| The beloved prophet Muhammad Swalallahou `Alaihi Wasallam is the nabi for both men and women. He brought a shariah that defines the responsibilities for both men and women. The Creator of the genders announced in the Qur-aan that ‘’And male are not the same as female.’’(3:36) Allah Ta`ala created woman different from man with different silhouettes, different physical capacities, different psychological and hormonal approaches. As such Allah Ta`ala revealed different orders for them since they are different. Since women do not pray in some days during the month, then we needed a different application for the. Hazrat Aisha r.a. said: ‘’We have been ordered to replace our fasts that we missed(during menses), but not salaah’’(Bukhari) As for the salaah that women inherited from our mothers, the respected wives of the prophet SAW, we find that their salaahs also are different. ثنا أبو داود ثنا سليمان بن داود انبأ ابن وهب انبأ حيوة بن شريح عن سالم بن غيلان عن يزيد بن ابى حبيب ان رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم مر على امرأتين تصليان فقال إذا سجدتما فضما بعض اللحم إلى الارض فان المرأة ليست في ذلك كالرجل البيهقي Reported in Baihaqi and supported by Marasil Abi Dawood that the beloved prophet SAW went pass two women praying salaah. The beloved prophet SAW told them: ‘‘When you do sajdah, then prostrate your body to the ground. Because in that posture, the woman is not alike man. ’’(Baihaqi) If you have doubt on its narration, then know that the posture of salaah of women is well known since we are all born from a mother. So we have definitely seen our mother prayed. This is an inheritance of deen from mother that passed to daughters. So ulamas at all times knew that the posture for women are different from men and that men should not perform women postures. In this manner, this fact of women posture is mentioned in Bukhari: وَقَالَ لَعَلَّكَ مِنْ الَّذِينَ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى أَوْرَاكِهِمْ فَقُلْتُ لَا أَدْرِي وَاللَّهِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ يَعْنِي الَّذِي يُصَلِّي وَلَا يَرْتَفِعُ عَنْ الْأَرْضِ يَسْجُدُ وَهُوَ لَاصِقٌ بِالْأَرْضِ بخاري ‘‘..pray in such a way that you don`t lift up the body and the body is laid flat on the ground’’(Bukhari) Furthermore, imaam Ahmad mentions that the ruku` and the sajdah should be light and not bent completely: إلا أنها تجمع نفسها في الركوع والسجود وجميع أحوال الصلاة وتجلس متربعة أو تسدل رجليها عن يمينها أحمد So women have different postures and way to perform salaah since they are not alike men. Find the exact details on islam-qna.org. Furthermore, the beloved prophet SAW democratically said: ‘’Do not prevent women to come Masjid, although their houses are best for them.’’(Abu Dawood) In a narration of Sahih Ibn Khuzeimah, a sahabiyah narrates: عَنْ عَمَّتِهِ ، امْرَأَةِ أَبِي حُمَيْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ أَنَّهَا جَاءَتِ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَتْ : يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، إِنِّي أُحِبُّ الصَّلاَةَ مَعَكَ ، فَقَالَ : قَدْ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّكِ تُحِبِّينَ الصَّلاَةَ مَعِي ، وَصَلاَتُكِ فِي بَيْتِكِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَلاَتِكِ فِي حُجْرَتِكِ ، وَصَلاَتُكِ فِي حُجْرَتِكِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَلاَتِكِ فِي دَارِكِ بن خزيمة صحيح ‘’I came to the prophet and told him that I like to pray salaah with you(in the masjid). The prophet SAW said: ‘’I know that you like to pray here, but know that the salaah in your room(at home) is better than the salaah done in your lounge..’’