الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلاة والسلام على النبى الكريم وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين ومن تبعهم بإحسان إلى يوم الدين
The obligation of prayer is established from the Qur’an and Hadith. The Almighty says:
﴿فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا﴾
So establish the prayer; indeed, prayer is a decreed obligation upon the believers at prescribed times.
It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
بني الإسلام على خمس شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمدا رسول الله وإقام الصلاة وإيتاء الزكاة وحج البيت وصوم رمضان
“Islam is built upon five things: 1. testifying that there is no deity except Allah and that Muhammad ﷺ is the Messenger of Allah. 2. establishing the prayer. 3. paying the Zakat. 4. performing Hajj, and 5. fasting in Ramadan.”
See the importance of the obligation of prayer in the following hadith:
بين الرجل وبين الشرك والكفر ترك الصلاة
“The dividing line between the believer and the disbeliever is abandoning the prayer.”
Therefore, every Muslim man and woman is obligated to perform the prayer at the five prescribed times of the day and night. It is the responsibility of parents to teach and train their children in prayer from childhood. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Order your children to pray when they reach seven years of age, and when they reach ten years of age, beat them for neglecting the prayer and separate their beds.”
The Method of Prayer: In Accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
For the method of fulfilling this obligation, see the hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي
“Pray as you have seen me praying.”
Difference in Prayer between Men and Women? A Research Review
The command of the Prophet ﷺ is general and includes both men and women. Therefore, the form and method of prayer that the hadiths describe for men is also the method for women. The Qur’an and Hadith do not describe a separate form of prayer for women.
From the Takbir al-Tahrima, “الله أكبر“, to the conclusion with “السلام عليكم ورحمة الله“, the prayer is one method and one form for men and women alike. The standing, ruku’, qawma, sujud, jalsa, qa’dah, and jalsat al-istirahah of men and women are all the same, and even the tasbihat and supplications recited at each position are identical.
Raising the Hands and the Sunnah Form of Ruku’ and Sujud
A detailed hadith describing the prayer’s form is found in Abu Dawud:
Muhammad bin Amr bin Ata (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that he heard Abu Hameed al-Sa’idi (may Allah be pleased with him) say, in a gathering of ten of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, among whom was Abu Qatadah (may Allah be pleased with him), that “I know the method of the Messenger of Allah’s ﷺ prayer better than all of you.” They said: “How? By Allah, you are not more diligent in following the Prophet ﷺ than us, nor are you older in companionship than us.” He said: “Indeed.” The Companions said: “Very well, then describe it.” Abu Hameed said: “When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood for prayer, he would raise his hands until they reached his shoulders, then he would say الله أكبر. Then he would recite. Then he would say الله أكبر and raise his hands until they reached his shoulders. Then he would bow, placing his palms on his knees, bowing calmly and with tranquility, neither lowering his head nor raising it up. Then, when he raised his head from bowing, he would say سمع الله لمن حمده, then raise his hands until they reached his shoulders, and stand very calmly and tranquilly. Then he would say اللہ أكبر and prostrate. Then he would raise his head, and fold his left foot and sit upon it, and in prostration he would turn the toes of his feet toward the qiblah. Then he would prostrate a second time, then say الله أكبر and raise his head, and fold his left foot and sit upon it, until every bone returned to its place. Then he would do the same in the second rak’ah. Then, when he rose from two rak’ahs to the third, he would raise his hands until they reached his shoulders, as he did when beginning the prayer (meaning he would perform raising of the hands). Then he would continue the rest of the prayer in the same way, until, when he was in the prostration in which he was to give the salam, he would push his left foot forward in the tashahhud and sit on the left side of his buttocks.” All the Companions said: “You have spoken the truth; the Prophet ﷺ used to pray in exactly this way.”
In this detailed hadith, one and the same method and form of prayer is described for men and women. Nowhere is an exception for women from any pillar, or a different form, mentioned, and neither did the group of Companions ask Abu Hameed (may Allah be pleased with him) to describe a separate form for women.
