Fatwa ID: 07535

 

 

 

 

Written by: Moulana Sarfraz Mohammad

 

 

 

 

Question

 

 

 

 

My parents rebuke & hit me for praying like men, covering my awrah in salah(chin area) and raising my finger in tashahhud. Once my mom hit me on my buttocks so that I keep them on the ground.

 

 

To save myself I, assured her that I would not pray like men. But as there is no obedience to creation in disobedience to the creator,  I’m praying like men but my father gave me a warning that if he finds out that I pray like men, he’ll do worse.

 

 

I try to pray outside home & also combine prayers so that my salah will be offered properly. They also removed my niqab but I wear a mask.

there are 2 options for me.

1. I continue my uni education out of the city so that I can wear a niqab & pray salah properly but there are some problems, like in a hostel I might not be able to gain Islamic education from any institution directly but I can take online classes. I’ll not be able to do worldly short courses like cooking, etc. I’ll be sinning because I will have to travel alone & I have never lived in a hostel so it will be very difficult for me. Despite this, my parents will have a huge burden of   in terms of hostel fees as that uni is private & fees are really high. They’ll probably take a loan.

 

1. I study within the city & gain Islamic education from an institution directly & do short courses that may help me in the future. I’ll try my best to offer salah outside my home as I’ll take admission in courses so I’ll stay most of the time outside my home. Or can I combine prayers in this situation? What if sometimes I was forced to offer salah in the way that my parents said to do? Will my prayer be valid?  I think that they’ll allow me to wear a niqab. But if they don’t then I’ll wear a niqab in their absence, but will I be sinful for not wearing it?

 

 

 

 

What should I do? Will my prayers be valid in the duration of my uni if I stay within the city?

 

 

 

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

 

 

 

Answer 

 

 

 

 

Firstly the way shown by your parents to perform the salah is the correct and right way.

 

 

 

There are some differences in how women pray compared to men. These distinctions are based on principles of modesty and ease. Here are the key differences:

1. Positioning in Qiyam (standing): Women are encouraged to keep their feet closer together and not too far apart, whereas men stand with a slightly wider stance.
2. Ruku (bowing): Women are instructed to bow less deeply compared to men and should keep their arms close to their body.
3. Sujud (prostration): Women are encouraged to keep their body more compact, with their stomach resting against their thighs and their elbows close to their sides, as opposed to men, who spread out their elbows and keep more space between their body and the ground.
4. Sitting (Tashahhud): In the sitting posture, women sit in a more compact way, with their legs bent to the side (tawarruk), as opposed to men who sit with their right foot upright and left foot flat under them (iftirash).

 

 

 

 

These adjustments aim to maintain modesty and difference in appearance between men and women in their prayer. However, core aspects of the prayer such as the recitations, number of rak’ahs, and general structure remain the same for both.

 

 

 

Wearing the niqab

In the Hanafi school of thought, wearing the niqab (face veil) for women is considered recommended (mustahabb) but not obligatory (fard). However, this ruling may vary depending on the situation or context.

 

 

 

General Circumstances: In normal circumstances where there is no fear of fitnah (temptation or trial), the Hanafi scholars traditionally do not consider it obligatory for a woman to cover her face. She is required to cover everything except her face, hands, and feet.

 

 

 

Fitnah (Temptation): If a woman fears that not covering her face may lead to unwanted attention or cause fitnah, then Hanafi scholars consider it necessary (wajib) for her to wear the niqab in such cases to prevent any inappropriate attention or temptation.

 

 

 

 

If your parents forbid you from wearing the niqab but you wear it when they are not around, you are doing what you can in your situation. The obligation to wear the niqab is between you and Allah. If you fear harm or severe conflict from wearing it in their presence, it might be permissible to remove it while still holding the intention to wear it when safe to do so.

 

 

 

 

Staying within the city could allow you to access Islamic education directly, take beneficial short courses, and try to maintain your prayers in the correct time. It is also generally not permissible to combine two prayers (e.g., Dhuhr with Asr or Maghrib with Isha) during their designated times.

 

 

 

Only Allah Knows Best.

Answered by Moulana Sarfraz Mohammad

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

 

 

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رضي الله عنه اَنَّه سُئِلَ عَنْ صَلاة الْمَرْأةِ فَقَالَ: تَجْتَمِعُ وَتَحْتَفِزُ”. (مصنف ابن أبي شیبة ج 2ص505، المرأة کیف تکون في سجودها، رقم الحدیث2794)

 

 

 

عَنْ أَبِيْ سَعِیْدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ رضي الله عنه صَاحِبِ رَسُوْلِ اللّٰه صلی الله علیه وسلم أَنَّه قَالَ: … وَکَانَ یَأْمُرُالرِّجَالَ أَنْ یَّفْرِشُوْا الْیُسْریٰ وَیَنْصَبُوْا الْیُمْنٰی فِي التَّشَهُّدِ وَ یَأْمُرُالنِّسَاءَ أَنْ یَّتَرَبَّعْنَ”. (السنن الکبری للبیهقي ج 2ص222.223 باب ما یستحب للمرأة … الخ، التبویب الموضوعي للأحادیث ص2639 )

 

 

 

“وَكَيْفِيَّتُهَا إذَا أَرَادَ الدُّخُولَ في الصَّلَاةِ كَبَّرَ وَرَفَعَ يَدَيْهِ حِذَاءَ أُذُنَيْهِ حتى يُحَاذِيَ بِإِبْهَامَيْهِ شَحْمَتَيْ أُذُنَيْهِ وَبِرُءُوسِ الْأَصَابِعِ فُرُوعَ أُذُنَيْهِ”.

 (الفتاویٰ الهندیة: ج1 ص80)

 

 

 

“المرأة ترفع يديها حذاء منکبيها، وهو الصحيح؛ لأنه أسترلها.”

 (فتح القدير لابن الهمام، ج1ص246)

 

 

 

“واستحسن كثير من مشايخنا … بأن يضع باطن كفه اليمنى على كفه اليسرى، ويحلق بالخنصر والإبهام على الرسغ”.

(عمد ۃ القاری: ج4 ص389 باب وضع الیمنیٰ علی الیسریٰ فی الصلاۃ)

 

 

 

“والمرأة تنحنی في الرکوع يسيراً ولاتعتمد ولاتفرج أصابعها، ولکن تضم يديها وتضع على رکبتيها وضعاً وتنحنی رکبتيها ولاتجافی عضدتيها”.

 (فتاویٰ: الهندیة:ج1ص74)

 

 

 

(تفسیر ابن کثیر للإمام أبي الفداء الحافظ ابن کثیر الدمشقي ، سورة الأحزاب: تحت الآیة: {یدنین علیهن من جلابیبهن …الخ: ۳؍۵۳۵۔ ط

 

 

 

{واذا سألتموهن متاعاً فاسئلوهن من وراء حجاب} (الاحزاب:۵۳)

 

 

 

الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (1/ 381):

” (ولا جمع بين فرضين في وقت بعذر) سفر ومطر خلافاً للشافعي، وما رواه محمول على الجمع فعلاً لا وقتاً (فإن جمع فسد لو قدم) الفرض على وقته (وحرم لو عكس) أي أخره عنه (وإن صح) بطريق

 

 

القضاء (إلا لحاج بعرفة ومزدلفة)۔