Prayer (Salah) is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is one of the most mentioned religious obligations in Islam. The performance of prayers has been emphasized several times in the Quran, such as the 238th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, which narrates that believers must be mindful of maintaining their prayers.

Offering Prayers (Salah) five times a day has been made mandatory. The three essentials of Salah are standing, bowing, and prostrating. The performance of these three acts, in correct sequence, is compulsory, without which the prayer becomes invalid. However, as mentioned in the 286th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah, Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Moreover, being a religion of nature, Islam provides exemptions and concessions in the performance of religious obligations, wherever possible and deemed necessary. Accordingly, the condition of “standing” while offering prayer is also relaxed in certain special circumstances.

The most popular query across the Muslim world is whether prayer can be performed while sitting on the ground or on a chair, instead of standing. For a better understanding of this very important and sensitive issue, we need to understand the basics of the salah and the conditions under which such an exemption can be availed.

Standing in Prayer is Compulsory

Standing in the Salah is one of the three essentials, bowing and prostrating being the other two. Many Quranic verses explain this obligation in different contexts, such as the 238th verse of Surah Al-Baqarah.

Translation

Be wakeful of your service of prayer, and the midmost service; and honour God by standing before Him in devotion.

Here, it is directly mentioned that standing is obligatory in Salah. The 39th verse of Surah Al-e-Imran indirectly refers to the fact that standing is compulsory while praying.

Translation of the first part of the verse

Then the angels said to him as he stood in the chamber at prayer.

There are many Hadiths, as well, where it is emphasized that standing is the basic requirement of offering prayers. Hadith 1115 of Sahih Al-Bukhari narrates the importance of standing while praying.

Translation

I asked Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) about the praying of a man while sitting. He said, “If he prays while standing, it is better and he who prays while sitting gets half the reward of that who prays standing; and whoever prays while Lying gets half the reward of that who prays while sitting.

Here, it is explicitly mentioned that the first option is to offer prayer while standing. There are many other Hadiths, with similar meanings, which establish that standing in prayer has to be the first preference. The Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ also suggests that standing in prayer is necessary; rather, obligatory, as he used to offer prayers, while standing.

It is also the consensus among scholars that standing is compulsory while offering prayers, especially in the obligatory prayers, though a concession is available for those who are incapable of standing due to a valid physical or medical reason.

Is it Permissible to Pray Sitting Down?

Whereas the general guideline as per the Quran and Hadith is that standing in Prayers is mandatory, Islam provides exemptions, relaxations, and concessions with certain conditions. Accordingly, sitting down while praying is also permissible, but with certain conditions.

As explained in the above-referred Hadith 1115 of Sahih Al-Bukhari, Salah can be offered while sitting or even lying. However, the reward of offering prayers while sitting would be half of the reward when it is offered while standing. The reward further gets reduced when salah is offered while lying.

The matter is further explained in Hadith 1117 of Sahih Al-Bukhari, where it is mentioned that one can offer prayer while sitting or even lying in the case of an illness or incapability.

Translation

Narrated `Imran bin Husain – had piles, so I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the prayer. He said, “Pray while standing, and if you can’t, pray while sitting, and if you cannot do even that, then pray lying on your side.”

Similarly, the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ also guides us that one can offer salah while sitting down, if he/she is unable to stand due to sickness. The event of the Prophet offering Salah while sitting is narrated in detail in Hadith 713 of Sahih Al-Bukhari. It is a detailed Hadith, where the event of the sickness of the Prophet is mentioned. On this occasion, he instructed Hazrat Abu Bakr رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ to lead the prayer, whereas later on, the Prophet also joined while sitting.

Translation of relevant part

The Prophet (ﷺ) sat on his left side. Abu Bakr was praying while standing, and Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) was leading the prayer while sitting. Abu Bakr was following the Prophet (ﷺ), and the people were following Abu Bakr (in the prayer).