Narrated Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
افتتح التكبير فى الصلاة فرفع يديه حين يكبر حتى يجعلهما حذو منكبيه وإذا كبر للركوع فعل مثله وإذا قال سمع الله لمن حمده فعل مثله وقال ربنا ولك الحمد ولا يفعل ذلك حين يسجد ولا حين يرفع رأسه من السجود
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ would begin the prayer with the opening takbir, and while saying the takbir he would raise both his hands up to his shoulders, and he would do the same when saying the takbir for bowing, and when he said سمع الله لمن حمده he would also do the same and say ربنا ولك الحمد. He did not do raising of the hands (rafa’ al-yadayn) when prostrating or when raising his head from prostration.”
In another hadith, Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that he saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
كان يرفع يديه حذو منكبيه إذا افتتح الصلاة وإذا كبر للركوع
“When beginning the prayer, he would raise both his hands up to his shoulders, and likewise when saying الله أكبر for bowing.”
In these two hadiths, Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) described the form of raising the hands (rafa’ al-yadayn), but nowhere did he mention a separate form for women.
Regarding the form of placing the hands in prayer, Wa’il bin Hujr (may Allah be pleased with him) says:
فتطلعت إليه فقام فكبر ورفع يديه حتى حاذتا بأذنيه ثم وضع يده اليمنى على كفه اليسرى والرسغ والساعد
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ: he stood, said the takbir, and raised his hands until they reached his ears, then he placed his right hand over the back of his left palm, its joint and its wrist.”
Sayyiduna Sahl bin Sa’d (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that:
كان الناس يؤمرون أن يضع الرجل يده اليمنى على ذراعه اليسرى فى الصلاة
“People were commanded by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to place the right hand on the left forearm (wrist) during prayer.”
Thus the right hand should be placed on the left hand in such a way that the right hand falls over the back of the left palm, its joint and its wrist, and both hands should be tied on the chest, so that all the narrations are acted upon.
“I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with his hands placed on his chest.”
Authentic hadiths about placing the hands on the chest are found in Ibn Khuzaymah and Musnad Ahmad, but neither of these narrators mentioned any difference between the hand-placement of men and women. Imam Malik (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates from Ibn Shihab, from Sa’id bin al-Musayyib and Abu Salamah bin Abd al-Rahman, who informed him from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا أمن الإمام فآمنوا فإنه من وافق تأمينه تأمين الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه قال ابن شهاب: وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم يقول: آمين
“When the imam says amin, then you say amin too, for whoever’s amin coincides with the amin of the angels, all his past sins will be forgiven.” Ibn Shihab reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to say آمين.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا قال الإمام ﴿غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ﴾ فقولوا آمين فإنه من وافق قوله قول الملائكة غفر له ما تقدم من ذنبه
“When the imam says ﴿غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ﴾, then you say amin, for whoever says amin in agreement with the angels, all his previous sins are forgiven.”
Correct Method of Tashahhud, Jalsa, Qawma and Tawarruk
Muhammad bin Amr Amiri (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that he was in a gathering of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when the discussion of the Prayer of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began. Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
فإذا ركع أمكن كفيه من ركبتيه وفرج بين أصابعه ثم هصر ظهره غير مقنع رأسه ولا صافح بخده وقال فإذا قعد فى الركعتين فعد على بطن قدمه اليسرى ونصب اليمنى فإذا كان فى الرابعة أفضى بوركه اليسرى إلى الأرض وأخرج قدميه من ناحية واحدة
“When the Prophet ﷺ bowed, he would grip his knees with his palms, spread his fingers apart, and bend his back. His head was neither raised nor did he turn his cheek (to either side) [i.e., his head was straight, facing the Qibla]. He further said: And when he sat after two rak’ahs, he would sit on the sole of his left foot and keep his right foot upright; and when he sat in the fourth rak’ah, he would place his left thigh on the ground and bring his left foot out from the other side.”
In this blessed hadith, the bowing, the tashahhud, and the sitting position for the final tashahhud in a four-rak’ah prayer are described. Shaykh al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote that the phrase ولا صافح بخده (his cheek was not turned to either side) is da’if.
