Differences in Salaat...

[DanyalSAC]

Asalaamu alaikum...

1) In my masjid I notice about a dozen or so brothers who pray with their arms straight down and looking straight ahead (instead of folding right hand over left and keeping eyes on sujood spot), or they sometimes gaze upwards at the ceiling*. I was told that the arm position is also sunnah and that is accepted to pray thus, though I've not seen a single salaat instruction - whether video or pdf file or flash - on the internet that actually teaches you to stand with your arms straight down. When I've seen videos of prayer in Mecca around the Ka'ba I notice you never see a single person in the crowd with their hands straight down at their sides (could be that I just can't see them). I was told that this is usually a Malaki way of doing salaat. I know the Shia do it this way too. But my question here is what is this based on?

2) in trying to do some research online for the above question, I came across a couple websites that describe the differences between "men" and "women" salaat. Now it has always been my impression - and backed by Shaykh Mamdouh Mohamed in his lecture "Improving your Salah"** that there is no difference between a man's and a woman's salaat.


I appreciate any clarification, thanks!

JazakAllah Khairn
D.


* comment on the eye thing - everywhere I've gone says that looking up is NOT sunnah and is simply a bad habit that has been passed down along with the good ones...

** available on www.audioislam.com for free, its an amazing source of help for me.

 

[salahdin]

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ.


NOTE: To place them on the chest is what is proved in the Sunnah, and all that is contrary to it is either da`eef or totally baseless. In fact, Imaam Ishaaq ibn Raahawaih acted on this sunnah, as Marwazi said in Masaa'il (p. 222): "Ishaaq used to pray witr with us _he would raise his hands in qunoot, and make the qunoot before bowing, and place his hands on his breast or just under his breast." Similar is the saying of Qaadi `Iyaad al-Maaliki in Mustahabbaat as-Salaah in his book al-I`laam (p.15, 3rd edition, Rabat): "the right arm is to be placed on the back of the left, on the upper part of the chest." Close to this is what `Abdullaah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal related in his Masaa'il (p. 62): "I saw that when praying, my father placed his hands, one on the other, above the navel." See Appendix 4.



http://www.biharanjuman.org/hadith/prophets_prayer_albani.html
To Look at the Place of Prostration, and Humility

"He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) used to incline his head during prayer and fix his sight towards the ground"81- "while he was in the Ka'bah, his sight did not leave the place of his prostration until he came out from it"82; and he said, It is not fitting that there should be anything in the House which disturbs the person praying.83

"He used to forbid looking up at the sky"84, and he emphasised this prohibition so much that he said: People must refrain from looking up at the sky in prayer, or their sight will not return to them (and in one narration: or their sight will be plucked away).85 In another hadeeth: So when you pray, do not look here and there, for Allaah sets His Face for the face of his slave in his prayer as long as he does not look away86, and he also said about looking here and there, "it is a snatching away which the devil steals from the slave during prayer."87

He (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) also said: Allaah does not cease to turn to a slave in his prayer as long as he is not looking around; when he turns his face away, Allaah turns away from him88; he "forbade three things: pecking like a hen, squatting (iq'aa'), like a dog and looking around like a fox"89; he also used to say, Pray a farewell prayer as if you see Him, but if you do not see Him, surely He sees you90; and, Any person who, when an obligatory prayer is due, excels in its ablution, humility and bowings, will have it as a remission for his previous minor sins as long as he does not commit a major sin, and this (opportunity) is for all times.91

Once he (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), prayed in a khameesah92 and (during the prayer) he looked at its marks. So when he finished, he said: Take this khameesah of mine to Abu Jahm and bring me his anbijaaniyyah93, for it has diverted my attention from the prayer (in one narration: for I have looked at its marks during the prayer and it almost put me to trial).94 Also "'Aaishah had a cloth with pictures spread towards a sahwah95, towards which the Prophet (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) prayed and then said: Take it away from me [for its pictures did not cease to thwart me in my prayer].96

He would also say: Prayer is not valid when the food has been served, nor when it is time to relieve oneself of the two filths.97



FROM THE Prophet's (PBUH) Prayer, by Shaikh Mohd Nasir-ud-Deen Al-Albaani READ IT SO THAT YOU CAN UNDERSTAND BETTER THAN WHAT I HAVE COPIED HERE BROTHER

 

[thariq2005]

Asalaamu alaikum...

1) In my masjid I notice about a dozen or so brothers who pray with their arms straight down and looking straight ahead (instead of folding right hand over left and keeping eyes on sujood spot), or they sometimes gaze upwards at the ceiling*. I was told that the arm position is also sunnah and that is accepted to pray thus, though I've not seen a single salaat instruction - whether video or pdf file or flash - on the internet that actually teaches you to stand with your arms straight down. When I've seen videos of prayer in Mecca around the Ka'ba I notice you never see a single person in the crowd with their hands straight down at their sides (could be that I just can't see them). I was told that this is usually a Malaki way of doing salaat. I know the Shia do it this way too. But my question here is what is this based on?

