I say: There can be no doubt that the first possibility is very far removed from the hadith—even in its abridged form—for it does not say, “while I was praying opposite him.” Moreover, it runs counter to what is established in other authentic hadiths: a woman stands behind the imam even if she is alone, unlike a man. Among al-Bukhari’s chapter headings in his Sahih is:
“Chapter: A woman standing alone constitutes a row.”
Under it he cited (727) the hadith of Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him:
“An orphan and I prayed in our house behind the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, while my mother—Umm Sulaym—stood behind us.”
Muslim, the compilers of the Sunan, and others also narrated it. Its sources have been given in al-Irwa’ (2/329–330).
As for the hadith, “A woman alone constitutes a row,” it is fabricated, as Ibn Abd al-Barr stated. Al-Hafiz attributed this judgement to him (2/212), yet neither cited its source from him nor commented on it. See al-Da'ifah (6628).
I say: To dispel that difficulty and answer that questioner, I have assembled the various reports of the hadith and its additional wordings, arranging them into one smooth and clear account, in order to remove the confusion and make clear that she was not sitting, but sleeping; nor was she praying—rather, she was menstruating. Her bed was opposite his place of prostration, peace and blessings be upon him—that is, his place of prayer. Success is from Allah. *
- “That is Abraham, peace be upon him”—meaning, he is the best of creation.
Recorded by Muslim (7/97), Abu Dawud (4672), al-Tirmidhi (3349), al-Nasa’i in al-Sunan al-Kubra (6/520/11692), Ibn Abi Shaybah in al-Musannaf (11/518/11865), and al-Tahawi in Mushkil al-Athar (3/48–49, al-Mu’assasah edition),