Firstly, this rationale cannot stand against the generality of the textual evidence indicating that women are like men with respect to legal rulings—especially since the Prophet ﷺ said: “Pray as you have seen me praying.” (1) This address is general and includes all men and women.

Secondly, it is contradicted by the case in which she prays alone. Indeed, it is both usual and prescribed for a woman to pray alone in her home, without men being present. In that case, there is no need for her to draw herself in so long as no men can see her.

Thirdly, they say that she raises her hands at the prescribed points for raising them, and raising (2) the hands is closer to exposing oneself than keeping one’s limbs apart. Yet despite this, they maintain that it is sunnah for her to raise her hands, because the basic principle is that men and women are equal in legal rulings.

Thus, the stronger view is that a woman does everything as a man does: she raises her hands, keeps her limbs apart, keeps her back level while bowing, and, while prostrating, keeps her stomach away from her thighs and her thighs away from her calves.

His statement, “and extend her legs to her right side,” means that she differs from a man in the manner of sitting: she does not sit in the iftirāsh position, nor does she sit in the tawarruk position; rather, she extends both legs to her right side while sitting between the two prostrations and during both tashahhuds. This too has no evidence to support it. Rather, the evidence indicates that she does as a man does: she sits in the iftirāsh position between the two prostrations and during the first tashahhud, as well as during the final tashahhud of a prayer containing only one tashahhud; and she sits in the tawarruk position during the final tashahhud of three- and four-unit prayers.