(Sahih Ibn Khuzeimah) During the best of eras, the beloved prophet SAW did not stop himself women to come to masjid because this would cause difficulty to those going for Umrah and Hajj in Makkah and Madinah. But still over here, the beloved prophet SAW stated that the salaah of a woman at home or in the room of a hotel is better than doing it in the masjid An Nabawi. But later on, after 40 years lapse of time, Hazrat Aisha r.a. stated that if the beloved prophet SAW would witness the attitude and taqwa of people in that latter generation, then He would have ordered women to absolutely pray at home.(Muslim) عَنْ عَمْرَةَ بِنْتِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ أَنَّهَا سَمِعَتْ عَائِشَةَ زَوْجَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ تَقُولُ لَوْ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَأَى مَا أَحْدَثَ النِّسَاءُ لَمَنَعَهُنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ كَمَا مُنِعَتْ نِسَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ لِعَمْرَةَ أَنِسَاءُ بَنِي إِسْرَائِيلَ مُنِعْنَ الْمَسْجِدَ قَالَتْ نَعَمْ مُسْلِمٍ صَحِيحٍ Hazrat Aisha r.a. was not a simple personality. She is the lady that benefited the most from the `Ilm, company and love of the beloved prophet SAW. Hence there can be no other person that may be in a better position as per statement on women`s salaah. And yet she was a defender of the woman`s gender at the time when people thought bad on women. This fatwa was given on the second generation about 40 years after Rasouloullah`s demise. And that was still the next best generation. Now, one may imagine how strict we should stick to this fatwa in our degenerated generation that we are living. I would like to attract your attention at the final stage of Islam vis a vis women in masjid or in jamaat. According to a hadith of muslim Shareef, the beloved prophet SAW when he found several tents(of I`tikaaf) of His wives were set in the masjid, he ordered to take out all the tents from the masjid. That is why imaam Abu Hanifah says that there is no i`tikaaf of a woman except in her home, in the place reserved for salaah in there. It is because the beloved prophet SAW abrogated this rule at that Ramadhaan and hence calcelled women`s itikaaf in masjid. عَنْ عَائِشَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَعْتَكِفَ صَلَّى الْفَجْرَ ثُمَّ دَخَلَ مُعْتَكَفَهُ وَإِنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِخِبَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ أَرَادَ الِاعْتِكَافَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَاخِرِ مِنْ رَمَضَانَ فَأَمَرَتْ زَيْنَبُ بِخِبَائِهَا فَضُرِبَ وَأَمَرَ غَيْرُهَا مِنْ أَزْوَاجِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِخِبَائِهِ فَضُرِبَ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الْفَجْرَ نَظَرَ فَإِذَا الْأَخْبِيَةُ فَقَالَ آلْبِرَّ تُرِدْنَ فَأَمَرَ بِخِبَائِهِ فَقُوِّضَ وَتَرَكَ الِاعْتِكَافَ فِي شَهْرِ رَمَضَانَ حَتَّى اعْتَكَفَ فِي الْعَشْرِ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ شَوَّالٍ مُسْلِمٍ صَحِيحٍ And from there comes all the segregation of female from male onwards in all ibaadahs. In Hajj, a few months before the beloved prophet SAW left this world, Umme Salmah r.a. complained about her tawaaf being difficult due to her health. The beloved prophet SAW clearly tells Umme Salmah r.a. not to pray maghrib with men and do her tawaaf while men are in salaah(Bukhari): أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ عَنْ أُمِّ سَلَمَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا قَالَتْ شَكَوْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنِّي أَشْتَكِي فَقَالَ طُوفِي مِنْ وَرَاءِ النَّاسِ وَأَنْتِ رَاكِبَةٌ فَطُفْتُ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي إِلَى جَنْبِ الْبَيْتِ وَهُوَ يَقْرَأُ بِالطُّورِ وَكِتَابٍ مَسْطُورٍ بخاري Hence women should do all their Salaahs at home. The beloved prophet SAW said that there is no Jum’ah for them (Bukhari, Abu Dawood). And basing on fatwa of our mother Aisha r.a., women should read all their salaahs farzs, taraweehs, etc at home. And their i`tikaaf should only be in their respective homes in a corner reserved for salaah(Masjidul Bait). |