The Prayer of Womankind

This article shall be based on overwhelming ahadith which establish from

Prophet (Peace be upon him), Sahaba, Tabiyeen and great Fuqaha that
prayer of woman is different in many ways from prayer of man.

Proof # 1


Translation: Ibn Umar (ra) narrates that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
said: When a woman sits in prayer then she should place her one
thigh upon the other and attach the stomach to her thighs so that
it is more concealing for her. Indeed, Allah looks at her and informs
the angels by saying: "O Angels! Be witness that I have forgiven her!
[Sunnan al Bayhaqi al-Kubra (3/74)]
This hadith is reliable and also corroborated by many ahadith [Ilaal al
Sunnan (3/33)]

Note: This article is composed on the basis of "Sound Principle" that even
if some hadith is weak in it's chain then it can become "Hasan (fair) or
Sahih (correct)" due to many corroborating evidences, hence If some
people dispute over a certain hadith then they would be wrong principally
as the same matter is proven from many different Turaq which strengthen
eachother, hence whole article with all ahadith with different turaq (ways)
have to be understood. This is amongst the great principles in science of
Hadith classification.

Proof # 2
:




Translation: Narrated by Yazid bin Abi Habib (ra) that the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) passed by two women while they were performing prayer.
He said: When you make prostration KEEP YOUR BODY ATTACHED
TO THE GROUND BECAUSE WOMEN ARE NOT LIKE MEN IN THIS
CASE [Sunnan al Bayhaqi al-Kubra (3/74)]
In Ilaal al Sunnan (3/26) it is said that narrators of this hadith are relied
upon and not rejected

Proven from Many Sahaba and Tabiyeen

Proof # 3
: .
Translation: Ameer ul Momineen Sayyidna Ali (RA) said: When a woman
goes in prostration then she should Lean on one side while sitting on
her buttocks and keep her thighs close to eachother [Musannaf Ibn
Abi Shayba, (1/302, Hadith # 2773)]
Note: means to lean on side while sitting on the buttocks.
Plus this Athar is narrated with many routes. In Musannaf Abdur Razzaq it
comes via route of Israil whereas in Ibn Abi Shaybah it came from Abul
Ahwaas

Proof # 4
:

Translation: Khalid ibn Lajlaaj (RA) narrates: Women have been ordered
to do TARABBU while sitting during prayer and they SHOULD NOT
SIT LIKE MEN [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayban (1/303)]
Note: Tarabbu means to sit cross legged, remember doing Tarrabu was
abrogated later, please see Proof # 7 for more details.

Proof # 5
.
Translation: Nafi narrates that Sayyidah Safiyah (RA) used to pray in
state of TARABBU [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayban (1/303)]

Proof # 6
: .
Translation: Nafi narrates that the women of Ibn Umar (ra) i.e. his family
used to do TARABBU during prayer [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayban
(1/303)]

Proven from Leading Tabiyeen

Proof # 7
(
( ) : )
Translation: Ibn Umar (ra) was questioned about how women used to sit
during the times of Prophet (Peace be upon him)? He said: In the
beginning they used to perform Tarabbu but later they were
commanded to do IHTIFAAZ [Musnad Imam Abu Hanifa (1/120)]

Note: Tarabbu became abrogated and Ihtifaaz (i.e. sitting on one side
upon buttocks) became the latter practice, even this abrogation itself
proves difference of prayer between men and women.

Proof # 8
:

Translation: Ibrahim (rah) said: When a woman goes in Sajdah she should
join the thighs to her stomach and also not raise her posterior and
also NOT STRETCH HER LIMBS OUT LIKE A MALE [Mussanaf Ibn Abi
Shaybah (1/303)]

Proof # 9

.
Translation: Imam Mujahid (rah) considered it MAKRUH for a man to
attach his stomach to the thighs LIKE A WOMAN DOES [Musannaf Ibn
Abi Shaybah (1/303)]

Proof # 10
:
Translation: Hasan al Basri (rah) said: A woman should draw herself
close together in sajdah [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayban (1/270)]

Proof # 11

: :
.
Translation: It is narrated by Wail bin Hujr (ra) that the Prophet (Peace
be upon him) said to him:..O Wail bin Hujr when you (men) start the
prayer then raise your hands till your earsWHEREAS A WOMAN

SHOULD RAISE THEM TILL HER SHOULDERS (ONLY) [Tabrani in his

Mu'jam al Kabeer (22/19), Ilaa as-Sunnan (2/156)]

So It is established from Prophet (Peace be upon him), leading Sahaba

like Ibn Umar (ra), Ibn Abbas (ra), Hadrat Ali (ra) also leading Tabiyeen
like Mujahid (rah), Ibrahim al Nakhai (rah), Hasan al Basri (rah) that a
women should not pray like men do and their prayer is that which is more
concealing.

There are many proofs from Fuqaha in this regard including that of Hanafi
school which are not mentioned in this article due to brevity issues.

Refuting the misuse of hadith by Albani

A scholar in recent past with the name of Nasir ud-din Albani, who was
known for his spurious and off tangent fatwas, he tried to claim that
Prayer of woman is exactly similar to that of men, he misused the hadith
of Bukhari which states: PRAY AS YOU HAVE SEEN ME PRAYING [Sahih
Bukhari (1/606)]

This is in actual a gross misinterpretation of the hadith because here the

Prophet (Peace be upon him) was referring to men, If we do not accept
this condition then Prophet (Peace be upon him) saying that "Pray as you
have SEEN me praying" would become illogical because Prophet (Peace
be upon him) was SEEN praying with turban, so should the women also
start wearing turbans? The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was
also SEEN praying with his ankles exposed, so should women also start
exposing their ankels? The Prophet (Peace be upon him)
was SEEN leading men in prayer, so should women also lead men in
prayer? etc This proves that Albani was ill-mastered in the science of
hadith and he gave illogical verdicts by looking at ahadith just apparently.

Here are more proofs which refute the claim that women should also pray
just like men

Proof # 1

...

Translation: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: Jummah in

congregation is Wajib upon every Muslim EXCEPTfor four (1) A
Slave (2) A WOMAN (3) a child (4) and one who is sick (Imam Hakim
narrated it in his al-Mustadrak ala Sahihayn where Imam Hakim declared
it SAHIH ON CRITERIA OF BUKHARI AND MUSLIM and Imam
DhahabiAGREED with him (1/423 Hadith#1062)]
Had the hadith of Bukhari been mutlaq then according to Salafis the
Prophet (Peace be upon him) has Naudhobillah contradicted himself by
not making Jummah in mosque to be Wajib upon women.

Proof # 2

Also remember that men should say Subhan Allah loudly in order to
correct the Imam whereas women should clap their hands.

Translation: It is narrated by Abu Hurraira (ra) that the Prophet (Peace be

upon him) said: Tasbeeh is for men whereas clapping is for
women [Jami us-Sahih al-Bukhari, (1/402)]

So the LA Madhabiyyah people whose thinking works in reverse order,

they should from tomorrow start clapping hands just like women.

Proof # 3

.
.
Translation: The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said: The beloved prayer of
woman in sight of Allah, is the one which she performs in the
darkest place in her house [Al-Haythami in Majmz az-Zawaid (2/156)]

Imam al-Haythami (rah) says after narrating it: It is narrated by AtTabarani (rah) in his Al-Kabeer and the Rijaal of it are (all)THIQA [ibid]

Proof # 4

Translation: Nafi narrates from Ibn Umar (ra) who narrates that Prophet
(Peace be upon him) said: Both Azan and Iqamah (for prayer) are
not binding upon women[Sunnan al-Bayhaqi al-Kubra (2/169)

Regarding the Athar of Tabi'i Umm ad-Darda (rah)

So all these proofs are also corroborating evidences that prayer of woman
is different in many issues from that of men, however Nasir ud-din Albani
also misused this Athar as proof

It is narrated in Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah: Umm e Darda (rah) used to

sit like males in prayer [Musannnaf (1/270)]

Albani showed as if Umm ad-Darda (rah) was amongst the Sahabiyah,

which is nothing short of deception

However it is incorrect to use this report for the following 3 reasons:

(a) First of all it contradicts another report from Umm ad-Darda (rah) in
which Ibrahim Abi Ablah (rah) narrates that he saw: Umm ad-Darda (rah)
praying cross legged ( .) [Imam al-Mizzi in Tahdhib
ul Kamaal, (22/468)]

(b) Secondly Imam al Mizzi (rah) has said that this Umm ad-Darda was
amongst Tabiin [Refer to Tahdhib ul Kamaal (22/64)]. Plus Imam Ibn
Hajr al Asqalani (rah) has proven that the narrator of this hadith i.e.
Makhul only narrated from Umm al-Darda As-Sughra (which refers to
Tabii not Sahabi) Hence practice of a lone Tabi is not hujjat and
Albani had spread deception in this regard.

(c) Third: Imam Ibn Hajr al Asqalani (rah) has also said in his Fath ul
Bari: The practice of a Tabii alone is NOT HUJJAT even if it DOES NOT
GO AGAINST ANY PRINCIPLE [Fath ul Bari, Sharh Sahih ul Bukhari
(2/243)

Imam Badr ud-din Ayni (rah) the great commentator of Bukhari said:

Translation: This is Umm ad-Darda AS-SUGHRA not the Umm adDarda AL KUBRA who was a Sahabiyah, and Makhul only met AsSughra (Tabii) not the Al-Kubra (i.e. Sahabiyyah)[Umdat ul Qari, Sharh
Sahih ul Bukhari (6/101)]

Conclusion with verdict from Imam al-Bayhaqi (rah)

So even If practice of some lone Tabii does not go against any principle
still it is not hujjat, but the reality is that, this practice goes against
known principle amongst Muslim world i.e. Women have to pray in a
manner which is MORE CONCEALING for her which is proven from many
ahadith.

Above all, regarding the hadith of PRAY AS YOU HAVE SEEN ME

PRAYING none of the major commentators of Bukhari such as Imam Ibn
Hajr al Asqalani (rah), Imam Badr ud-din Ayni (rah), Imam Ibn Bataal
(rah) etc have given the pseudo interpretation like Albani did in order to
misuse the hadith for his personal agenda.

If some people are still stubborn and do not accept contradiction in

reports of Umm ad-Darda, then even the former report ITSELF proves
that practice of other Muslim women was clearly different from Umm adDarda because had they all sat like men then this report would not have
specified her.

Hence we would like to conclude this article with this beautiful verdict of
Imam al-Bayhaqi (rah)

Translation: The distinction in ruling regarding prayer of men and

women is that the woman prays in a way which is more
CONCEALING" for her [Al-Bayhaqi in As-Sunnan al Kubra (2/222)]