Woman Placing Her Forearms On The Ground In Prostration

[ummtaalib]

Question:

When it comes to womens sajdah in the Hanafi madhab they are required to put their arms on the ground. It seems as this conflicts with the hadith of Bukhari where the Prophet [saw] forbade putting the hands on the ground like a dog.

Please give proof as to why women should go against this hadith even if it be for the sake of modesty.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

 

Women placing her forearms on the ground in sajda is understood from the following:

Rasullullah (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said:

 

عن يزيدَ بن أبي حبيب أنَّ رسولَ الله مَرَّ عَلَى امرأتينِ تصليانِ، فقال : «إذَا سَجَدْتُمَا فَضُمَّا بعضَ اللحمِ إلى الأرضِ، فإنَّ المرأةَ لَيْسَتْ في ذلِكَ كالرجلِ

 

“When you make prostration, keep your body attached to the ground because a woman has not been created like a man” [1]

 

If a woman raises her elbows from the ground, her body will not be attached to the ground. Thus she will go against the dictates of the Hadeeth.

The narrators of the above Hadeeth have not been classified as weak and not acceptable. In fact, Imam Baihaqi (Rahmatullahi Alayhi) has classified this Hadeeth as the best “Mawsool” Hadeeth on this topic.[2]

 

عن أبى سعيد الخدرى رضى الله عنه صاحب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه قال خير صفوف الرجال الصف الاول وكان يأمر الرجال أن يتجافوا فى سجودهم ويأمر النساء ينخفضن فى سجودهن وكان يامر الرجال أن يفرشوا اليسرى وينصبوا اليمنى فى التشهد ويأمر النساء أن يتربعن وقال يا معشر النساء لا ترفعن أبصاركن فى صلاتكن تنظرن إلى عورات الرجال

Abû Saîd Khudrî (Radhiyallahu Anhu) says that Rasûlullâh (Sallallahu Alayhi Wa Sallam) said, “The best saff for the men is the front saff while the best saff for the women is the last saff. He used to command the men to completely stretch out when performing sajdah while he ordered the women to completely contract during the sajdah. He used to command the men to lay down the left foot and make the right foot upright during tashah-hud. And he used to order the women to practise tarabbu’ (to sit cross legged) and he said, “O women, do not raise your glances in salâh in order to look at the satr of the males.[3]

If a woman raises her elbows in Sajdah, she will not be contracting herself as ordered in the Hadeeth.

 

Imâm Abdur Razzâq (211 A.H) رحمه الله has quoted the following hadîth in his Musannaf:

 

وعن على قال إذا سجدت المرأة فلتحتفز ولتلصق فخذيها ببطنها

Alî (Radhiyallahu Anhu) says, “When a woman prostrates, she must practise ihtifâz and keep her thighs close to her stomach.”[4]

 

Spreading her elbows will be against Ihtifaaz.
Imâm Abû Bakr Ibn Abî Shaybah (235 A.H) رحمه الله narrates the following statement:

 

عن ابراهيم قال إذا سجدت المرأة فلتزق بطنها بفخذيها ولا ترفع عجزتها ولا تجافى كما يجافى الرجل

 

“Ibrâhîm رحمه الله says that when a woman prostrates, she should join her thighs to her stomach without raising her posterior and without stretching her limbs out like a male.”[5]

The above will not be fulfilled if a woman raises her elbows in Sajdah.

The above Ahadeeth are clear regarding the difference in posture of the man from that of a woman in Salaah.
Anyone who has even basic knowledge of Hadeeth would understand the concept of Mukhtalif al-Hadeeth and the sciences of reconciling apparent inconsistencies in Ahadeeth.

Not being able to do this will lead one to erroneous conclusions as understood from the question.
 

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Moulana Ismail Desai,

Durban, South Africa

Darul Iftaa Croydon

Checked and Approved by,

Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

 

1اعلاء السنن (ج3، ص 26)

التلخيص الحبير (ج 1، ص 91)

مراسيل لأبي داود

2قال البيهقي: هو أحسن من موصولين في هذا الباب (اعلاء السنن، ج 3، ص 27)

3 السنن الكبرى للبيهقى(ص 223، ج 2 , نشر السنة , ملتان باكستان) و سنن البيهقى (ص 223، ج 2، ادارة التأليفات)

المصنف لعبد الرزّاق ، ج 3، ص 138، رقم الحديث: 4932[4]

المصنف لابن أبى شيبة ،ج 1،ص 270[5

http://efiqh.com/2012/when-it-comes-to-womens-sajdah-in-the-hanafi-madhab-they-are-required-to-put-their-arms-on-the-ground/