#653: Ruling on observing Salāt while sitting

QUESTION:

“salamu Alaikum: I gat a qstn pls. on wat basis can someone pray while sitting. can he just decide to pry while sitting for just headache purpose”

ANSWER:

Wa ‘Alaykum Salām Warahmatullāh Wabarakātuh

Alhamdulillāh

Know, may Allāh be merciful to us and to you, that to observe the Salāt standing is compulsory and one of the Pillars of the Salāt.

It is agreed upon by all of the Ulamā, rather, the entire Ummah, that three standings are Wājib (Obligatory) for every Raka’a:

Standing to say the Takbīratu Al-Ihrām

Standing to recite Sūratu Al-Fātihah

Standing erect from the Rukū’

There is no argument about this.

A believer who is capable must observe the Salāt with his backbone straight in each of these instances in every Raka’ah among the Raka’āt

It is only Permissible for the one who is incapable of observing the Salāt while standing – either due to old age, severity of pain while standing, or an ailment which may get worse due to the standing – to observe the Salāt sitting.

The evidence for this is the Hadīth recorded by Imām Al-Bukhārī from ‘Imrān bn Al-Husayn in which ‘Imrān – radiyallāhu ‘anhu – said:

“I had hemorrhoids and then asked the Rasūl – salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam – on (how I should observe) the Salāt. He said:

صَلِّ قَائِمًا ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبٍ

“Observe the Salāt while standing, then if you are incapable of doing that, then in a sitting position, then if you are incapable of doing that, then (while lying) on your sides.”

Ponder over the statement “Observe the Salāt while standing…”

The Rasūl – salallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam – knew that he needed alleviation and reprieve, yet mentioned the observance of the Salāt while standing so as to emphasize that sitting and lying may only be resorted to due to incapability or severity of pains

But it should be noted here that what is referred is not necessarily a pain that reaches its threshold.

Imām An-Nawawī – rahimahullāh – said in Al-Majmū’:

“The Ummah have agreed that whosoever is incapable of observing an obligatory Salāt while standing should do so while sitting, and he needs not repeat it later… Our Fellows have said: it isn’t a condition that (for him to observe it sitting), he must be completely incapable of standing, neither does the least difficulty legitimizes it. Rather what is required is apparent difficulty…”

This is why some of the Ulamā, among them, the Faqīh Imām Shaykh Muhammad Sālih Al-‘Uthaymīn – rahimahullāh – premised the permissibility of sitting on a pain which inflicts inability to concentrate in it’s entirety while standing.

Meaning that we measure the pain that legitimizes sitting to observe the Salāt by the Pain which makes a person incapable of concentrating in the Salāt by virtue of it.

And Allāh knows best.

As for Nāfilah Salāt, the Ulamā have an ‘Ijmā that it was permissible to observe it while sitting even if there is no pain. Except that it’s reward will be half of that said while standing.

Bārakallāhu Fīkum
Jazākumullāhu Khayran.

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