All that has been
mentioned of the description of the Prophet's prayer (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa
sallam) applies equally to men and women, for there is nothing in the Sunnah to
necessitate the exception of women from any of these descriptions; in fact, the
generality of his statement (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam), "Pray as you have
seen me praying", includes women.
This is the view of
Ibraaheem an-Nakh'i, who said, "A woman's actions in the prayer are the same as
a man's" - transmitted by Ibn Abi Shaibah (1/75/2), with a saheeh sanad from
him.
Also, Bukhaari reported
in at-Taareekh as-Sagheer (p. 95) with a saheeh sanad from Umm ad-Dardaa',
"that she used to sit in her prayer just as a man sits, and she was a woman of
understanding."
The hadeeth about the
indimaam (tucking up) of a woman in prostration, and that she is in that regard
not like a man, is mursal and not authentic. Abu Daawood transmitted it in al-
Maraaseel on the authority of Yazeed ibn Abi Habeeb.
As for what Imaam Ahmad
has reported, as in his son 'Abdullaah's Masaa'il, from Ibn 'Umar, that he used
to instruct his wives to sit cross-legged in prayer, its sanad is not
authentic, for it contains 'Abdullaah ibn 'Umar al-'Amri, who is a da'eef
(weak) narrator.
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