Question
I wanted to ask that since there is no difference between a man’s and a woman’s prayer, I didn’t know this earlier, so I used to pray in a different way. Meaning, during sujood (prostration), I would place my feet to the right side, but the rest of the method was the same. But now that I have come to know, I try to pray according to the Sunnah. However, I feel uncomfortable, especially when my brother or father is around; I feel uneasy making sujood in front of them, and I’m unable to perform the sujood correctly. So, can I pray in the same way as I used to before, by staying more compact? If I pray like before is my prayer valid or not
Answer
There are a lot of differences in the men’s and women’s method of performing the prayer. Some are mentioned below.
Men, in Fiqh e Hanafi, raise their hands up to ear lobes and women only up to the shoulders.
Women would place their hands on the breasts whereas the men would place them under the navel.
Men are require to bend fully in the ruku, making the head in line with the buttocks, and back fully flat, putting the weight on the knees. Women are only required to bend slightly so as to be able to touch the knees.
In Sajdah, the man would keep the calves away from the floor, and thighs away from the belly, and the elbows away from the floor. Whereas the women will be fully attached to the floor while doing sajdah.
In the state of Qa’dah, a woman will sit leaning on the left side of her bottom, whilst taking both her feet out to the right hand side. Her thighs will be close together and the right shin will be over the left.
(والمرأة تنخفض) فلا تبدي عضديها (وتلصق بطنها بفخذيها) لانه أستر، وحررنا في الخزائن أنها تخالف الرجل في خمسة وعشرين
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ص69 – كتاب الدر المختار شرح تنوير الأبصار وجامع البحار – باب صفة الصلاة – المكتبة الشاملة
Here Imam Shami has mentioned that a woman’s prayer will have 25 actions different from that of a man’s prayer.
These differences are established through many authentic Ahadeeth, and majority of the authentic books of Fiqh Hanafi mention the difference in male and female method of performing the prayer. It is recommended that you learn the method of Salah from an authentic Salah book and implement that.
واللہ تعالیٰ ورسولہ الکریم ﷺ اعلم بالصواب
Written by: Mufti Syed Siraj Ul Arifeen Shah
St. Ives (Cambridgeshire, UK)
29/11/2024 22:16 PM, 27 Jamad al Awwal, 1446 Hijri
