Q) At a family function a lady who described herself as a “Salafi” insisted upon the ladies that they should perform the postures of Salaah exactly like the men. According to her there was no difference in the Salaah of males and females. She claimed that this was established from the Sunnah. Is this claim correct?

A) Before dealing with the claim, briefly understand the word “Salafi” Literally it means “one who is associated with the Salaf.” The word Salaf means predecessors, which generally refer to the personalities of the khairul kuroon (the best of eras) — the era of Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam), the Sahaaba (R.A.) and the Taabieen (those who came after the Sahaaba). In this literal context the one who follows one of the illustrious Imaams of Fiqh such as Imaam Abu Hanifa (R.A.) and others is also one who follows the Salaf. However, currently those who do not follow any of the four Imaams of Fiqh and claim to follow the Hadith directly have appropriated the title of “Salafi” for themselves. Yet by and large those who call themselves “Salafi” follow one of the “Khalaf” (those who have come in the latter time) — such as some scholars of this century from the Middle East or other parts of the world. Therefore do not become overawed by the claims of following the Hadith directly. Those who follow one of the four illustrious Imaams of Fiqh also follow the Qur’an and Sunnah. They rely on the expertise and proficiency of these Imaams in the Qur’an and Hadith and have confidence in them due to their exemplary piety and character — hence they follow their Imaam’s expert explanations in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

Nevertheless, the differences in the Salaah of the females, which have been explained by the Imaams of Fiqh, have been extracted from the Ahadith. We will merely suffice on some well-established narrations to illustrate that the variance in the Salaah of females was prescribed by Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) himself.

Yazid bin Abi Habib reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) passed by two women who were praying Salaah. He said: “When you prostrate, let part of your body cling to the earth, for women are unlike men in this regard” (Maraseel of Imaam Abu Dawood).

Sayyidina Ibn Umar (R.A.) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “When a woman sits in Salaah, 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” (Baihaqi).

Sayyidina Wail bin Hujr (R.A.) reports that Rasulullah (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) said: “O Ibn Hujr! When you pray make your hands level with your ears. And the woman shall raise her hands close to her bosom” (Tabrani).

The verdicts of many Sahaaba (R.A.) and Taabieen are also recorded in the books of Hadith, which clearly establish the various differences in the Salaah of females. And Allah Ta’ala knows best.