In Abu Dawud, the posture of bowing is described with more detail as follows:
Abu Humayd (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
ثم ركع فوضع يديه على ركبتيه كأنه قابض عليهما ووتر يديه فتجافى عن جنبيه
“Then he bowed and placed his hands on his knees as if he were holding them, and he made his hands like a bowstring (which lies on the bow), and kept his hands away from his sides.”
For the posture of qawma after bowing, see the hadith narrated by Abu al-Walid (may Allah have mercy on him). He said: Shu’bah narrated to us from Thabit al-Bunani, who said:
كان أنس ينعت لنا صلاة النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم فكان يصلي فإذا رفع رأسه من الركوع قام حتى نقول قد نسي
“Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) would describe to us the prayer of the Prophet ﷺ. He prayed, and when he raised his head from bowing, he would stand for so long that we would think he had forgotten.”
Al-Bara’ bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that:
كان ركوع النبى صلى الله عليه وسلم وسجوده وإذا رفع من الركوع وبين السجدتين قريبا من السواء
“The bowing of the Prophet ﷺ, his prostration, (standing) after raising his head from bowing (i.e., qawma), and the sitting between the two prostrations were almost equal.”
Abd bin Zaytun (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
رأيت أم الدرداء ترفع كفيها حذو منكبيها حين تفتتح الصلاة فإذا قال الإمام وسمع الله لمن حمده رفعت يديها قالت اللهم ربنا لك الحمد
“I saw Umm al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with her) that when she began the prayer she would raise her palms up to her shoulders, and when the imam, rising from bowing, said سمع الله لمن حمده, she would raise her hands up to her shoulders (i.e., she would perform raising of the hands) and say اللهم ربنا لك الحمد .”
Prostration and Its Prohibited Forms
Regarding the manner of going into prostration after qawma, Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) says that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
إذا سجد أحدكم فلا يبرك كما يبرك البعير وليضع يديه قبل ركبتيه
“When any of you prostrates, he should not sit down (for prostration) like a camel sits; rather, he should place his hands before his knees.”
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with both of them) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
«أمرت أن أسجد على سبعة أعظم على الجبهة وأشار بيده على أنفه واليدين والركبتين وأطراف القدمين ولا تكفت الشباب والشعر»
“I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead, and he pointed with his hand to his nose, and both hands, and both knees, and the tips of both feet, and that we should not gather our garments or our hair.”
Sayyidina Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said:
اعتدلوا فى السجود ولا يبسط أحدكم ذراعيه انبساط الكلب
“Observe moderation in prostration, and none of you should spread his forearms like a dog spreads them.”
In this hadith, the Prophet ﷺ, addressing the Muslims, not only forbade spreading the forearms on the ground during prostration but likened doing so to the sitting of a dog. This comparison expresses condemnation in extremely strong words. Spreading the forearms on the ground in this way is also a sign of laziness and sluggishness.
The Practical Example of Umm al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with her)
Therefore, the prescribed form of prostration must be fully observed. Imam al-Qastalani (may Allah have mercy on him) said that if someone does this, the prayer becomes makruh tanzihi. It should be remembered that this address of his includes both men and women, and no difference in the form of prostration for them has been stated. Moreover, Sahih al-Bukhari also contains the action of Umm al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with her) that she used to sit in her prayer just like men sit:
وكانت أم الدرداء تجلس فى صلاتها جلست الرجل
“Umm al-Darda’ (may Allah be pleased with her) used to sit in her prayer the way men sit.”
Thus, in the tashahhud, neither a woman nor a man sits cross-legged; rather, both sit in accordance with the Sunnah. And how is sitting in accordance with the Sunnah? Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) has explained this in the chapter heading (tarjamat al-bab). It is that in the first tashahhud, after the second prostration, one sits keeping the right foot upright and folding the left foot inward. In the final tashahhud, the left foot is brought out from beneath the right shin, and one sits on the left hip. This posture is referred to in the hadith as tawarruk. The purpose of including this posture in the chapter heading is to make clear that there is no difference between men and women in this matter.
Summary in the Light of Hadith and the Statements of the Imams
The summary of all the ahadith mentioned above is that no authentic hadith establishes any difference between men and women in the manner of prayer, in its form or performance. Rather, the general command of the Prophet ﷺ should be followed:
“Pray as you have seen me praying.”
Whatever difference some scholars have stated may be based on weak narrations and reports, which are not reliable.
Imam Shawkani (may Allah have mercy on him) says regarding the manner of raising the hands:
وأعلم أن هذه السنة نشترك فيها الرجال والنساء ولم يرد ما يدل على الفرق بين الرجل والمرأة فى مقدار الرافع وروى عن الحنفية أن الرجل يرفع إلى الأذنين والمرأة إلى المنكبين لأنه أستر لها ولا دليل على ذلك كما عرفت
“This raising of the hands is a Sunnah that is shared by both men and women (i.e., it is equal for both). There is no ruling distinguishing between the two in this matter. It is not reported explicitly that men should raise their hands up to the ears and women up to the shoulders, as is done in the Hanafi school. There is no evidence for this view.”
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in Fath al-Bari:
لم يرد ما يدل على التفرقة فى الرفع بين الرجل والمرأة وعن الحنفية يرفع الرجل إلى الأذنين والمرأة إلى المنكبين لأنه أستر لها
“The man raises his hands up to his ears and the woman up to her shoulders, because that is more concealing for the woman. No hadith has come stating this distinction between men and women.”
The Claim of Difference in Prayer: A Subcontinental Issue?
It has been observed that this difference in the performance of prayer between men and women has been adopted only in the Indian subcontinent. While saying the Takbir al-Tahrima, men raise their hands up to their ears while women raise them up to their shoulders; women fold their hands on the chest while men fold them below the navel. Men adopt one posture in ruku, while women are obligated to adopt a different posture: women are instructed not to spread their fingers, not to hold their knees, but merely to place their hands on their knees, to bend their knees, and to keep their arms pressed to their sides. Likewise in sujud, women are instructed to keep their stomach pressed against their thighs, while men are told to keep their thighs away from their stomach, although no hadith is cited in this regard.
In all the teachings of faith, belief, worship and morals, men and women are equally responsible and addressed, unless the Shariah excludes one of them through a specific ruling. As long as no exceptional ruling is established from a sound proof (the Qur’an and Sunnah), men and women will have the same ruling. For example, the command “Establish prayer and give zakat” [أقيموا الصلاة وآتوا الزكاة] includes both men and women. Prayer is an act of worship; its ruling is the same for both men and women, and both are bound to perform it. How will they perform this prayer? Exactly in the manner in which the Messenger of Allah ﷺ performed it or commanded it to be performed. It is not permissible to make any difference between the two in the method of its performance.
Legislation Belongs Solely to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ
Who knows better than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ which posture is most suitable for the physical structure of a woman and for covering her private parts, and which is not? Religion belongs to Allah and His Messenger ﷺ. Therefore, the right of legislation belongs to them alone, and justice requires that just as we do not associate a third party in the testimony of faith (kalima shahada), we should not include anyone in legislation either. Hence, women should study the blessed ahadith and fulfil this important duty in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet. Despite all efforts, being deprived of reward or deserving less reward merely because the method of performance is not correct would be a loss.
Men’s and Women’s Prayer: Views of the Imams
Please also consider the views of some well-known imams regarding the manner of prayer for men and women:
❀”There is no difference between men and women in raising the hands for takbir.”
❀ “The woman too will place her hands on her chest like a man.”
❀ It is reported from Umm al-Darda (may Allah be pleased with her) with a sahih chain that:
إنها كانت تجلس فى صلاتها جلست الرجل وكانت فقيهة
“She used to sit in prayer like men, and she was a female jurist.”
❀ “The woman in prayer will sit just like the man.”
❀ “There is no difference between the prayer of men and women.”
❀ “There is no difference between the prayer of men and women.”
❀ “There is no difference in any of the states of prayer between men and women.”
