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Differences in salah between men and women
Question: Isn't the way the women pay different from man? Came across the
ruling that speaks otherwise, please explain!
The way in which women pray is the same as the way in which men pray
Would u please tell me the proper way for women to sit, when we pray, also
can you please differenciate the sitting position, from men.
Praise be to Allaah.
The way in which women pray is the same as the way in which men pray in
every part of the prayer, prostration, sitting, and so on. This is based on
the following evidence:
1 – The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Pray as
you have seen me praying.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. This is addressed to
both men and woman.
Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:
Everything that we have said above about the way in which the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed applies equally to men and
women. There is nothing narrated in the Sunnah which implies that women are
exempted from any of that. Rather the general meaning of the words of the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), “Pray as you have seen
me praying,” include women too.
Sifat Salaat al-Nabi, p. 189
2 – The general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): “Women are the twin halves of men.” Narrated by Abu
Dawood, 204; al-Tirmidhi, 105, from the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah. Also narrated
by al-Daarimi, 764, from the hadeeth of Anas.
Al-‘Ajlooni said: Ibn Qattaan said: The isnaad from ‘Aa’ishah is da’eef
(weak), but the isnaad from Anas is saheeh (sound).
Kashf al-Khafa’, 1/248
Al-Khattaabi said: What we understand from this is: If something is said in
the masculine, it is addressed to women too, except in cases where there is
evidence to indicate that it applies only to women.
Some of the scholars said that a woman should not sit as a man sits (in
prayer), and they quoted two da’eef (weak) hadeeths as evidence for that.
Al-Bayhaqi said:
Two da’eef hadeeth were narrated concerning that, the like of which cannot
be taken as evidence.
The first is the hadeeth of ‘Ata’ ibn al-‘Ajlaan from Abu Nadrah al-‘Abdi
from Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri, the companion of the Messenger of Allaah (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him), that he used to command the men to spread
out their arms in their prostration and he used to tell the women to keep
their arms close to their sides in their prostration. He used to tell the
men to spread their left foot along the ground (and sit on it) and place the
right foot upright during the tashahhud and he used to tell the women to
sit, kneeling, on their heels.” Then al-Bayyhaqi said: This is a munkar
hadeeth.
The other is the 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.
This hadeeth is da’eef, because it was narrated by Abu Mutee’ al-Balkhi.
Ibn Hajar said:
Ibn Mu’een said: He is nothing. On one occasion he said: He is da’eef.
Al-Bukhaari said: He is da’eef. Al-Nasaa’i said: He is da’eef. Lisaan
al-Mizaan, 2/334.
Ibn ‘Adiyy said: It is clear that Abu Mutee’ is da’eef in his ahaadeeth and
everything that he narrated, and for most of his narrations there are no
corroborating reports.
Al-Kaamil fi Du’afa’ al-Rijaal, 2/214
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).
This hadeeth is mursal, which is a category of da’eef (weak).
In al-Musannaf (1/242), Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated some reports from some of
the salaf which suggest that there is a difference in the way women and men
sit (in prayer), but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allaah
and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he
narrated from some of the salaf that the way in which men and women pray is
the same.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Umm al-Darda’ used to sit
in prayer as a man sits and she was a scholarly woman.
Al-Haafiz stated in Fath al-Baari that Abu’l-Darda’ had two wives, both of
whom were called Umm al-Darda’. The older one was a Sahaabiyyah and the
younger one was a Taabi’iyyah. He suggested that the one who was referred to
here by al-Bukhaari was the younger one.
And Allaah knows best.
Answer: In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatuh
Your query consists of two questions, namely:
1. Is there a difference in the salat of men and women?
2. Respond to the article that states “The way in which women pray is the
same as the way in which men pray”
Hereunder, we wish to present answers to the above questions.
Is there a difference in the salat of men and women?
In Shari’a, many laws that apply to women are different to those that apply
to men. Amongst these laws are the laws of salat. The variation that exists
between the salat of men and women were prescribed by none other than
Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam). This remained the practice of the
entire ummah till this day and is also reflected in the verdicts and
practices of the Sahaba and Tabi’un. The Ulama and Fuqaha of all four
mazhahib, namely Hanafi, Maaliki, Shafi’ee and Hambali, have maintained the
difference that exists between the salat of men and women. In the recent
past, there has being a group amongst the muslims who call themselves “Ahlul
Hadith”, claim that the laws of salat are common to both men and women.
Hence, they conclude that women should perform salat exactly as men do. They
claim that the Hadith in which Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)
states: “Perform salat as you see me perform salat” (Sahih Bukhari #631) is
general and applies equally to both men and women. However, it should be
realized that our own interpretation and logical inference of this Hadith
cannot compare with the other Ahadith in which Rasulullah (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) clearly draws a difference between the salat of men and
women, leaving aside the many verdicts and practices of Sahaba and those
after them that are found in the collections of Hadith. The Muhadithun have
dedicated separate chapters in their books outlining the salat of women such
as Imam Ibn Abi Shayba, Imam Abdur Razaq and others.
In brief, this article will highlight the differences that exist in the
salat of men and women which are substantiated from the Ahadith and the
verdicts and practices of the Sahaba and those after them. Also, answers
will be given to the objections raised by the “Ahlul Hadith” sect on this
issue. We have not intended to gather all the Ahadith and verdicts of the
Ulama on this topic. However, be assured that the relevant Ahadith and
verdicts of the Ulama pertaining to this issue are mentioned with there
references.
Shari’a has prescribed distinct laws for men and women in many issues
pertaining to salat. Hereunder, are examples of a few:
1. Men can lead women in salat but women cannot do so.
لن يفلح قوم ولوا أمرهم امرأة
Abu Bakrah narrates that Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
“Never will those people succeed who have appointed a women over them”
(Sahih Bukhari, vol 2, pg 1052, Qadeemi)
ولا تؤمن امرأة رجلا
Jaabir bin Abdillah (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said: “Know that a woman should not lead a man in salat”
(Baihaqi Al-Kubra, vol 3, pg 90, Idaratut Talifaat Ashrafiyya)
2. Men should say “Subhanallah” loudly for the purpose of correcting someone
in salat, while women are only allowed to clap their hands.
التسبيح للرجال والتصفيق للنساء
Abu Huraira (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi
wa sallam) said: “Tasbeeh is for men and clapping is for women” (Sahih
Bukhari, vol 1, pg 160, Al-Mizaan)
3. Jummu’ah salat is fardh upon men but not on women.
الجمعة حق واجب على كل مسلم في جماعة إلا أربعة : عبد مملوك أو امرأة أو صبي أو
مريض
Tariq bin Shihab (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said: “Jummu’ah in congregation is an obligatory duty upon
every muslim except four: a slave, a woman, a child and one who is sick”
(Mustadrak Al-Hakim-declared Sahih by Hakim and agreed by Dhahabi, vol 1, pg
425, #1062, Ilmiyya)
4. The reward of congregational salat for men is twenty seven times more
than that of an individual salat. Contrary to this, the more rewarding salat
of a woman is that which is most concealed and performed within the confines
of her home and of her innermost living quarters.
صلاة المرأة في مخدعها أفضل من صلاتها في بيتها و صلاتها في بيتها أفضل من
صلاتها في حجرتها
Abdullah bin Mas’ood (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah
(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The salat of a woman in her makhda’
(partition) is better than her salat in her hujrah (chamber); and her salat
in her hujrah is better than her salat in her bait (house)” (Sahih Ibni
Khuzaimah, vol 3, pg 95, Al-Maktab al-Islami)
ما صلت امرأة من صلاة أحب إلى الله من أشد مكان في بيتها ظلمة
Abdullah bin Mas’ood (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah
(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) said: “The most beloved salat to Allah of a
woman is the one that she performs in the darkest spot of her home” (Majma’
Al-Zawaaid- Hafidh Haythami has classified all the narrators as authentic,
vol 2, pg 35, Maktaba Al-Qudsi)
5. There is a big difference in the awrah of men and that of women in salat.
Woman are required to cover their entire body including the hair and leaving
only the face, hands and feet exposed, whereas this is not the requirement
for the salat of men.
لا تقبل صلاة حائض إلا بخمار
Aysha (radiyallaahu anha) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: “Allah does not accept the salat of a woman without a scarf”
(Mustadrak Al-Hakim-declared Sahih upon the conditions of Muslim by Hakim
and agreed by Dhahabi, vol 1, pg 380, #917, Ilmiyya)
6. Women are not allowed to call out the Azaan whereas men are encouraged to
do so.
ليس على النساء أذان ولا إقامة
Ibn Umar (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa
sallam) said: “There is no Azaan and nor is there Iqamah upon women”
(Baihaqi Al-Kubra, vol 1, pg 408, Idaratut Talifaat Ashrafiyya)
7. Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) has not allowed women to raise
their hands up to the ears in salat as men do.
رأيت أم الدرداء ترفع يديها في الصلاة حذو منكبيها
Abdu Rabbihi reports: “I saw Ummu Darda raising her hands up to her
shoulders in salat” (Juz Raf’i Yadain by Bukhari, pg 66, #50, Dar Ibn Hazam)
يا وائل بن حجر إذا صليت فاجعل يديك حذاء أذنيك والمرأة تجعل يديها حذاء ثدييها
Waail bin Hujar (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said: “O Waail bin Hujar! When you perform salat, make
your hands in line of the ears; and woman should make their hands in line of
their breasts” (Majma’ Al-Zawaaid, vol 9, pg 374, Maktaba Al-Qudsi)
8. Woman cannot stand in the Saff (row) of men. They have to stand at the
behind the men.
صليت أنا ويتيم في بيتنا خلف النبي صلى الله عليه و سلم وأمي أم سليم خلفنا
Anas (radiyallaahu anhu) reports: “An orphan and I performed salat behind
Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) and my mother, Ummu Sulaim, stood
behind us” (Sahih Bukhari, vol 1, pg 236, #871, Dar Al-Fikr)
9. Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) has clearly differentiated
between the sajdah of men and women.
أن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مر على امرأتين تصليان فقال إذا سجدتما فضما
بعض اللحم إلى الأرض فإن المرأة ليست في ذلك كالرجل
Yazid bin Abi Habib (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) once passed by two women who were performing salaat. He
said: “When you make sajdah, attach your body to the ground, for indeed,
women are not like men in this matter”.(Maraseel of Abi Dawood, pg 118, #87,
Muassasah Al-Risalah)
(The narrators in the above Hadith are reliable and not rejected-I’laau
Al-Sunan, vol 3, pg 26, Idara Al-Quran)
10. Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) has clearly differentiated
between the sitting posture of men and women in salat.
عن عبد الله بن عمر قال قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا جلست المرأة في
الصلوة وضعت فخذها على فخذها الاخرى وإذا سجدت الصقت بطنها في فخذيها كالستر ما
يكون لها وان الله تعالى ينظر إليها ويقول يا ملائكتى اشهدكم انى قد غفرت لها
Abdullah Bin Umar (radiyallaahu anhu) reports that the Prophet (sallallaahu
alayhi wa sallam) said: “When a women sits in salaat, she should place the
thighs of one leg upon the thighs of the other and when she makes sajda, she
should attach her belly to her thigh so that it is as concealing as
possible, for indeed Allah Ta’ala looks at her saying: ‘O my angels, I make
you witness that I have indeed forgiven her”. (Al-Baihaqi, vol 2, pg 223,
Idara Al-Taleefaat)
(The above Hadith is reliable due to the fact that it is supported by many
other Ahadith- I’laau Al-Sunan, vol 3, pg 33, Idara Al-Quran)
Verdicts and practices of Sahaba and Tabi’un with regards to a women’s
salat:
1.
عن علي ، قال : إذا سجدت المرأة فلتحتفز ، ولتضم فخذيها
Ali (radiyallaahu anhu) said: "When a woman makes sajdah (prostrates) , she
should practise ihtifaaz and keep her thighs close together” (Musannaf Ibni
Abi Shayba, vol 2, pg 504, #2793, Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
("Ihtifaaz": where a woman draws herself close together and leans onto one
side by resting on their left buttocks and completely contracting
themselves).
2.
عن ابن عباس ؛ أنه سئل عن صلاة المرأة ؟ فقال : تجتمع وتحتفز
Ibn Abbas (radiyallaahu anhu) was asked about the salaah of a woman; he
replied: "She must draw herself close together and do Ihtifaz” (Musannaf
Ibni Abi Shayba, vol 2, pg 505, #2794, Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
3.
عن خالد بن اللجلاج ، قال : كن النساء يؤمرن أن يتربعن إذا جلسن في الصلاة ،
ولا يجلسن جلوس الرجال على أوراكهن
Khalid bin lajlaaj reports: “Women were commanded to do tarabbu' when they
sat in salah and that they should not sit like men on their buttocks”
(Musannaf Ibni Abi Shayba, vol 2, pg 506, #2799, Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
(“Tarabbu'”: to sit cross legged).
4.
عن نافع ؛ أن صفية كانت تصلي وهي متربعة
Nafi’ reports that Safiyya (radiyallaahu anha) used to perform salat while
in the tarabbu’ position. (Musannaf Ibni Abi Shayba, vol 2, pg 506, #2800,
Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
5.
عن نافع ، قال : كن نساء ابن عمر يتربعن في الصلاة.
Nafi’ reports: “The womenfolk of Ibn Umar would do tarabbu’ while in salat”
(Musannaf Ibni Abi Shayba, vol 2, pg 507, #2805, Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
6.
عن ابن عمر أنه سئل كيف كن النساء يصلين على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم
قال : كن يتربعن ثم أمرن أن يحتفزن
Abdullah ibn Umar was asked: how women performed their salah during the era
of Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)? He replied: “Initially they
performed tarabbu'. Then they were ordered to do Ihtifaz” (Sharh Musnad Abi
Hanifa, pg 191, Ilmiyya)
(The chains of narrators in the above Hadith are authentic-I’laau Al-Sunan,
vol 3, pg 27, Idara Al-Quran)
Note: This Hadith clearly indicates that the practice of “Tarabbu’” was
abrogated and women not allowed to sit in the “Tarabbu’” posture anymore.
7.
(قال الشيخ) رحمه الله وجماع ما يفارق المرأة فيه الرجل من احكام الصلوة راجع
إلى الستر وهو انها مامورة بكل ماكان استر لها
Imam Baihaqi states: “All the laws of salat in which a woman differs from a
man are based on the principle of satr (concealment) . This means that the
women are instructed to do all that which is most concealing for them”
(Sunan Al-Kubra al-Baihaqi, vol 2, pg 222, Idarat Al-Talifaat)
The statement of this great Muhadith, Imam Baihaqi, clearly indicates that
there exists a difference in the salat of men and women.
8.
المراة تخالف الرجل في افعال الصلاة
Shaykh Abdul Hayy Lucknawi states: “A woman differs from a man in the
actions of salat” (Al-Si’aayah, vol 2, pg 205, Suhail Academy)
Answers to the proofs and objections of the “Ahlul Hadith”:
Majority of the proofs presented in this article are taken from the book
authored by Shaykh Albani titled “Sifat Salaat al-Nabi”. This book contains
many mistakes and was refuted by many Ulama throughout the world like the
late Shaykh Hamud al-Tuwayjiri (d. 1992). In fact, the late Shaykh Bin Baaz
and Shaykh Salih Al-Munajjid have also given rulings contrary to that which
is in the book of Shaykh Albani regarding this issue. So, it seems as though
Shaykh Albani was the only scholar claiming that there is no difference
between the salat of men and women. Hereunder, is our response to the
article:
Article states:
“Rather the general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), “Pray as you have seen me praying,” include women
too”
Response:
1. The interpretation of the above Hadith provided by Shaykh Albani was
never given by any scholar of the past. Not a single traditional and expert
commentator of Sahih Bukhari, including the likes of Ibn Hajar Asqalani,
Allamah Aini, Ibn Battaal etc had given this interpretation. It is only
Shaykh Albani that has given this interpretation and logically it will be
incorrect for us to follow this interpretation of Shaykh Albani.
2. It should be known that the interpretation by Shaykh Albani and his
logical inference of this Hadith cannot be accepted at all, because it goes
against other Ahadith in which Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)
clearly draws a difference between the salat of men and women, aside from
the many verdicts and practices of Sahaba and those after them that were
mentioned above.
The article states:
“The general meaning of the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him): “Women are the twin halves of men.”
Response:
1. This Hadith cannot be used to prove that women are like men in all
aspects of Deen. The Ahadith above are sufficient evidence to show that men
and women are not equal in all aspects of Deen. The meaning of the above
Hadith is that women resemble men with regards to their body constitution.
This is because Hawwa (alayhas salaam) was created from Adam (alayhis salam)
and thereof the progeny of men and women began. (Ma’arif Al-Sunan, vol 1, pg
374, HM Saeed)
2. Even if we had to accept this “principle” that women are like men in all
aspects, then this principle only applies to those cases where there are no
proofs indicating to the contrary. In the issue of women’s salat, there are
many Ahadith in which Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam)
differentiated between the salat of both genders. Surprisingly, this
principle is stated in the article but has not being implemented.
3. Not a single traditional Muhaddith and expert commentator of Hadith has
interpreted the above Hadith as it is interpreted in this article. Thus, it
will be illogical for us to accept this interpretation.
The article states:
The other is the 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.
this hadeeth is da’eef, because it was narrated by Abu Mutee’ al-Balkhi.
Response:
According to the principles of “Hadith” laid down by the Fuqaha and
Muhadithun, this Hadith can be relied on, since it is supported by many
other Ahadith and verdicts of Sahaba, who were the students of Rasulullah
(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam). It is supported by many “Shawahid” (a term
of Usulul Hadith). (I’laau Al-Sunan, vol 3, pg 33, Idara Al-Quran)
The article states:
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).
This hadeeth is mursal, which is a category of da’eef (weak).
Response:
1. The issue of woman’s salat is purely a fiqhi issue and has to be dealt
with in the light of what the Fuqaha state. They were masters in
understanding the meanings of the Ahadith as stated by the great Muhadith
and student of Imam Bukhari, Imam Tirmizhi (rahimahullah) . The Fuqaha of
all four mazhahib accept “Mursal” ahadith, but obviously with certain
conditions (Athar Al-Hadith al-Shareef). Therefore, it will totally
incorrect to blatantly state that “This hadeeth is mursal, which is a
category of da’eef (weak)” indirectly inferring that this Hadith cannot be
accepted.
We do not wish to go into the discussion of “Mursal” ahadith, since this is
not the purpose of this article. However, all the narrators of the above
Hadith are reliable and there is no reason to reject it as stated in I’laau
Al-Sunan (vol 3, pg 26, Idara Al-Quran)
The article states:
In al-Musannaf (1/242), Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated some reports from some of
the salaf which suggest that there is a difference in the way women and men
sit (in prayer), but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allaah
and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he
narrated from some of the salaf that the way in which men and women pray is
the same.
Response:
1. It is incorrect to state “but the only evidence that counts is the words
of Allaah and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him)”.This statement infers that the statements of Tabi’un and Ulama cannot
be accepted. This is totally incorrect and goes against the teachings of the
Quran and the Ahadith. Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Quran:
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آَمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ
وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ
“O those who believe obey Allah and obey his messenger and those in
authority amongst you” (Sura Nisa: 59)
Early commentators of Quran such as Ibn Abbas, Mujahid and Hasan Basri have
stated that “those in authority amongst you” refer to the Fuhaqa and Ulama
(Ma’arif Al-Quran). We are commanded to follow the teachings of Tabi’un and
Ulama for there teachings are based on the Quran and Ahadith. The author of
this article states that “only the words of Allah and Rasulullah
(sallallaahu alayhi wa sallam) are the only evidence that count”, then why
does he quote from the writings of Shaykh Albani etc?
The article states:
In al-Musannaf (1/242), Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated some reports from some of
the salaf which suggest that there is a difference in the way women and men
sit (in prayer), but the only evidence that counts is the words of Allaah
and His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Then he
narrated from some of the salaf that the way in which men and women pray is
the same.
Al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Umm al-Darda’ used to sit
in prayer as a man sits and she was a scholarly woman.
Al-Haafiz stated in Fath al-Baari that Abu’l-Darda’ had two wives, both of
whom were called Umm al-Darda’. The older one was a Sahaabiyyah and the
younger one was a Taabi’iyyah. He suggested that the one who was referred to
here by al-Bukhaari was the younger one.
Response:
1. In light of what the author of this article has written, it is incorrect
for him to present the above narration as a proof. This is so, because he
states that only the words of Allah and Rasulullah (sallallaahu alayhi wa
sallam) count and here he presents the action of a Tabi’iyyah as proof.
2. However, it is not sufficient enough to present the above narration
regarding the action of Ummu Darda as proof, because there is a narration
recorded by Imam Tahawi (rahimahullah) which states contrary to it. The
Hadith is as follows:
قال رأيت أم الدرداء تصلي متربعة
Ibrahim bin Abi Ablah narrates: “I saw Ummu Darda performing salat in the
Tarabbu’ position” (Tuhfa Al-Akhyaar, vol 2, pg 338, Dar Balansiyya)
3. The author of the article claims that Imam Ibn Abi Shayba recorded from
the Salaf that the way in which men and women performed salat was the same.
This is absolutely false and incorrect accusations labelled against this
great Imam. He has never mentioned this in his “Musannaf”. Not a single
Salaf has mentioned that a woman will perform salat as a man performs salat.
The author of this article has probably relied on the book “Sifat Salat
Al-Nabi” authored by Shaykh Albani. This is because the mistake made by
Shaykh Albani in his book is the same mistake made by the author of this
article. Shaykh Albani claimed that Ibrahim Nakha’ee said: “A woman will do
as a man does in salat”. He also adds that this narration has a sahih sanad
(authentic chain of narrators).
However, this was not what Ibrahim Nakha’ee said and nor was this ever his
view. The correction words of Ibrahim Nakha’ee that appear in Musannaf Ibn
Abi Shayba are:
عن إبراهيم ، قال : تقعد المرأة في الصلاة كما يقعد الرجل
“A woman will sat as a man sits in salat” (Musannaf Ibn Abi Shayba, #2804,
Al-Majlis al-Ilmi)
Hereunder, are the interpolated words of Shaykh Albani:
كل ما تقدم من صفة صلاته صلى الله عليه وسلم يستوي فيه الرجال والنساء ولم يرد
في السنة ما يقتض استثناء النساء من بعض ذلك بل إن عموم قوله صلى الله عليه
وسلم : ( صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي ) يشملهن وهو قول إبراهيم النخعي قال :
( تفعل المرأة في الصلاة كما يفعل الرجل )
أخرجه ابن أبي شيبة ( 1 / 75 / 2 ) بسند صحيح عنه
In conclusion we would like to mention that all the Ahadith mentioned in
this article are sufficient to prove that there exists a difference between
the salat of men and women and it would be incorrect to claim that the salat
of both genders are common. We ask Allah Ta’ala to grant us sincerity and
make this humble effort a means of exposing the truth.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Talha Desai,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah
The Salah of a Believer in the Quran and
Sunnah
Shaykh Abu Yusuf Riyadh ul Haq
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 عايه وسالم ) 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,
• 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 عايه وسالم ), 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.’'538
Sayyidatuna Umm Atiyyah . says as part of a longer hadeeth,
'We have been forbidden from following funerals and there is no Jumuah upon us.
539
• 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.
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud ( رضئ الله عنه ) reports
that the Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) 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).'540
Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah ( رضئ الله عنه ) narrates that the
Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) said, The most beloved salah to Allah of a woman
is one that she performs in the darkest spot of her home.'541
• 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 عايه وسالم ) said, 'There is no adhan iqamah or
Jumuah upon women.'542
Sayyidatuna Ibn Umar (R) says 'There is no adhan or iqamah
upon women.'543
• 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 عايه وسالم ) said, 'Allah does not accept the salah of a mature female
without a scarf.'544
• Women cannot lead men in salah.
Abu Bakrah (رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) said
‘Never will those people succeed who have appointed a woman over them.’545
Jabir bin Abdullah (رضئ الله عنه ) reports as part of a longer hadeeth that the
Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) said, Know that a woman should not lead a man in
salah.'546
• 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 عايه وسالم ) said, 'Tasbeeh is for men, and clapping is for
women.’547
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 عايه وسالم ) 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
عايه وسالم ) 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'. 548
Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (رضئ الله عنه ) narrates that the
Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) 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."549
Sayyiduna Wail bin Hujr ( رضئ الله عنه ) reports that the
Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) 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.'550
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.'551
As mentioned earlier, this variation in the salah of a woman has been prescribed
by none other than the Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم ) 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 552 when sitting in salah.553
Nafi' narrates that Safiyyah ( رضئ الله عنها ) would pray
and do tarabb'u.554
Nafi' also narrates that the womenfolk of Sayyiduna
Abdullah bin Umar's (رضئ الله عنه ) family would do tarabb'u.555
Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (رضئ الله عنه ) was once asked, 'How
did women pray their salah during the time of the Prophet ( صلى الله عايه وسالم
) ' He replied, 'They used to sit cross legged until they were told to practice
ihtifaz556
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.'557
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.’558
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."559
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.560
Hasan al Basri says, 'A woman should pull herself close
together in sujud.' 561
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.'562
One certain author has argued that all the descriptions of the Prophet's ( صلى
الله عايه وسالم ) 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.'563 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.'564
He also says, 'When a woman prostrates she should bring her thighs together and
press her abdomen to them.'565
He also says, 'A woman should sit to one side in salah.'566
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.'567
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.'569
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).'570
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.'571
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 عايه وسالم ), 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
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.574 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.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
538 Abu Dawood 1067 and Hakim 1062. Hakim declared it saheeh and Dhahabi agreed.
539 Ibn Khuzaimah 1722
540 Abu Dawood 570 and Ibn Khuzaimah 1690.
541 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.
542 Baihaqi 1921. 543 Baihaqi 1920.
544 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.
545 Ahmad 19507, Bukhari 4163, Tirmidhi 2262 and Nasai 5388.
546 Ibn Majah 1081 and Baihaqi 5131.
547 Bukhari 1145.
548 Abu Dawood in his al Maraseel pl8 (Muassasah al Risalah edition), and Baiha
3201.
549 Baihaqi 3199. He also declared it dhaeef.
550 Tabarani in al M'ujam al Kabeer 22/19 no.28. Hafidh Haithami says 2/103, 'Tabarani
has narrated it as part of a long hadeeth on the virtue of Wail bin Hujr 4fc
with a chain of Maimoonah bint Hujr narrating from her auntie Umm Yahya bint
Abdul Jabbar. I have not identified her but the rest of the narrators are
reliable.'
551 Baihaqi 2/314.
552 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.
553 Ibn Abi Shaibah 2783.
554 Abdul Razzaq 5074 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2784.
555 Ibn Abi Shaibah 2789.
556 Narrated 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.
557 Abdul Razzaq 5072 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2777. Muhaddith Dhafar Ahmad Uthmani
3/32 has declared it hasan.
558 Ibn Abi Shaibah 2778.
559 Abdul Razzaq 5066 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2474.
560 Abdul Razzaq 5069.
561 Ibn Abi Shaibah 2781.
562 Abdul Razzaq 5068.
563 Ibn Abi Shaibah 1/242, no 2788.
564 Abdul Razzaq 5071 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2782.
565 Ibn Abi Shaibah 2779.
566 Abdul Razzaq 5077 and Ibn Abi Shaibah 2792.
567 Baihaqi 2/314.
568 To draw out the right leg to one side of the body and place the left leg
beneath one's right thigh. In this way the posterior will come to rest on the
ground rather than on the left leg. She would, therefore, not be resting on her
legs, but on her posterior as mentioned in the narration of Sayyiduna Ali (رضئ
الله عنه )
569 Ibn Qudamah in al Mughni 2/135.
570 Masaail of Imam Ahmad narrated by his son Abdullah 373.
571 Masaail of Imam Ahmad narrated by Abu Dawood p51.
572 Awjaz al Masalik 2/119.
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.
574 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 Mughni 1/134.)
Practice & Fatwa of the Sahaba (RA), Tabaeen &
the Salaf:
Here is the practise and Fatwa of Sahaba (RA) and
Kibar of the Taba'een from Musnaf Abi Shaybah in a chapter entitled,
"How would the Women be in Her Sajdah?"
Since most of it has already been incorporated above,
there is no need for translation.
http://feqh.al-islam.com/Display.asp?DocID=4&MaksamID=240&ParagraphID=290&Sharh=0
(
43 ) الْمَرْأَةُ كَيْفَ تَكُونُ فِي سُجُودِهَا ؟
( 1 ) حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ
أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ الْحَارِثِ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ قَالَ : إذَا سَجَدَتْ
الْمَرْأَةُ فَلْتَحْتَفِرْ وَلْتَضُمَّ فَخِذَيْهَا . ( 2 ) حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو
بَكْرٍ قَالَ : نا أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْمُقْرِي عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ
أَيُّوبَ عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ عَنْ بُكَيْر بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ
الْأَشَجِّ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ صَلَاةِ الْمَرْأَةِ
فَقَالَ : تَجْتَمِعُ وَتَحْتَفِرُ . ( 3 ) حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ : نا
أَبُو الْأَحْوَصِ عَنْ مُغِيرَةَ عَنْ إبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ : إذَا سَجَدَتْ
الْمَرْأَةُ فَلْتَضُمَّ فَخِذَيْهَا وَلْتَضَعْ بَطْنَهَا عَلَيْهِمَا . ( 4 )
حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ : نا جَرِيرٌ عَنْ لَيْثٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ
أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَكْرَهُ أَنْ يَضَعَ الرَّجُلُ بَطْنَهُ عَلَى فَخِذَيْهِ إذَا
سَجَدَ كَمَا تَضَعُ الْمَرْأَةُ ( 5 ) حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ : نا
ابْنُ مُبَارَكٍ عَنْ هِشَامٍ عَنْ الْحَسَنِ قَالَ : الْمَرْأَةُ تَضْطَمُّ
فِي السُّجُودِ . ( 6 ) حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ قَالَ : نا وَكِيعٌ عَنْ
سُفْيَانَ عَنْ مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ إبْرَاهِيمَ قَالَ : إذَا سَجَدَتْ الْمَرْأَةُ
فَلْتَلْزَقْ بَطْنَهَا بِفَخِذَيْهَا وَلَا تَرْفَعْ عَجِيزَتَهَا وَلَا
تُجَافِي كَمَا يُجَافِي الرَّجُلُ
.
Al-Mughni (the Most Authoritative Text of
Hanbali Madhab):
The text clearly states that the paryer of man and
woman is the same EXCEPT
that a woman would draw herself closer together in Ruku and Sujood (in
Tabarru or Tasdul) and she would draw both feet to her right.
http://feqh.al-islam.com/Display.asp?DocID=21&MaksamID=500&ParagraphID=635&Sharh=0
( 783 ) مَسْأَلَةٌ : قَالَ وَالرَّجُلُ وَالْمَرْأَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ سَوَاءٌ ،
إلَّا أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ تَجْمَعُ نَفْسَهَا فِي الرُّكُوعِ وَالسُّجُودِ
وَتَجْلِسُ مُتَرَبِّعَةً أَوْ تَسْدُلُ رِجْلَيْهَا فَتَجْعَلُهُمَا فِي
جَانِبِ يَمِينِهَا . الْأَصْلُ أَنْ يَثْبُتَ فِي حَقِّ الْمَرْأَةِ مِنْ
أَحْكَامِ الصَّلَاةِ مَا يَثْبُتُ لِلرِّجَالِ ؛ لِأَنَّ الْخِطَابَ
يَشْمَلُهَا ، غَيْرَ أَنَّهَا خَالَفَتْهُ فِي تَرْكِ التَّجَافِي ،
لِأَنَّهَا عَوْرَةٌ ، فَاسْتُحِبَّ لَهَا جَمْعُ نَفْسِهَا ، لِيَكُونَ
أَسْتَرَ لَهَا ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يُؤْمَنُ أَنْ يَبْدُوَ مِنْهَا شَيْءٌ حَالَ
التَّجَافِي . وَكَذَلِكَ فِي الِافْتِرَاشِ ، قَالَ أَحْمَدُ : وَالسَّدْلُ
أَعْجَبُ إلَيَّ . وَاخْتَارَهُ الْخَلَّالُ . قَالَ عَلِيٌّ ، كَرَّمَ اللَّهُ
وَجْهَهُ : إذَا صَلَّتْ الْمَرْأَةُ فَلْتَحْتَفِزْ وَلْتَضُمَّ فَخِذَيْهَا .
وَعَنْ ابْنِ عُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا ، أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَأْمُرُ
النِّسَاءَ أَنْ يَتَرَبَّعْنَ فِي الصَّلَاةِ .
The Hadeeth of ..Pray as you have seen me Pray?..
Here is an Assesment of this Hadeeth and it is crystal clear that
neither Imam Bukhari (RA) nor Ibnul Haj'r Asqalani (RA) is his famous Fathul-Bari
(the most Authentic and reliable commentary of Saheeh Bukhari) conclude that
this Hadeeth means that the prayer of men & women is the same!
The FULL Hadeeth is listed in Sahih Bukhari in two
locations:
1) Volume 1, Book 11, Number 604:
Narrated Malik: We came to the
Prophet and stayed with him for twenty days and nights. We were all young and of
about the same age. The Prophet was very kind and merciful. When he realized our
longing for our families, he asked about our homes and the people there and we
told him. Then he asked us to go back to our families and stay with them and
teach them (the religion) and to order them to do good things. He also mentioned
some other things which I have (remembered or) forgotten. The Prophet then
added, "Pray as you have seen me praying and when it is the time for the prayer
one of you should pronounce the Adhan and the oldest of you should lead the
prayer.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...i/011.sbt.html
http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/D...Doc=0&Rec=1019
2) Volume 9, Book 91, Number 352:
Narrated Malik: We came to the Prophet and
we were young men nearly of equal ages and we stayed with him for twenty nights.
Allah's Apostle was a very kind man and when he realized our longing for our
families, he asked us about those whom we had left behind. When we informed him,
he said, "Go back to your families and stay with them and teach them (religion)
and order them (to do good deeds). The Prophet mentioned things some of which I
remembered and some I did not. Then he said, "Pray as you have seen me praying,
and when it is the time of prayer, one of you should pronounce the call (Adhan)
for the prayer and the eldest of you should lead the prayer. "
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...i/091.sbt.html
http://hadith.al-islam.com/Display/D...oc=0&Rec=10785
3) The FIRST occurrence is in a Chapter "Call to Prayers (Adhaan)" Sub-Heading
"Call (Adhan) for Traveller FOR Congregational Paryer & Iqama and for Arafah"
....
In Arabic:
صحيح البخاري
THEN
الأذان
THEN
الأذان للمسافر إذا كانوا جماعة والإقامة وكذلك بعرفة
Take a GOOD LOOK at the Chapter heading and the context!
4) The second occurrence is "Accepting Information Given by a Truthful Person"
In Arabic:
صحيح البخاري
THEN
أخبار الآحاد
THEN
ما جاء في إجازة خبر الواحد
Take a GOOD LOOK at the Chapter heading and the context!
5) Now lets look at the first occurrence & its commentary in Arabic:
حدثنا محمد بن المثنى قال حدثنا عبد الوهاب قال حدثنا أيوب عن
أبي قلابة قال حدثنا مالك
أتينا إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ونحن شببة متقاربون فأقمنا عنده عشرين
يوما وليلة وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رحيما رفيقا فلما ظن أنا قد
اشتهينا أهلنا أو قد اشتقنا سألنا عمن تركنا بعدنا فأخبرناه قال ارجعوا إلى
أهليكم فأقيموا فيهم وعلموهم ومروهم وذكر أشياء أحفظها أو لا أحفظها وصلوا كما
رأيتموني أصلي فإذا حضرت الصلاة فليؤذن لكم أحدكم وليؤمكم أكبركم
فتح الباري بشرح صحيح البخاري
( تنبيه ) :
وقع هنا في رواية أبي الوقت " حدثنا محمد بن المثنى حدثنا عبد الوهاب عن أيوب "
فذكر حديث مالك بن الحويرث مطولا نحو ما مضى في الباب قبله , وسيأتي بتمامه في "
باب خبر الواحد " , وعلى ذكره هناك اقتصر باقي الرواة .
Now lets look at the second occurrence & its commentary in Arabic:
حدثنا محمد بن المثنى حدثنا عبد الوهاب حدثنا أيوب عن أبي
قلابة حدثنا مالك بن الحويرث قال
أتينا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ونحن شببة متقاربون فأقمنا عنده عشرين ليلة
وكان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم رفيقا فلما ظن أنا قد اشتهينا أهلنا أو قد
اشتقنا سألنا عمن تركنا بعدنا فأخبرناه قال ارجعوا إلى أهليكم فأقيموا فيهم
وعلموهم ومروهم وذكر أشياء أحفظها أو لا أحفظها وصلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي فإذا حضرت
الصلاة فليؤذن لكم أحدكم وليؤمكم أكبركم
حديث مالك بن الحويرث بمهملة ومثلثة مصغر ابن حشيش بمهملة ومعجمتين وزن عظيم ,
ويقال ابن أشيم بمعجمة وزن أحمر من بني سعد بن ليث بن بكر بن عبد مناة بن كنانة
حجازي سكن البصرة ومات بها سنة أربعة وسبعين بتقديم السين على الصواب .
قوله ( عبد الوهاب )
هو ابن عبد المجيد الثقفي " وأيوب " هو السختياني والسند كله بصريون .
قوله ( أتينا النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم )
أي وافدين عليه سنة الوفود , وقد ذكر ابن سعد ما يدل على أن وفادة بني ليث رهط
مالك بن الحويرث المذكور كانت قبل غزوة تبوك وكانت تبوك في شهر رجب سنة تسع
قوله ( ونحن شببة )
بمعجمة وموحدتين وفتحات جمع شاب وهو من كان دون الكهولة , وتقدم بيان أول الكهولة
, في " كتاب الأحكام " وفي رواية وهيب في الصلاة " أتيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم
في نفر من قومي " والنفر عدد لا واحد له من لفظه وهو من ثلاثة إلى عشرة , ووقع في
رواية في الصلاة " أنا وصاحب لي " وجمع القرطبي باحتمال تعدد الوفادة وهو ضعيف لأن
مخرج الحديثين واحد والأصل عدم التعدد , والأولى في الجمع أنهم حين أذن لهم في
السفر كانوا جميعا , فلعل مالكا ورفيقه عاد إلى توديعه فأعاد عليهما بعض ما أوصاهم
به تأكيدا , وأفاد ذلك زيادة بيان أقل ما تنعقد به الجماعة .
قوله ( متقاربون )
أي في السن بل في أعم منه , فقد وقع عند أبي داود من طريق مسلمة بن محمد عن خالد
الحذاء " وكنا يومئذ متقاربين في العلم " ولمسلم " كنا متقاربين في القراءة " ومن
هذه الزيادة يؤخذ الجواب عن كونه قدم الأسن , فليس المراد تقديمه على الأقرأ بل في
حال الاستواء في القراءة ولم يستحضر الكرماني هذه الزيادة فقال يؤخذ استواؤهم في
القراءة من القصة لأنهم أسلموا وهاجروا معا وصحبوا ولازموا عشرين ليلة فاستووا في
الأخذ . وتعقب بأن ذلك لا يستلزم الاستواء في العلم للتفاوت في الفهم إذ لا تنصيص
على الاستواء .
قوله ( رقيقا )
بقافين , وبفاء ثم قاف , ثبت ذلك عند رواة البخاري على الوجهين , وعند رواة مسلم
بقافين فقط وهما متقاربان في المعنى المقصود هنا .
قوله ( اشتهينا أهلنا )
في رواية الكشميهني " أهلينا " بكسر اللام وزيادة ياء وهو جمع أهل , ويجمع مكسرا
على أهال بفتح الهمزة مخففا , ووقع في رواية في الصلاة " اشتقنا إلى أهلنا " بدل "
اشتهينا أهلنا " وفي رواية وهيب " فلما رأى شوقنا إلى أهلنا " والمراد بأهل كل منهم
زوجته أو أعم من ذلك .
قوله ( سألنا )
بفتح اللام أي النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم سأل المذكورين .
قوله ( ارجعوا إلى أهليكم )
إنما أذن لهم في الرجوع لأن الهجرة كانت قد انقطعت بفتح مكة فكانت الإقامة
بالمدينة باختيار الوافد فكان منهم من يسكنها ومنهم من يرجع بعد أن يتعلم ما يحتاج
إليه .
قوله ( وعلموهم ومروهم )
بصيغة الأمر ضد النهي , والمراد به أعم من ذلك لأن النهي عن الشيء أمر بفعل خلاف
ما نهي عنه اتفاقا , وعطف الأمر على التعليم لكونه أخص منه أو هو استئناف كأن سائلا
قال : ماذا نعلمهم ؟ فقال مروهم بالطاعات وكذا وكذا . ووقع في رواية حماد بن زيد عن
أيوب كما تقدم في أبواب الإمامة " مروهم فليصلوا صلاة كذا في حين كذا وصلاة كذا في
حين كذا " فعرف بذلك المأمور المبهم في رواية الباب , ولم أر في شيء من الطرق بيان
الأوقات في حديث مالك بن الحويرث فكأنه ترك ذلك لشهرتها عندهم .
قوله ( وذكر أشياء أحفظها ولا أحفظها )
قائل هذا هو أبو قلابة راوي الخبر , ووقع في رواية أخرى " أو لا أحفظها " وهو
للتنويع لا للشك .
قوله ( وصلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي )
أي ومن جملة الأشياء التي يحفظها أبو قلابة عن مالك قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم هذا ,
وقد تقدم في رواية وهيب " وصلوا " فقط ونسبت إلى الاختصار وتمام الكلام هو الذي وقع
هنا , وقد تقدم أيضا تاما في رواية إسماعيل بن علية في " كتاب الأدب " قال ابن دقيق
العيد استدل كثير من الفقهاء في مواضع كثيرة على الوجوب بالفعل مع هذا القول , وهو
" صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي " قال وهذا إذا أخذ مفردا عن ذكر سببه وسياقه أشعر بأنه
خطاب للأمة بأن يصلوا كما كان يصلي , فيقوى الاستدلال به على كل فعل ثبت أنه فعله
في الصلاة , لكن هذا الخطاب إنما وقع لمالك بن الحويرث وأصحابه بأن يوقعوا الصلاة
على الوجه الذي رأوه صلى الله عليه وسلم يصليه , نعم يشاركهم في الحكم جميع الأمة
بشرط أن يثبت استمراره صلى الله عليه وسلم على فعل ذلك الشيء المستدل به دائما حتى
يدخل تحت الأمر ويكون واجبا , وبعض ذلك مقطوع باستمراره عليه وأما ما لم يدل دليل
على وجوده في تلك الصلوات التي تعلق الأمر بإيقاع الصلاة على صفتها , فلا نحكم
بتناول الأمر له , والله أعلم .
قوله ( فإذا حضرت الصلاة )
أي دخل وقتها .
قوله ( فليؤذن لكم أحدكم )
هو موضع الترجمة وقد تقدم سائر شرحه في " أبواب الأذان " وفي " أبواب الإمامة "
بعون الله تعالى .
The highlighted parts in Arabic say that you need to prove
Istamrar & Dawam (both words roughly translate into continuity of action) for
something to be considered as Sunnah in Salah...Nothing to do with the prayer of
men & women being the same and there is no even a mention of anything like that
in the Commentary (recorded and reported
verbatim from Fathul-Bari)
Salaf on Mursal Ahadeeth
Another
objection is the use of Mursal Ahadeeth and on this issue we (Hanafees) take the
opinion of Salaf like Imam Malik (RA) & Imam Abu Haneefa (RA) while Shaykh Al-Albani
(RA) takes the position of Ibn-Hazm (RA) (curiously against the opinion of
Shaykh Ibn Taymiyah (RA)).
Which-ever position of the Salaf you take i.e.:
a) Position of Imam Malik (RA) & Imam Abu
Haneefa (RA): Mursal of a trustworthy
person is valid as proof and as justification for a practice, just like a musnad
hadith
b) Position of Imam Shaf'ae (RA):
Detailed below
c) Position of Imam Ahmed Ibn Hanbal (RA):
accepts mursal and (other) da'if (weak) ahadith if nothing opposing them is
found regarding a particular issue, preferring them to qiyas (analogical
deduction)
d) Imam Abu Dawud (RA):
accepts the Mursal under two conditions: that no musnad hadith is found
regarding that issue; or that if a musnad hadith is found, it is not
contradicted by the mursal hadith
You CANNOT categorically reject the evidence; the only way to REJECT the
evidence is to diverge from the opinion of the Salaf and take the position of
Shaykh Ibn Hazm (RA) [a Khalaf] & later supported by Shaykh Al-Albani (RA).
http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamen...dith/asb2.html
Before proceeding I would like to point out that the 2nd Hadeeth of Saheeh
Bukhari is Mursal i.e. Aisha (RA) is narrating events which happened BEFORE her
birth or when she was very young so Shaykh Ibn Hazm's outright rejection of
Maraseel has serious implications and I don't know Shaykh Al-Albani (RA)'s FULL
position on Maraseel so can't comment...
Volume 1, Book 1, Number 2:
Narrated 'Aisha: (the mother of the
faithful believers) Al-Harith bin Hisham asked Allah's Apostle "O Allah's
Apostle! How is the Divine Inspiration revealed to you?" Allah's Apostle
replied, "Sometimes it is (revealed) like the ringing of a bell, this form of
Inspiration is the hardest of all and then this state passes ' off after I have
grasped what is inspired. Sometimes the Angel comes in the form of a man and
talks to me and I grasp whatever he says." 'Aisha added: Verily I saw the
Prophet being inspired Divinely on a very cold day and noticed the Sweat
dropping from his forehead (as the Inspiration was over).
Authenticity of the Mursal Hadith:
There has been a great deal of discussion amongst the scholars regarding the
authenticity of the Mursal Hadith (pl. Marasil), since it is quite probable that
a Successor might have omitted two names, those of an elder Successor and a
Companion, rather than just one name, that of a Companion.
If the Successor is known to have omitted the name of a Companion only, then the
hadith is held to be authentic, for a Successor can only report from the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace) through a Companion; the omission of
the name of the Companion does not affect the authenticity of the isnad since
all Companions are held to be trustworthy and reliable, by both Qur'anic
injunctions and sayings of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him
peace).
However, opinions vary in the case where the Successor might have omitted the
names of two authorities (since not all the Successors were reliable in matters
of Hadith). For example, two widely-differing positions on this issue are:
the Marasil of elder Successors such as Sa'id b. al-Musayyab (d. 94) and 'Ata'
b. Abi Rabah (d. 114) are acceptable because all their Marasil, after
investigation, are found to come through the Companions only. However, the
Marasil of younger Successors are only acceptable if the names of their
immediate authorities are known through other sources; if not, they are rejected
outright.
the Marasil of Successors and those who report from them are acceptable without
any investigation at all. This opinion is supported by the Kufi school of
traditionists, but is severely attacked by the majority.
To be precise in this issue, let us investigate in detail the various opinions
regarding the Mursal Hadith:
The opinion held by Imam Malik and all
Maliki jurists is that the Mursal of a
trustworthy person is valid as proof and as justification for a practice, just
like a musnad hadith.13 This view has been developed to such an extreme that to
some of them, the mursal is even better than the musnad, based on the following
reasoning: "the one who reports a musnad hadith leaves you with the names of the
reporters for further investigation and scrutiny, whereas the one who narrates
by way of Irsal, being a knowledgeable and trustworthy person himself, has
already done so and found the hadith to be sound. In fact, he saves you from
further research."14
Imam Abu Hanifah (d. 150)
holds the same opinion as Malik; he accepts the Mursal Hadith whether or not it
is supported by another hadith.15
Imam al-Shafi'i (d. 204)
has discussed this issue in detail in his al-Risalah; he requires the following
conditions to be met before accepting a mursal hadith:
In the narrative, he requires that one of the following conditions be met: that
it be reported also as musnad through another isnad; that its contents be
reported as mursal through another reliable source with a different isnad; that
the meaning be supported by the sayings of some Companions; or that most
scholars hold the same opinion as conveyed by the mursal hadith.
Regarding the narrator, he requires that one of the following conditions be met:
that he be an elder Successor; that if he names the person missing in the isnad
elsewhere, he does not usually name an unknown person or someone not suitable
for reporting from acceptably; or that he does not contradict a reliable person
when he happens to share with him in a narration.16
On the basis of these arguments, al-Shafi'i accepts the Irsal of Sa'id b. al-Musayyab,
one of the elder Successors. For example, al- Shafi'i considers the issue of
selling meat in exchange for a living animal: he says that Malik told him,
reporting from Zaid b. Aslam, who reported from Ibn al-Musayyab that the
Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) forbade the selling
of meat in exchange for an animal. He then says, "This is our opinion, for the
Irsal of Ibn al-Musayyib is fine."17
Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241)
accepts mursal and (other) da'if (weak) ahadith if nothing opposing them is
found regarding a particular issue, preferring them to qiyas (analogical
deduction). By da'if here is meant ahadith which are not severely weak, e.g.
batil, munkar, or maudu', since Imam Ahmad classified ahadith into sahih and
da'if rather than into sahih, hasan and da'if, the preference of most later
traditionists. Hence, the category da'if in his view applied to ahadith which
were relatively close to being sahih, and included many ahadith which were
classed as hasan by other scholars.18 Overlooking this fact has caused
misunderstanding about Imam Ahmad's view on the place of da'if ahadith in
rulings of Fiqh and in matters of Fada'il al-A'mal (virtues of various acts of
worship).
Ibn Hazm (d. 456)
rejects the Mursal Hadith outright; he says that the Mursal is unacceptable,
whether it comes through Sa'id b. al-Musayyib or al-Hasan al-Basri. To him, even
the Mursal which comes through someone who was not well-known to be amongst the
Companions would be unacceptable.19
Abu Dawud (d . 275)
accepts the Mursal under two conditions: that no musnad
hadith is found regarding that issue; or that if a musnad hadith is found, it is
not contradicted by the mursal hadith.20
Ibn Abi Hatim (d. 327)
does not give a specific opinion about the Mursal Hadith. However, he did
collect an anthology of 469 reporters of hadith, including four female
reporters, whose narratives were subjected to criticism due to Irsal. This
collection is known as Kitab al-Marasil.
Al-Hakim (d. 405)
is extremely reluctant to accept the Mursal Hadith except in the case of elder
Successors. He holds, on the basis of the Qur'an, that knowledge is based on
what is heard (directly), not on what is reported (indirectly). In this regard,
he quotes Yazid b. Harun who asked Hammad b. Laith: "O Abu Isma'il! Did Allah
mention the Ahl al-Hadith (scholars of Hadith) in the Qur'an?" He replied, "Yes!
Did you not hear the saying of Allah, If a party from every expedition remained
behind, they 21 could devote themselves to studies in religion and admonish the
people when they return to them, that thus they may guard themselves (against
evil)' (Qur'an, 9:l22). This concerns those who set off to seek knowledge, and
then return to those who remained behind in order to teach them."22 Al-Hakim
then remarks, "This verse shows that the acceptable knowledge is the one which
is being heard, not just received by way of Irsal."23
Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi (d. 462)
strongly supports the view of those who reject the Mursal except if it comes
through an elder Successor. He concludes, after giving a perusal of different
opinions about this issue, "What we select out of these sayings is that the
Mursal is not to be practised, nor is it acceptable as proof. We say that Irsal
leads to one reporter being ambiguous; if he is ambiguous, to ascertain his
reliability is impossible. We have already explained that a narration is only
acceptable if it comes through a reporter known for reliability. Hence, the
Mursal should not be accepted at all."24
Al-Khatib gives the following example, showing that a narrative which has been
reported through both musnad and mursal isnads is acceptable, not because of the
reliability of those who narrated it by way of Irsal but because of an
uninterrupted isnad, even though it contains less reliable reporters:
The text of the hadith is: "No marriage is valid except by the consent of the
guardian"; al- Khatib gives two isnads going back to Shu'bah and Sufyan al-Thauri;
the remainder of each isnad is:
Sufyan al-Thauri and Shu'bah --- Abu Ishaq --- Abu Burdah --- the Prophet.
This isnad is mursal because Abu Burdah, a Successor, narrates directly from the
Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). However, al-Khatib further
gives three isnads going back to Yunus b. Abi Ishaq, Isra'il b. Yunus and Qais
b. al-Rabi'; the remainder of the first isnad is:
Yunus b. Abi Ishaq --- Abu Ishaq --- Abu Burdah --- Abu Musa --- the Prophet.
The other two reporters narrate similarly, both of them including the name of
Abu Musa, the Companion from whom Abu Burdah has reported. Al- Khatib goes on to
prove that both al-Thauri and Shu'bah heard this hadith from Abu Ishaq in one
sitting while the other three reporters heard it in different sittings. Hence,
this addition of Abu Musa in the isnad is quite acceptable.25
Ibn al-Salah (d. 643) agrees with al-Shafi'i in rejecting the Mursal Hadith
unless it is proved to have come through a musnad route.26
Ibn Taimiyyah (d. 728)
classifies Mursal into three categories. He says, "There are some acceptable,
others unacceptable, and some which require further investigation: if it is
known that the reporter does so (i.e. narrates by Irsal) from reliable
authorities, then his report will be accepted; if he does so from both classes
of authorities, i.e. reliable and unreliable, we shall not accept his narration
(on its own, without further investigation), for he is narrating from someone
whose reliability is unknown; all such mursal ahadith which go against the
reports made by reliable authorities will be rejected completely."27
Al-Dhahabi (d. 748)
regards the Mursal of younger Successors such as al-Hasan al-Basri, al- Zuhri,
Qatadah and Humaid al-Tawil as the weakest type of Mursal.28
Later scholars such as Ibn Kathir (d. 744), al- 'Iraqi (d. 806), Ibn Hajar (d.
852), al-Suyuti (d. 911), Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Wazir (d. 840), Jamal al-Din
al-Qasimi (d. 1332) and Tahir al- Jaza'iri (d. 1338) have given exhaustive
discussions about this issue, but none of them holds an opinion different to
those mentioned above.
References:
13. Yusuf b. 'Abdullah Ibn 'Abdul Barr, Tajrid al- Tamhid lima fi l-Muwatta' min
al-Asanid (Cairo, 1350), 1:2.
14. ibid.
15. al-Suyuti, 1:198.
16. For the discussion in detail, see al-Shafi'i, al-Risalah (ed. Ahmad Shakir,
Cairo, 1358/1940, pp. 461-470; English translation: M. Khadduri, 2nd ed.,
Islamic Texts Society, Cambridge, 1987, pp. 279-284, where the mursal hadith has
been translated as "interrupted tradition").
17 .al-Suyuti, 1:199; Muhammad b. Mustafa al- Ghadamsi, Al-Mursal min al-Hadith
(Darif Ltd., London, N.D.), p.71.
18. Ibn al-Qayyim, I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in (2nd ed., 4 vols. in 2, Dar al-Fikr,
Beirut, 1397/1977), 1:31.
19. Ibn Hazm, Al-Ihkam fi Usul al-Ahkam (Matba'ah al-Sa'adah, Cairo, 1345),
2:135.
20. Al-Hazimi, Shurut al-A'immah al-Khamsah (ed. M.Z. al-Kauthari, Cairo, N.D.),
p. 45.
21. According to the different interpretations of this verse, "they" here could
refer to those who stay behind, or those who go forth.
22. al-Hakim, p. 26.
23. ibid.
24. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Al-Kifayah fi 'Ilm al- Riwayah (Hyderabad, 1357), p.
387.
25. ibid., pp. 411-413.
26.Zain al-Din al-'Iraqi, Al-Taqyid wa 'l-Idah Sharh Muqaddimah Ibn al-Salah
(al-Maktabah al- Salafiyyahh, Madinah, 1389/1969), p. 72
27. Ibn Taymiyyah, Minhaj al-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah fi Naqd Kalam al-Shi'ah wa 'l-Qadariyyah
(al- Maktabah al-Amiriyyah, Bulaq, 1322), 4:117.
28. Al-Dhahabi, Al-Muqizah (Maktab al-Matbu'at al- Islamiyyah, Halab, 1405), p.
40.
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