What Are The Differences Of Women’s And Men’s Prayers In Terms Of The Way Of Their Establishment?

What are the differences of women’s and men’s prayers in terms of the way of their establishment?

Women’s and men’s ways of establishing prayer have some differences. These differences are based on some narratives and practices of the Companions.

The parts of prayer that are different for women from that of men are as follows:

1. a) Men who will establish prayer alone recite adhan and give iqamat . Women, though, do not recite adhan nor do they give iqamat .
2. b) It is sunnah to raise hands up while reciting the takbir al-iftitah. Men raise their hands to touch their earlobes with their thumbs. Woman raise their hands up to bring their fingertips to the level of their shoulders.
3. c) Men fold their hands under their belly in the prayer, they put their right hand on their left hand and hold their left wrist with their right hand. Women, on the other hand, fold their hands on their chest and put their right hand on their left hand without forming a ring (i.e. without holding as men do).
4. d) Men hold their knees straight and their back flat in the ruku . Women, on the other hand, do not hold their back flat but bend it slightly.
5. e) Men hold their arms and thigh away from their sides and do not touch their arms on the floor in the sajdah. Women put their bellies on their thigh and touch their arms on their sides in the sajdah.
6. f) While sitting for al-Tahiyyat and during the breaks between prostrations, men sit on their left foot by placing their feet on the right side and keep their right foot erect turning its fingertips towards the direction of qiblah. Women, though, sit on the ground by placing their feet on their right side (Sarakhsi, al-Mabsut, I, 25; Marghinani, al-Hidayah, I, 337; Ibn Nujaym, al-Bahr, I, 320; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, II, 225-226) (See. 165, 166, 167 numbered fatwas).

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA