His statement, “raising his hands”: the author did not clarify whether this applies generally to men and women, or specifically to men. However, God willing, he will mention at the end of the description of the prayer (1) that a woman is like a man, except that she lets her legs fall to one side and keeps her body drawn in: she does not hold herself apart while prostrating, nor does she raise her hands. Thus, she differs in these three matters—and perhaps in more, as we shall examine, God willing. The correct view, however, is that this applies equally to men and women: a woman raises her hands just as a man does.

If someone asks, “What is the evidence that this ruling applies generally to both men and women?”

We say: the evidence is the absence of any proof specifying otherwise. The basic principle is that whatever is established for men is established for women, and whatever is established for women is established for men, unless there is evidence to the contrary. There is no evidence here that a woman should not raise her hands. Rather, the texts are general, and the Prophet’s ﷺ statement, “Pray as you have seen me pray,” (2) is addressed to both men and women.

If someone asks, “What is the wisdom behind raising the hands?”

The answer is that its wisdom lies in following the example of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. This is what saves a person from allowing his mind to wander here and there. Hence, when the Mother of the Believers Aisha was asked, “Why does a menstruating woman make up the fasts but not make up the prayers?” she replied: “This used to happen to us, and we were commanded to make up the fasts, but we were not commanded to make up the prayers.” (3)