❖ ✍ Written by: Shaykh Maqbool Ahmad Salafi (Jeddah Da’wah Center, Hayy as-Salamah)
❖ Introduction: No Gender-Based Difference in Prayer
Among the masses, the belief has become widespread that women's prayer is different from that of men. However, the truth is that the manner of prayer for women is exactly the same as that for men — women should perform Ṣalāh in the same way men do. I will now clarify this matter in the light of textual evidence to strengthen your belief that women must also pray in the exact same manner as men.
❖ Observational and Rational Evidence
To begin, let me offer some observational insights to prepare the mind for rational evidence. The notion of a distinct method of prayer for women is a later innovation that arose after people began abandoning the Prophet ﷺ and following other figures. The women of blindly-following (muqallid) sects perform prayers differently because their scholars invented a special restricted style of prayer for women — including different postures for raising hands, placing hands, bowing (rukūʿ), prostration (sujūd), sitting (tashahhud), etc.
Most of us have visited the Two Holy Mosques (Ḥaramayn Sharīfayn) and seen Arab women pray just like men. These Arab women have been doing so since the time of the Prophet ﷺ and the Companions. As Islam originated and spread from this very region, their method of prayer provides us with insight into the original and correct way of performing Ṣalāh for women. It is not just Arab women — rather, in every part of the world, where sisters follow Qur’ān and Sunnah instead of taqlīd, they pray just like men. This is because the Lawgiver of the Sharīʿah, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, taught a single method of prayer for all — he did not prescribe a different method for men and another for women.
❖ Qur’ānic Perspective: A Universal Book for Both Genders
Firstly, observe that Allah revealed one book — the Qur’ān — and within it, all the commands encompass both men and women unless a command is specified for one gender. Similarly, this principle applies to Ḥadīth. All six major and authentic books of Ḥadīth (Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, al-Tirmidhī, and Ibn Mājah) contain chapters titled Kitāb al-Ṣalāh (Book of Prayer). These chapters include detailed instructions and prophetic traditions about each aspect of Ṣalāh — postures, units (rakʿāt), invocations, and remembrances.
Out of hundreds of aḥādīth on prayer, not even one says that a woman should pray differently than a man.
❖ Challenge to Referencing from Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah
A woman once asked a question to the renowned Ḥanafī institute Jamiah al-Banuriyyah al-ʿĀlamiyyah in Pakistan:
“I want to know the reference in Islam for the prayer of women as I am about to begin. I want the reference only from the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah and not from any other books — especially regarding prostration and tashahhud.”
The institution responded:
“It is bold of her to demand proof only from the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah,” and then advised her to follow the prayer method from Bahishtī Zewar.
You can find this fatwa on their website under ID 32164.
From this response, it becomes clear that those who claim women pray differently do not have a single authentic hadith from the primary Ḥadīth collections to support their claim.
❖ Women Are Counterparts to Men in Religious Rulings
The Prophet ﷺ said:
إنما النساء شقائق الرجال
“Women are the counterparts of men (in rulings).”
Reference: al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 2863
Keeping this in mind, consider the following important command from the Prophet ﷺ regarding how to pray:
❖ Prophetic Instruction: "Pray As You Have Seen Me Pray"
Narrated by Mālik ibn Ḥuwayrith رضي الله عنه:
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي
“Pray as you have seen me praying.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 631, 7246, 6008
The Prophet ﷺ instructed the companions to teach their families — including women — the way he prayed. If women's prayer were different, he would have explicitly said: “Men, pray like me, and teach your women a different method.” But he did not.
This hadith is general and includes everyone.
❖ Another Explicit Ḥadīth from Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim
Narrated by Sahl ibn Saʿd رضي الله عنه:
The Prophet ﷺ ascended the pulpit to teach how to pray. He performed prayer in a way visible to all — including women who were present in the masjid. After finishing, he said:
يا أيها الناس إني صنعت هذا لتأتموا بي، ولتعلموا صلاتي
“O people! I did this so that you may follow me and learn how to pray.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 1216
Would this statement and demonstration not apply to women? Of course, it would. Had there been a different method for women, the Prophet ﷺ would have clarified it at that moment in front of the congregation — but he didn’t.
