women's salaah

Q: What is the method of Salah in Hanafi mathab? I know how to pray but I want to be sure that I am offering salaah correctly or not.

Q: According to the Hanafi and Shaafi mazhabs, is there any condition for women's feet to be covered whilst performing salaah? (E.g covered with socks) or can it be left bare?

Q: In Pakistan I don't know why there is a bad cultural heritage that there is no separate place for women to pray in the Musjid. That's why women don't attend Jumuah prayer. That is really sad but In Karachi I haven't seen a Musjid in which women pray Jummah. So in this circumstances can women pray zuhr instead of jumuah at home?

Q: I read in your book that women's clothes during salaah can't reveal her body shape. My salaah dress is not tight, however when I go to ruku you can see the shape of the knees, going to sajda – shape of back, in jalsah – shape of knees again as I sit, etc. so the dress is not tight but not very flowing and loose. Is it a problem? I have also question about sleeves of the dress. It is not tight, but not that its very wide, when bending an arm it shows shapes of elbow, etc. is it a problem? In one my abaya a sleeve has a tight ending, around 20 cm from a wrist upwards towards elbow. Is this tight ending a problem from making salah in this abaya? Also, is it ok to make salah in hijab (scarf) or only in khimar is ok, because hijab when wrapped around head looks tight and khimar flows down. At home I make it in khimar (till belly), but outside in hijab (scarf), what is the status of common hijab (scarf) for salah? By the way, even khimar falling down the bosom still shows its shape. Is it ok or we have to wear khimar 3 times bigger our size to have many gathers to hide all possible shapes? Is it what we have to try to achieve in our dress for salah and our khimar? In your book its stated that arms of a woman must be under burqa. I checked burqa in the internet and saw a dress that clothes all face including eyes. Is this the requirement, because it is also written in the book that face can be open? My khimar is till belly and its inconvenient to put hands under it for takbeer. Is it ok to do it on top?

Q: From your book I understood that before and during first takbeer, a woman must look in front of her and only bend her head to look at sajda after takbeer. I look at a wall in my room because it is in front of me, is it correct? Should the head be bent slightly or doesn’t matter the angle? If starting salah looking at sajda place during first takbeer by mistake, does it break salah, require sajda-sawh or nothing of this?

Q:

1. How women must lift her hands during the first takbeer – close to the middle section of her bosom or close to the area near armpits where bosom part starts? Takbeer must be said after hands are up, not during lifting them up, is it correct?

2. When we say takbeer in salaah (women salah) we immediately go to next posture and we finish saying takbeer only after reaching it. How to deal with mistakes that happen sometimes with this, when we are too fast either to say takbeer or to reach the posture or we are just the opposite, to slow? Do we have to repeat salaah or make sajda-sawh or ignore this? I have some salahs where I made such mistakes, what to do about those salahs, repeat them or not?

Q: I read your book about women's salah, may Allah bless you for your work, ameen. Some moments I didn’t understand. Could you please explain them to me insha Allah?

1. Hadeeth that explains that during sajda women don’t have to keep feet upright, but feet must be placed on right hand side. I don’t understand it exactly? Do we have to lean on left side during sajda to make our feet be on the right side? If not upright then how exactly, could you please explain in detail in shaa Allah?

2. Hadeeth that says arms must be closed to thighs during sajda – I understand it, but I don’t see here a statement that elbows must be on the ground too, because we can keep arms close to thighs, but still lift the elbows up from the ground? Or I am not thinking correctly? Please kindly explain it to me in shaa Allah as I am a simple Muslim and in no way qualified to interpret hadeeth. If I continue lifting elbows up, will my salahs be void, in shaa Allah?

3. There is nothing mentioned about Rabbigfirli in jalsah, don’t women say this supplication? I say it 2 times in between 2 sajdas, is this correct in shaa Allah?

4. In Jalsah some say that a big finger of a right feet has to face qibla, is it correct?

Q: My question is about if someone wearing artificial jewellery or makeup and pray with it so prayer would be valid?

Q: I read here that women in ruku must touch her knees only by the tips of her fingers and in sajda has to touch ground with her elbows and has to bring her thighs together.

1. If I forget any of these things in some rakah or in all due to forgetfulness will my salah be still valid in shaa Allah?

2. Can I continue doing as I was doing before, holding knees with whole hands and lifting elbows from the ground as I feel more comfortable like this and afraid to resemble a dog? My arms feel too long and loose if I don’t hold knees properly.

3. What does it mean to bring thighs together; I don’t quite understand how it must be done?

4. Could you please explain if these rulings (about ruku and elbows only, thighs ruling is famous I think, the others I never heard about) derived from hadeeth or other ways ulama make their conclusions? I ask because I would like you to share with me those hadeeth so that when I say it to my female muslim friends I can support my words in shaa Allah. Please kindly explain.

5. Must knees of women be a bit bended in ruku or straight?

6. When I make takbeer at the beginning of salah, must my hands touch my breast and be close to each other? In this way I can’t keep them straight they are kind of touching invisible round ball, is it ok in shaa Allah?

7. If I make takbeer like men or some other way forgetfully, is my salah valid?

8. Must I redo salah I did with takbeer as man after I read here that takbeer of women is different? I just didn’t know how it is exactly and decided to make at least as Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).