This year I performed hajj, in Mina I was doing prostration as we women in Hanafi maslak are taught to do like putting my elbows on the ground and trying to occupy minimum space by keeping my foot slant rather sitting on my toes. A young woman instructed me not to do sajdah like that, she said that I should keep my elbows raised from the ground because the position of elbows touching the ground is like that of dogs and then I saw that every Saudi woman was doing sajdah in that manner. Then I too started doing sajdah in the same manner, now I realize that I am performing it exactly alike to men. Since I returned from hajj I am performing prostration like that. Am I right in doing so while belonging to Hanafi maslak? And if not, then do I have to repeat the salah which I performed doing that kind of sajdah?
Answer:
(Fatwa: 1275/B=233/TB=1433)
Hanafi women should offer salah in the same way as you used to do earlier like putting your elbows on ground. It is correct method, keep on offering salah on this very method. There are more followers of Hambali, Shafai and Maliki there in Saudi Arabia and they offer salah as per their method. You need not to do sajdah like men. You are a woman hence you should offer salah with more purdah shrinking yourself.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband