The Mode of Prayer (Salaat) for Women

Share



Prayer to be offered by women differs from that of men only in the practical manner of its offering and not in the spiritual sense. The Prayer times, the supplications, the number of prostrations, bows, etc., do not differ. The difference in the physical aspects of Prayer arise from the fact that women’s physique differs from that of men, and follow from the commands which Allah (The Supreme) has stipulated for them in the Holy Quran and through the Hadith of the Holy Prophet.
Most differences relate to clothing, concealment of body, posture and concealment of voice. Prior to listing the differences in women’s mode of Prayer, we provide references from the Holy Quran and Hadith which are the PROOFS of, and form the main bases of these differences:
A. From The Holy Quran – Regarding Concealment Of The Body
1. [Surah Noor Verse 31] And command the Muslim women to keep their gaze low and to protect their chastity, and not to reveal their adornment except what is apparent, and to keep the cover wrapped over their bosoms; and not to reveal their adornment except to their own husbands or fathers or husbands’ fathers, or their sons or their husbands’ sons, or their brothers or their brothers’ sons or sisters’ sons, or women of their religion, or the bondwomen they possess, or male servants provided they do not have manliness, or such children who do not know of women’s nakedness, and not to stamp their feet on the ground in order that their hidden adornment be known; and O Muslims, all of you turn in repentance together towards Allah, in the hope of attaining success.
2. [Surah Ahzab Verse 59] O Prophet! Command your wives and your daughters and the women of the Muslims to cover their faces with a part of their cloaks; this is closer to their being recognised and not being harassed; and Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful.
B. From The Holy Quran – Regarding Concealment Of Voice
3. [Surah Ahzab Verses 32 - 33] O the wives of the Prophet! You are not like any other women - if you really fear Allah, then do not speak softly lest the one in whose heart is a disease have any inclination, and speak fairly. And remain in your houses and do not unveil yourselves like the unveiling prevalent in the times of ignorance, and keep the prayer established, and pay the charity, and obey Allah and His Noble Messenger; Allah only wills to remove all impurity from you, O the People of the Household, and by cleansing you make you utterly pure.
C. From The Hadith – Regarding Difference In Prayer Positions
4. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) narrates that the Holy Prophetsaid, 'When a woman sits inSajdahby putting one thigh upon the other (i.e. close to one another) and at the time ofSajdah(prostration) her stomach touches her thighs and she also takes full consideration ofHijaab, then Allah Taãla looks at her and says to the angels, 'Bear witness that I have forgiven her.' (Baihaqi, Kanzul Ummaal)
5. Once the Holy Prophetsaw two women offering Prayer and he said, 'When you (women) makeSajdah(prostrate) then let the limbs of your body touch one another and make them touch the ground.' Surely in this (prostration posture) women are not similar to men.' (Masaail Abu Dawood)
6. Wail ibn Hajar (may Allah be well pleased with him) said that the Holy Prophettaught him to offer Prayer and he said, 'O ibn Hajar! When you begin your Prayer then lift your hands up to your ears and show the women that they should lift up to their chests.' (Tabarrani)
7. Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be well pleased with him) was once asked on how women used to offer Prayer during the time of the Holy Prophet. He replied, 'First they used to read Prayer cross-legged, then they were commanded to cling to themselves,' (Jaami al-Masanid).
D. From Hadith – Regarding Concealment Of Voice During Prayer
8. Narrated Abu Huraira (May Allah be well pleased with him), The Holy Prophetonce said: "The saying 'Sub Han Allah' is for men and clapping is for women." (If something happens in the prayer, the men can invite the attention of theImamby saying "Sub Han Allah". And women, by clapping their hands). (Bukhari)
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S PRAYER
1.Concealing the body (Satr-e-Aurat) – that is to conceal/cover the necessary parts of the body. For men, this consists of the body between the navel up to and including the knees. For women this consists of the entire body, except the face, hands and soles of the feet. Women must hide their faces from strangers whilst not in Prayers. Wearing clothes that are so thin that body colour is exposed will make the Prayer void. Similar is the case of the head scarf if the shine of hair is revealed. In fact, wearing such clothes is prohibited even outside Prayer. Before beginning Prayer the woman should make sure that (other than her face, palms and the soles of her feet) her entire body is properly covered with opaque clothes. If she offers Prayer in thin clothes which reveal the colour of the skin or the shine of her hair, it will render the Prayer void. It is obligatory to also hide the neck, ears, hair-locks hanging from the head, and the wrists.
2.If any part of the body (other than her face, palms and the soles of her feet) is exposed up to one fourth of its area, and she proclaims the “Takbeer Tahreemah” (“Allahu Akbar”) without hiding it, then the Prayer will be deemed to have not started at all. If one fourth or more of it gets exposed during the Prayer for a time in which "Subhaan-Allah" can be recited thrice, it will render the Prayer void.
3.While saying “Takbeer Tahreemah” (Allahu Akbar) a woman should raise her hands only up to her shoulders (and not up to the ears) and should not take them out of her cloak.
4.In theQiyaam(standing position), she should place her left palm on the middle of her chest and the right palm over the left.
5.While bowing, she should only bow a little, enough for her hands to touch her knees, without holding them. The fingers should be kept straight. She should stand with her knees slightly bent, and her arms close to her body.
6.She should perform the prostration with her body drawn together i.e. she should keep the abdomen joined with the thighs, the thighs with the calves, the shins with the ground, the arms to the sides and the wrists spread on the ground. Further, instead of keeping the feet upright, both feet should be spread out towards the right.
7.While inQaadah(sitting position), instead of keeping the right foot upright, both feet should be slid out towards the right, with her sitting on the left foot.
8.For women, praying in a room is better than praying out in the courtyard, and praying in a basement is better than praying in a room. (Abu Dawood).
OTHER IMPORTANT POINTS:
1.Women are exempted from offering Prayer whilst in state of impurity (due to menses or childbirth).
2.Women should take extra care during "Wuzu and Tayammum" by moving ornaments (such as rings) in order not to leave the area below them - whereas nail polish should be totally removed.
3.If several persons are praying in the same room, women should pray behind the men. They should not stand in line with the men.
4.Women should offer their five daily Prayers,TaraweehandWitrindividually. It isMakrooh Tahreemifor them to offer Prayer with congregation. (Shaami Vol.1). A woman cannot be a leader (Imam) in any congregational Prayer.



- PUBLISHED by"NajimudeeN_M-INDIA"

Fathwa, - Is this relief effort thing a new issue in Islam? I have not read anywhere where the believers

Share


Question:
Is this relief effort thing a new issue in Islam? I have not read anywhere where the believers did this sort of thing after Allah destroyed the wicked.
Answer:
As-Salamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah:
Many authentic hadiths link earthquakes with the signs of the end of times together with mass killings, both caused by the spread of sin and wickedness, especially the abandonment of zakat and trusts, the practice of usury (riba), impiety to parents, winebibbing, loudness in mosques, evil leaders, and insults against the earlier Muslims.
However, this does not mean that all earthquakes and mass-murder victims are necessarily wicked or even most of them.
The Prophet said, upon him blessings and peace: There will be a tremor (rajfa) in my Community in which shall perish ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand, and which Allah Most High shall make an admonishment for the Godfearing, a mercy for the Believers, and a punishment for the disbelievers.? Narrated by Ibn `Asakir in Tarikh Dimashq and Ibn al-Sakan in Ma`rifat al-Sahaba.
Ibn `Asakir also narrated that Allah Most High said: I shall cause a tremor in the best of night, whatever disbeliever dies in it will be because his term of life has reached him, and whatever Believer dies in it will be for him martyrdom (shahada).
Anas asked our Mother `A'isha about earthquakes: Is it a punishment? She replied: A mercy and a blessing and an admonishment for the Believers and an exemplary punishment and wrath and bane on the disbelievers. Ibn Abi al-Dunya narrated it in al-`Uqubat and al-Hakim in the Mustadrak.
Yet the Believers are also meant to be rebuked by such terrible events. There was an earthquake in al-Kufa in the time of Ibn Mas'ud whereupon he said: O people! Your Lord is rebuking you, so do what He is commanding you ? Al-Tabari narrated it in his Tafsir.
Ibn Mas`ud also said: We the Companions of Muhammad (upon him blessings and peace) were shown signs of blessings, while you all are shown only signs of terror. Al-Darimi narrated it in his Musnad.
Hence both the congregational Kusuf prayer and individual voluntary prayers should be prayed in such an event, much du'a and dhikr raised*, and almsgiving including freeing slaves as narrated from `Ali, Ibn`Abbas, `A'isha, Ibn Mas`ud, and Samura ibn Jundub Abu Dawud, Ibn Abi Shayba/s Musannaf, al-Shafi'I's Umm and al-Muzani's Mukhtasar, and al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan.
(*) Especially tasbih, takbir, and salat on the Prophet upon him
blessings and peace [al-Suyuti].
The righteous caliph `Umar ibn `Abd al-`Aziz ordered such a prayer in his time as well as massive alms-giving.
Source for all of the above: Imam al-Suyuti, Kashf al-Salsala `an Wasf al-Zalzala.
As for questioning whether "this relief effort thing" is Islamic or "not find[ing] in the Quran any prophet rushing in relief efforts after Allah destroy the people", then how about the Seal of Prophets? {intense concern and mercy for the Believers} ? as Southeast Asia and Sri Lanka have majority Muslim populations ? and the verses that state that the Prophet, upon him blessings and peace, loved even for the unbelievers to be guided to the point of almost killing himself (bakhi`un nafsak) trying?
And what about the countless earthquakes, some of them huge disasters taking the lives of countless Muslims and leaving even more homeless and destitute, that shook the Haramayn, Cairo, Damascus, al-Kufa, Basra, Baghdad, Yemen, and various parts of North Africa over the centuries? I doubt you would care to vent such outlandish opinions in their societies after such devastating events take place because I am afraid they might consider you a "hidden apostate" (zindiq) or a devil for it. Or perhaps it sits well with you that the humane disbelievers who get busy with relief efforts for the Muslims in Bam and Turkey and Indonesia should be more merciful in the final analysis than the unnatural (after your refashioning) Believers for themselves? A truly devilish perversion of the Qur'anic aya indeed!
As for claiming that Allah Most High may only destroy the wicked, it means He also is obligated to reward the good; neither is true. Allah most High Himself said that if He wished He could place even `Isa and his Mother, upon them peace, in Hellfire without injustice on His Part for He is the Creator and Owner of His creation. His goodness to us is out of His bounty while His severity is out of His justice.
As for ourselves we are not commanded to bear judgment on what we have no idea of. If we are sure that all of the victims of the flood are clear-cut sinners of the worst rank, like the people of Lut upon him peace, then perhaps we might wash our hands of any pity but such is not the case. It is enough that there are children among the survivors for us to be stirred to help -- unless of course our "hearts were hardened and became as rocks, or worse than rocks, for hardness" (2:74).




- PUBLISHED by"NajimudeeN_M-INDIA"

Fathwa, - A Brother I Know Never Leaves His Room Because He Does Not Want To Get Corrupted And Mingle Wit

Share


Question:
I am very concerned about a brother. He stays in his room most of the time and hardly ever comes out. He only comes out for Jumu'a prayer and when he goes to college. The reason why he does not get out is because he thinks everyone has a meaningless life and they are corrupt. And he thinks if he mingles with these people he will become like them. He keeps on saying he likes his darkness and staying away from people. He knows a lot about Islam and is very practicing.
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Praise be to Allah. May the peace and blessings of Allah shower upon our Beloved Messenger, his family, companions, and those who follow them.
Dear questioner,
The way of our Beloved Prophet, upon whom be peace, and the Righteous Predecessors, may Allah be pleased with them, was the way of moderation. They lived in the society, yet were not of the society. If the Prophet, peace be upon him, had not gone out, mingled with the people, and spread the Message, where would we be today?
Allah the Exalted commanded the Prophet, "O thou enveloped in thy cloak, Arise and warn!" (74:1-2) The Prophet, peace be upon him, was assigned the task of bringing the message of tawhid to humanity. We are required to follow his noble example and invite people to Islam. Allah says, "And who is better in speech than he who invites to Allah's deen and does righteous deeds, and says: 'I am one of the Muslims.'" (41:33) It is not for your friend to condemn people to empty and meaningless lives. Look how many people led the most corrupt lives, and by Allah's mercy came into this deen!
Your friend does not have to become best friends with everyone he meets, but surely he can try to be a good example for those he meets and not look down on them.
There is also benefit in spending time with righteous people. You indicated that your friend does not even associate with other Muslims. This is not healthy. Humans are social beings and require interaction with each other. At the very least, he should try to go to the masjid beyond Jumu'a, and attend circles of religious learning. This is important for the nourishment of his iman and feelings of brotherhood with fellow Muslims.
And Allah knows best. And Allah alone gives success.




- PUBLISHED by"NajimudeeN_M-INDIA"