❖ Prayer is a Taʿabbudī (Pure Worship) Act
Worship is based solely on divine revelation, not personal reasoning or later scholarly interpretation. The Prophet ﷺ said:
نزل جبريل فأمني...
“Jibrīl عليه السلام came down and led me in prayer five times…”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 3221
This proves that the method of prayer is divinely established and cannot be altered.
❖ Example of a Woman Companion Praying Like Men
Umm al-Dardāʾ, the wife of Abū al-Dardāʾ, used to pray like men. Imām al-Bukhārī mentioned this in three of his books. For example:
وكانت أم الدرداء تجلس في صلاتها جلسة الرجل وكانت فقيهة
“Umm al-Dardāʾ used to sit in tashahhud as men do, and she was a scholar.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Adhān, 827 (Muʿallaq)
Similarly, she was seen doing rafʿ al-yadayn (raising hands) in the same manner as men.
Reference: Juzʾ Rafʿ al-Yadayn by al-Bukhārī: 24
This shows clearly that knowledgeable women from the time of the Prophet ﷺ prayed like men — with no separate style.
❖ Sujūd: A Shared Instruction for Both Genders
The Prophet ﷺ said:
اعتدلوا في السجود، ولا يبسط أحدكم ذراعيه انبساط الكلب
“Be moderate in sujūd and do not spread your arms like a dog.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 822
This applies to everyone — men and women alike. Women too must avoid spreading their arms during sujūd.
❖ Addressing Misconceptions About Modesty and Women's Prayer
Some argue that women should pray differently due to modesty. However, during the Prophet’s time, women prayed in the masjid behind men, and the Prophet ﷺ still did not teach them a separate way of performing Ṣalāh.
There are indeed certain rulings specific to women regarding location, clothing, and interaction, but these do not equate to a different prayer method. Consider the following:
✔ Women should ideally pray at home:
صلاة المرأة في بيتها أفضل من صلاتها في حجرتها...
“A woman’s prayer in her inner chamber is better than in her room…”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 570
✔ Women may attend the mosque without perfume:
إذا خرجت إحداكن إلى المسجد فلا تقربن طيبًا
“When one of you goes to the mosque, she must not come near perfume.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ: 501
✔ Women must cover with a khimār (head covering):
لا يقبل الله صلاة حائض إلا بخمار
“Allah does not accept the prayer of a woman who has reached puberty unless she wears a head covering.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd: 641
✔ Women's rows in the masjid should be at the back:
خير صفوف النساء آخرها وشرها أولها
“The best rows for women are the last ones, and the worst are the first.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 985
✔ Women cannot lead men in prayer or speak aloud during congregational errors:
التسبيح للرجال، والتصفيق للنساء
“Saying ‘Subḥānallāh’ is for men; clapping is for women.”
Reference: Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 1204
All these rulings are for protection and modesty, not for altering the core method of prayer.
❖ Refuting the Analogy With Ḥajj (Raml in Ṭawāf)
Some try to argue that just as women do not perform raml (brisk walking) in ṭawāf, their prayer should be different. This is a false analogy because:
① Ṭawāf is not a pure form of worship like Ṣalāh.
② Prayer was fully demonstrated by the Prophet ﷺ and preserved in detail.
③ Where there is explicit Prophetic guidance, no analogy or scholarly consensus (ijmāʿ) can override it.
❖ Conclusion
There is no authentic evidence from the Qur’ān or Ḥadīth that women should pray differently than men. The method taught by the Prophet ﷺ is the only valid method — applicable to both men and women. The differences stated by some schools are innovations without basis in the Ṣiḥāḥ Sittah. Women are to pray exactly as the Prophet ﷺ did, as the instruction “Pray as you have seen me pray” is universal.❖ Final Duʿā
We ask Allah Almighty to guide people to the truth and grant both men and women the ability to worship according to the way of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
Āmīn.