2) in trying to do some research online for the above question, I came across a couple websites that describe the differences between "men" and "women" salaat. Now it has always been my impression - and backed by Shaykh Mamdouh Mohamed in his lecture "Improving your Salah"** that there is no difference between a man's and a woman's salaat.


I appreciate any clarification, thanks!

JazakAllah Khairn
D.


* comment on the eye thing - everywhere I've gone says that looking up is NOT sunnah and is simply a bad habit that has been passed down along with the good ones...

** available on www.audioislam.com for free, its an amazing source of help for me.

Wa 'alaikkumus salaam wa rahmathullaah. It is known from the sunnah to place the right hand over the left. As the hadeeth indicates... that Sahl ibn Sa’d said: the people used to be instructed to place the right hand over the left forearm when praying. (narrated by al-Bukhaari, no. 840)

As far as what the malikis do, it says on islamqa...

It was said that when Maalik (may Allaah have mercy on him) refused to accept the position of qaadi (judge), he was beaten, and he could not put his hands on his chest when praying, so he held them by his sides because of the pain. Some of those who saw that thought this was Sunnah so they transmitted this from him. But he (may Allaah have mercy on him) definitely did not say that the arms should be held by one’s side at all. This is a misunderstanding of some written statement and it goes against what he stated clearly in al-Muwatta’ about the right hand being placed on top of the left. This was explained by a group of Maalikis and others, in various books which number approximately thirty, apart from what is mentioned in various commentaries.

2) To what I have learnt, and Allaah knows best, that there is no difference in the way that men and women pray, except that there are very little differences...

Praise be to Allaah.

The general principle is that women are equal to men in all religious rulings, because of the hadeeth "Women are the twin halves of men" (Reported by Imaam Ahmad and classified as saheeh in Saheeh al-Jaami’ 1983), except when there is evidence (daleel) of a specific ruling which applies only to women. One of the cases in which the scholars mention specific rules for women is prayer, where there are differences as follows:
Women do not have to give adhaan or iqaamah, because adhaan requires raising the voice, which women are not permitted to do. Ibn Qudaamah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "We know of no difference between the scholars (on this point)." (Al-Mughni ma’a al-Sharh al-Kabeer, 1/438). All of the woman’s body is ‘awrah and must be covered during prayer, except for her face, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "No prayer will be accepted from an adult woman unless she wears a khimaar (head-cover). (Reported by the five Muhadditheen) There is some dispute as to whether her heels and feet should be covered. The author of al-Mughni (2/328) said: "As for the rest of the free woman’s body, it must be covered during prayer. If any part becomes uncovered, it renders her prayer invalid, except if only a little bit is uncovered. Maalik, al-Oozaa’i and al-Shaafi’i said the same. The woman should keep her limbs close to her body during rukoo’ and sujood, and not spread them out, because this is more modest and covering. (Al-Mughni 2/258). Al-Nawawi said: "Al-Shaafi’i said, in al-Mukhtasar: there is no difference between men and women in prayer, except that women should keep the parts of their bodies close to one another, and they should make their stomachs touch their thighs during sujood. This is more covering and preferable, in rukoo’ and the rest of the prayer too." (See al-Majmoo’ 3/429). It is preferable for women to pray in congregation, led by one of their number, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) told Umm Waraqah to lead the women of her household in prayer. There is some difference among scholars on this matter. (See al-Mughni, 2/202 and al-Majmoo’ al-Nawawi, 4/84-85). The woman leading the prayer should read aloud as long as no non-mahram man can hear her. It is permissible for women to go out and pray in the mosque with men, although their prayer at home is better for them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Do not prevent the women from going out to the mosques, even though their homes are better for them." (For more details on this matter, see Question#973). Imaam al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said (al-Majmoo’ 3/455): "Women differ from men in congregational prayer in a number of ways:

(1) Congregational prayer is not required of them in the same way as it is of men.
(2) The imam of a group of women stands in the middle of the (first) row.
(3) (If one woman and one man are praying), she should stand behind him, not next to him.
(4) If women are praying in rows behind men, the back rows are better for them than the front rows.

What we can learn from the above is that women and men are forbidden to mix. Allaah is our Helper and Support.

* Qataadah, radiallaahu anhu, reported that Anas told saying: The Messenger of Allaah :saw2: said: "What is the matter with the people that they raise their eyes to the sky during their prayer?" He continued to say this sternly until he said: "Either the people will refrain from this or their eyesight will be snatched away from them" [Reported by Bukhaaree, Chapter: Raising the eyesight to the sky during the prayer] and many more narrations have been reported along these lines to what I can remember.