai's other narrations quite clearly contradict the above report. His view about the prayer of a woman as reported by Ibn Abi Shaibah and others is as follows:

Ibrahim al Nakhai says, 'When a woman prostrates she should press her stomach against her thighs. She should not raise her posterior nor should she allow for any space or distance between the limbs of her body as a man does.'Abdul Razzaq 5071 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2782.

He also says, 'When a woman prostrates she should bring her thighs together and press her abdomen to them.'Ibn Abi Shaibah 2779.

He also says, 'A woman should sit to one side in salah.'Abdul Razzaq 5077 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2792.

Imam Baihaqi says,

'All of the laws of salah in which a woman differs from a man are based on the principle of satr (concealment) . This means that the woman is instructed to do all that which is more concealing for her. The following chapters of hadeeth explain this meaning in detail.'Baihaqi 2/314.

Ibn Qudamah al Maqdisi al Hanbali quotes Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal in his al Mughni as saying, 'I consider sadl 56S to be better for a woman.' He also qoutes the narration of
Sayyiduna Ali (رضئ الله عنه ) who says, 'When a woman prays salah she should do ihtifaz and press her thighs together.'Ibn Qudamah in al Mughni 2/135.

Imam Ahmad was asked about how a woman should prostrate and sit for tashahhud. He replied, 'She should do whatever is more concealing for her.' He added, 'She should do tarabb'u in tashahhud and draw her legs to one side (sadl).'Masaail of Imam Ahmad narrated by his son Abdullah 373.

According to the narration of Abu Dawood, Imam Ahmad was asked about how a woman should sit in salah. He replied, 'She should press her thighs together.'Masaail of Imam Ahmad narrated by Abu Dawood p51

Qadhi Iyadh has also quoted from some Salaf that the sunnah for women is tarabb'u.512

All the above quite clearly demonstrates that the prayer of a woman is different in some aspects from that of a man, and that this distinction was first made by none other than the Prophet ( صلى الله علیه وسلم), and then maintained by the prominent Sahabah and Tabi'un. Furthermore, as can be seen in their works, there is almost universal agreement amongst the scholars of all schools of fiqh on this issue.

List of differences between the prayer of a man and a woman:

Some of the differences as mentioned in the Hanafi books of fiqh are listed below.


In all the postures and movements of salah, including qiyam, ruk'u, sajdah, and tashahhud a woman should adopt that which is the most modest and concealing for her.

At the beginning of salah a woman should not raise her hands to her ears but only to her shoulders or close to her bosom.573 Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal also says that she should raise them slightly and, according to one narration, she should not raise them at all.

In qiyam, women are to place their hands on their bosoms. They can fasten them in any one of the different ways 'akdh' (grasping) or 'wadh' (placing) described in part two, or they can simply rest the right palm on the left one.

Unlike men, in ruk'u, women should tuck their arms into the body and not spread them outward. They should also merely place their hands over their knees with closed fingers, and not grasp them with the fingers spread wide open.In some books of Hanafi fiqh it has been suggested that in ruk’u they should also bend their backs and knees slightly. The Hanbali scholar Imam Khirqi also says as part of a longer statement, ‘The woman should gather herself in ruk’u and sujud.’ (al Mughn In fact, women should try to keep their fingers close together in all the postures of salah.

During prostration men should allow for some space and distance between their stomachs and thighs, and arms and the side of the body, whilst women should press these limbs together.

Again in prostration, men should raise their arms off the ground and allow for some distance but women should let them cling to the ground.

During the sitting of tashahhud, men are to rest on their legs and raise their right foot with the toes facing qiblah, whereas women are to take out both their legs towards the right hand side of the body and rest on the posterior without raising their right foot

[التائبة]

thank you very much my brother

[حامل المسك]

Jazakum Allah Khayrn, and very nice to see you here

[حفيدة عائشة]

The subject of an integrated

[om fares]

http://3ashegaldam3ah.jeeran.com/سلمت%20يداك.gif

[سمية الانصارية]

Jazakum Allah Khayrn

[حامل المسك]

Thank you for your post

[بنت السنة]

wow.. very nice
hahaha
thanx for adding
jazakom allah '7ayran

[حامل المسك]

Excuse me what makes you laugh??

[بنت السنة]

coz its along report and i cant read it all
sorry if i make desturb

[حامل المسك]

Never mind my syster