—Al-Tirmidhi’s restricting the instruction to men implies that a woman should not splay her arms but rather keep her limbs close together. This is the position of the Hanafis, the Shafiʿis, and others, in contrast to Ibn Hazm, who states explicitly in al-Muhalla (4/122–124) that the rule is identical for men and women. He writes: “Had there been a different ruling for her, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ would not have neglected to clarify it. What is visible from her while performing this act is exactly what is visible from a man; there is no distinction. In Allah we seek refuge.” Nothing ascribed to the Prophet ﷺ on this point is authentically established. Al-Talkhis (3/381) notes: “Abu Dawud, in his al-Marasil, reports from Yazid b. Abi Habib that the Prophet ﷺ passed by two women who were praying and said: ‘When you prostrate, press some of your flesh to the ground, for in this matter a woman is not like a man.’ Al-Bayhaqi transmitted it through two connected chains, yet each contains a narrator who is rejected.” (1 and 2) Similar reports come from several Companions: ʿAli b. Abi Talib, Anas b. Malik, ʿAbd Allah b. ʿAbbas, and Abu Barza al-Aslami. 1. The report of ʿAli: Recorded by ʿAbd Allah b. Ahmad in the Musnad of his father (1/123): “I found in my father’s notebook: I was informed by Sinan b. Harun; Bayan narrated from ʿAbd al-Rahman b. Abi Layla, from ʿAli, who said: ‘When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ bowed, were a cup of water placed on his back it would not spill.’” The chain is weak because the shaykh from whom Ahmad heard is unknown and because of the weakness of Sinan b. Harun. In al-Taqrib: