442. Can I offer my Salaah sitting?

By Asma bint Shameem

1. Praying while sitting WITHOUT any valid excuse:

First of all, the default is that we HAVE to offer the *Fardh* prayer STANDING with the proper postures of rukoo and sujood on the ground.

And it’s not allowed for a person who can stand and pray with no disabilities or valid Shar’ee excuses to pray sitting down.

That’s because standing is one of the pillars of the Salaah, if one is able to stand and offer the prayer.

Proof#1:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam told a sahaabi who was suffering from hemorrhoids, and therefore couldn’t stand and pray.

“Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then lying on your side.”(al-Bukhaari)

Proof #2:

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam would GET OFF the animal he was riding while traveling.

And he would offer his Fardh Salaah while standing with proper rukoo’ and sujood.

He would NOT pray the fardh Salaah while still sitting on his ride.

Ibn `Umar radhi Allaahu anhu said:

"Allaah's Messenger Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam used to offer the optional prayer on the back of his Mount facing any direction and also used to pray the witr on it but never offered the compulsory prayer on it." (al-Bukhaari)

The ulama of the Standing Committee said:

“With regard to offering obligatory prayers sitting down when one is able to stand, that is NOT PERMISSIBLE because of the general meaning of the verse in which Allaah says:

“And stand before Allaah with obedience” [al-Baqarah 2:238]

and because of the hadeeth of ‘Imraan ibn Husayn, according to which the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said to him:

“Pray standing; if you cannot, then sitting; and if you cannot then lying on your side.” (al-Bukhaari, 1117)

(Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah, 8/126)

And Shaikh Salih al-Munajjid said regarding praying sitting down without a Shar’ee excuse:

“Standing during an obligatory prayer is one of the pillars or essential parts of the prayer, and it not permissible to omit it unless one is unable to stand because of sickness or intense fear, and the like. If a person omits it deliberately then his prayer is invalid.”

So praying your fardh while sitting, for NO reason when a person is ABLE to pray properly, is NOT VALID.

That goes for praying in the sitting position, just because you’re driving somewhere or don’t want to get off the car, or you’re too ‘shy’ or too ‘embarrassed’ to pray in front of others.

Or you’re “too tired”.

Those are NOT valid Shar’ee excuses to pray your obligatory prayers sitting.

QUESTION?

What about praying the *VOLUNTARY* prayers while sitting?

It is permissible to pray the nawaafil and Sunnah prayers sitting with no excuse, and the prayer is valid.

But keep in mind that the reward for that is reduced to HALF the reward of one who stands.

Proof:laah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said:

“The prayer of a man who sits is half of the prayer of a man who stan

Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“I was told that the Messenger of Alds.”

I came to him and found him praying sitting.

I put my hand on his head and he said, 

‘What is the matter, O ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr?”

I said, 

“I was told, O Messenger of Allaah that you said, ‘The prayer of a man who sits is half of the prayer of a man who stands,’ and you are praying sitting.”

He said,

“Yes, but I am not like one of you.” (Muslim)

Imaam an-Nawawi said:

“This hadeeth is to be understood as referring to a naafil prayer offered sitting when one is able to stand.

This brings half the reward of a prayer offered standing.

But if a person offers a naafil prayer sitting down because he is unable to stand, then the reward is NOT reduced;

rather it will be the SAME as one who stands.

With regard to OBLIGATORY prayers, if a person prays sitting down when he is able to stand, his prayer is NOT VALID and he will not be rewarded, rather he is sinning.”

(Sharh Saheeh Muslim)

2. Praying while sitting for a VALID reason:

If there’s some disability or a GENUINE reason that a person cannot stand and pray, then it’s *allowed* to sit and offer the Salaah. 

The prayer is valid and the person is not sinful.

For example a person is too sick, or injured, or too weak or too old.

Or the person will get dizzy or there’s a chance that he may fall or hurt himself if he stands to pray, for example on a plane or train etc.

Or in situations of fear, if a person is scared that he will be harmed if he’s seen praying.

But the fear has to be REAL and not based on emotions or paranoia.

Or a woman is pregnant and she cannot bend for rukoo or make sujood on the ground, so she can do that sitting on the ground or on a chair.

However in such situations, one should sit for only that part of the Salaah that they cannot perform the default way.

The rest of the prayer should be prayed as it is legislated.

Imaam al-Nawawi said:

“The ummah is unanimously agreed that whoever is unable to stand in an obligatory prayer may pray sitting down, and he does not have to repeat the prayer. 



Our companions said: his reward will not be less than the reward for offering the prayer standing up, because he is excused. 

It was proven in Saheeh al-Bukhaari that the Messenger of Allaah Sal Allaahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam said: “If a person is sick or is traveling, the reward of what he used to do when he was healthy and not traveling with be written for him.” [ al-Majmoo’ (4/201)]

So if a person can at least read al-Faatihah standing, they should do so. Then they may sit for the rest of the prayer.

Or if they can also make rukoo standing, they should do so standing and should sit only for the sujood.

Or if they can make sujood properly on the ground, but they cannot read al-Faatihah and Qur’aan standing, then they should sit ONLY for that portion of Salaah that they cannot do standing.

And they should make sujood on the ground.

They should NOT make sujood while sitting in the chair IF they can make sujood on the ground.

HOW to pray sitting?

If a person cannot perform rukoo and sujood the normal way and has to offer the prayer sitting, they should just bend themselves forward a little bit for the rukoo and a bend a little deeper for sujood.

There’s NO need to put a table in front to put the head on it.

Nor is there a need to put the arms forward in midair to make sujood in between the hands.

Just put your hands on your knees and lean forward for the rukoo and lean some more for the sujood.

Proof:

Once the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam visited a sick person and saw him praying (leaning) on a pillow, so he took it and cast it aside. So the man took a stick to pray (leaning) on it, but he took it and cast it aside and said:

“Pray on the ground if you can, but otherwise make movements with your head, making your sujood lower than your rukoo.” 

(at-Tabaraanee, Bazzaar, and others. Saheeh by shaikh al-Albaani In Silsilah al-Ahaadeeth.)

And Allaah knows best.