Hence, the Sunnah of the Prophet allows us to perform prayer, sitting down, but in a condition where it is not possible to stand, due to extreme weakness or medical incapacity.

Consensus of Scholars

The above-mentioned Quranic verses and Hadiths clearly establish that offering a prayer in a standing position is compulsory. The prayer offered while sitting would be invalid if the person offers it sitting down without a valid reason.

The scholarly consensus on this sensitive issue can be summarized as follows:

  • The first option is to perform prayer as per the standard method, while standing.
  • If a person is unable to stand due to sickness, weakness, injury, or any other valid medical or physical condition, a concession is available for them to perform it while sitting. Going further, if their condition is such that they cannot even sit, prayer can be offered while lying.
  • Prayer can be offered while sitting, either directly on the ground or while sitting on a chair. When sitting on a chair, feet must be firmly placed on the ground. In both positions, the face must be towards the direction of Qibla.
  • In extreme medical conditions, prayer can be offered just through gesturing. It applies to those who cannot perform standard rituals of bowing and prostrating. They can do so just by gesturing these rituals.
  • Praying regular mandatory prayers (Fard Salah) while sitting is allowed in conditions mentioned above.
  • Optional prayers such as Nafl Salah can be offered while sitting, even without a valid reason, but the reward will be reduced to half of that when offered while standing.
  • If a person offers a Fard Salah while sitting down without a valid reason, it will be considered an incomplete prayer.

How to Sit for Offering Prayer

If a person is unable to stand due to a valid reason, as explained above, a concession is available for them to offer prayer sitting down. But the question is how to sit down to offer a prayer perfectly. The proper method is explained here:

· Sitting on the Ground

If you are unable to stand but can sit directly on the ground, there might be two positions to sit:

  1. Sit in the Position of Tashahad – If possible, sit normally as you do in the standard method of Tashahad. Here, you would kneel down with both your legs folded under your body. The standard method is to keep your right foot upright, while the toes are pointing towards Qibla. In this position, the entire weight of the body would come on the left leg.
  2. Sitting Cross Legged – If sitting in the Tashahad position is also difficult due to a valid medical reason, you can even sit on the ground, cross-legged. It is also a Sunnah method. However, make sure that you keep your back straight and face towards Qibla.

· Sitting on a Chair

Further concessions are also available for those who cannot even sit directly on the ground. They are allowed to sit in a chair to offer prayers. However, the following should be ensured:

  • The chair must be stable.
  • Sit on a chair in an upright and straight posture.
  • The face must be towards Qibla.
  • Feet must be firmly and flatly placed on the ground.
  • Bowing (Ruku) should be performed by bending forward until your back comes parallel to the ground, as much as possible, while placing your hands on your knees.
  • Prostrating (Sujud) can be performed by further bending beyond the position of bowing.
  • Make sure that the position of bowing and prostrating is clearly differentiable.

Salah Can be Offered While Lying on the Back or Side

In extreme difficulty due to a valid medical reason, one can even offer the prayer while lying on one’s back or side, if sitting is also not possible. The following should be kept in mind while offering a prayer while lying.

  • Lying on the right side is preferable.
  • Lying on your back is also permissible.
  • Ruku (Bowing) and Sujud (Prostrating) can be done by movement of your head. However, for prostration, move the head more than while bowing.

Conclusion

Islam is a religion very close to nature. The worship and rituals are designed strictly according to the capabilities of a person. Nothing is imposed on us that is beyond our capacity. Going further, special exemptions and relaxations are also provided for those who are traveling, sick, or facing difficulty in the performance of a certain act of worship.

While the performance of prayer is mandatory, it is also compulsory to do it standing. But in certain conditions, such as extreme weakness, fear, sickness, or any serious medical conditions, such as injuries, the compulsion of standing is relaxed. One can perform Salah while sitting down or even lying, if not able to stand due to a valid reason. Similarly, the voluntary prayers can also be offered sitting down, but the rewards will be reduced by half, as compared to those while offering it standing.

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR