Question: Is it permissible to offer Salah (prayer) while sitting on a chair?
The principle and rule for the prayer of a sick person is that they are obligated to perform the pillars and obligatory acts of the prayer that they are able to perform, and those that they are unable to perform are waived. There is much evidence for this in the Book (the Quran) and the Sunnah.
Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says:
﴿ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ ﴾
"So fear Allah as much as you are able." (At-Taghabun: 16)
And in another place, the Almighty says:
﴿ لَا يُكَلِّفُ اللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ﴾
"Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity." (Al-Baqarah: 286)
And the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“When I command you to do something, then do it as much as you are able.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 7288; Sahih Muslim, Hadith no. 1337)
Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
“I was suffering from hemorrhoids, so I asked the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) about the prayer, and he said:
‘Pray standing; if you are not able, then sitting; and if you are not able to do that, then on your side.'”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith no. 1117)
Based on this, if you can pray standing, it is obligatory to stand. And if you are unable to do so, or if it causes extreme hardship, then you may sit during the prayer.
It is permissible to pray sitting on a chair or on the ground. You may pray in whatever way you are able or in whatever way is easier for you. However, it is better to sit on the ground, because the Sunnah is for a person to sit cross-legged in the position of standing (Qiyam) and bowing (Ruku’), which is not possible on a chair.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“If he is not able to pray standing, he should pray sitting. It is better to be cross-legged during the standing and bowing.” End quote.
See: Tahara al-Marid wa Salatihi.
However, sitting cross-legged is not obligatory; rather, one can sit in any manner one wishes, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
“If you are not able, then sitting.”
The Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) did not specify the manner of sitting.
See: Ash-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/462).
And if it is difficult for you to prostrate (Sujud) and bow (Ruku’), then you may perform them by gesturing (i.e., by bending your back), and the prostration should be lower than the bowing.
If you are able to stand, then you should bow with a gesture while standing, and then sit down for the prostration, because standing is closer to the posture of bowing, and sitting is closer to the posture of prostration.
Shaykh Ibn Baz (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“Whoever is able to stand but is unable to bow or prostrate, the obligation to stand is not waived for him. Rather, he will pray standing, and for the bowing, he will gesture while standing, and then he will sit for the prostration and gesture for it… and he will bend lower for the prostration than for the bowing. And if he is only unable to prostrate, he will perform the bowing and gesture for the prostration…”
“And if the sick person recovers during the prayer and becomes able to do that which he was unable to do, such as standing, sitting, bowing, or prostrating, he should move to that position and build upon the prayer that he has already performed.” End quote.
Taken from: Ahkam Salat al-Marid wa Taharatihi.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“Whoever is not able to bow, he will gesture for the bowing while standing. And whoever is unable to prostrate, he will gesture for the prostration while sitting.” End quote.
See: Ash-Sharh al-Mumti’ (4/475).
His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Salih Al-Munajjid (may Allah preserve him)
If a sick person is not able to stand, he can pray sitting. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) offered prayer sitting during his final illness. The Mother of the Believers, Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), narrates that:
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى خَلْفَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ قَاعِدًا
(Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Book of Salah, Chapter: What is narrated about when the Imam prays sitting, then you should pray sitting. Sahih Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith no. 362)
“The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) prayed behind Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) while sitting (during his final illness).”
A similar incident occurred before this when, due to the pain of illness, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led the prayer while sitting. The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) began to pray standing behind him. At this, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gestured for them to sit, so they sat down. After finishing the prayer, he said:
إِنْ كِدْتُمْ آنِفًا لَتَفْعَلُونَ فِعْلَ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ يَقُومُونَ عَلَى مُلُوكِهِمْ وَهُمْ قُعُودٌ فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا ائْتَمُّوا بِأَئِمَّتِكُمْ إِنْ صَلَّى قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَإِنْ صَلَّى قَاعِدًا فَصَلُّوا قُعُودًا
(Sahih Muslim, Book of Salah, Chapter: The follower should follow the Imam)
“You were about to do what the Persians and the Romans do. They stand before their kings while they are sitting. Do not do that. Follow your Imams. If he prays standing, then you should pray standing, and if he prays sitting, then you should pray sitting.”
Another hadith on this matter is narrated from Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). He says that he had hemorrhoids. I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (if I am permitted to pray sitting), and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
صَلِّ قَائِمًا فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبٍ
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Friday Prayer, Chapter: If one cannot pray sitting, he may pray on his side)
“Pray standing, and if you cannot, then sitting, and if you cannot do that, then (lying) on your side.”
In another narration, Imran ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) says, “I asked the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about a person who prays sitting,” and he said:
مَنْ صَلَّى قَائِمًا فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ وَمَنْ صَلَّى قَاعِدًا فَلَهُ نِصْفُ أَجْرِ الْقَائِمِ وَمَنْ صَلَّى نَائِمًا فَلَهُ نِصْفُ أَجْرِ الْقَاعِدِ
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah therein, Chapter: The prayer of one who sits is half that of one who stands. Sahih Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith no. 1231)
“Whoever prays standing, it is better. Whoever prays sitting will have half the reward of one who stands, and whoever prays lying down will have half the reward of one who sits.”
Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came out of his house and saw some people praying sitting down due to illness. He said:
صَلَاةُ الْقَاعِدِ عَلَى النِّصْفِ مِنْ صَلَاةِ الْقَائِمِ
(Sunan Ibn Majah, Book of Establishing the Prayer and the Sunnah therein, Chapter: The prayer of one who sits is half that of one who stands. Sahih Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith no. 1230)
“The prayer of one who sits is half the reward of one who stands.”
Question: My mother cannot pray standing due to pain. Can she pray sitting on a chair and prostrate on a table?
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in Bulugh al-Maram:
« وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: عَادَ النَّبِیُّ ﷺ مَرِیْضًا فَرآہُ یُصَلِّيْ عَلٰی وِسَادَۃٍ فَرَمٰی بِہَا وَقَالَ: صَلِّ عَلَی الْأَرْضِ إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ ، وَإِلاَّ فَأَوْمِ إِیْمَائً وَّاجْعَلْ سُجُوْدَکَ أَخْفَضَ مِنْ رُکُوْعِکَ»
“The Prophet ﷺ visited a sick person and saw him praying on a pillow. He threw it away and said: ‘Pray on the ground if you are able, otherwise, make a gesture (ima’), and make your prostration lower than your bowing.’”
(Narrated by al-Bayhaqi, and Abu Hatim authenticated it as mawquf [a narration traced back to a Companion only]) (Chapter: Prayer of the Traveler and the Sick). At the end of the chapter on the Description of the Prayer, Hafiz himself includes this hadith and then writes: “Narrated by al-Bayhaqi with a strong chain, but Abu Hatim authenticated it as mawquf.” The author of Subul as-Salam, in his explanation of this hadith (vol. 1, p. 307), writes:
« وَالْحَدِیْثُ دَلِیْلٌ عَلَی أَنَّہُ لاَ یَتَّخِذِ الْمَرِیْضُ مَا یَسْجُدُ عَلَیْہِ حَیْثُ تَعَذَّرَ سُجُوْدُہُ عَلَی الْأَرْضِ ، وَقَدْ أَرْشَدَہُ إِلَی أَنَّہُ یَفْصِلُ بَیْنَ رُکُوْعِہِ وَسُجُوْدِہِ ، وَیَجْعَلُ سُجُوْدَہُ أَخْفَضَ مِنْ رُکُوْعِہِ»
“And this hadith is evidence that the sick person should not take something to prostrate on when it is difficult for him to prostrate on the ground, and the Prophet ﷺ guided him to differentiate between his bowing and his prostration, and to make his prostration lower than his bowing.”
(Ahkam wa Masa’il / The Chapter on Mosques, vol. 1, p. 103)
Regarding praying while sitting, it should be remembered that if the sick person does not have the strength to prostrate on the ground, it is not correct to place a raised object in front of him to prostrate on. Instead, in such a situation, one should perform the bowing and prostrations by gesturing with the head.
Once, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) visited a sick person and saw that he was praying on a pillow. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) picked it up and put it aside. Then the man tried to pray on a wooden board, but the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) also put that aside and said:
صل على الارض ان استطعت والا فاوم ايماء واجعل سجودك اخفض من ركوعك
(Silsilah al-Ahadith as-Sahihah, Hadith no. 323; As-Sunan al-Kubra by al-Bayhaqi, vol. 2, p. 306)
“Pray on the ground if you are able, otherwise, gesture, and make your prostration lower than your bowing.”
In this brief article, the matter of worshippers praying on a chair, especially the rulings concerning congregational prayer, is discussed. Its purpose and objective are to encourage worshippers to correct their prayers and avoid matters that contradict them.
Prayer is the pillar of the religion and is the most important act after the two testimonies of faith (Shahadatain). The correctness of all other deeds depends on the correctness of the prayer. If the prayer is correct, all other deeds will be correct. If the prayer is not correct, all other deeds will also be deficient. Therefore, it is the essence of religion to perform the prayer with its perfect beauty and to explain the importance and virtue of all its pillars. Nowadays, a large number of worshippers pray while sitting on a chair, and no mosque is devoid of such people. Some of them make mistakes unconsciously. Sometimes, a worshipper may not be able to perform Ruku’ (bowing) but has the ability to perform Qiyam (standing), yet they do not stand despite being able to, while standing is a pillar of the prayer. Below, we will discuss these shortcomings and situations in detail.
Those who do not have the ability to perform Qiyam, Ruku’, and Sujud due to obesity or any other reason should pray on a chair in a manner that is possible and easy for them, as Allah the Almighty says: “So fear Allah as much as you are able.” And Allah the Almighty says: “Allah does not charge a soul except [with that within] its capacity.”
A person who can perform Qiyam and Ruku’ but does not have the strength for Sujud should perform the prayer as usual, but at the time of prostration, sit on a chair and prostrate to the extent of their ability.
If a person has the strength for Qiyam but does not have the strength for Ruku’ and Sujud, they should pray standing, but at the time of Ruku’ and Sujud, sit on the chair, and the inclination in the prostrations should be more than in the bowing.
A person for whom Ruku’ and Sujud are manageable but who faces difficulty in Qiyam should pray sitting, perform Ruku’ without a chair, and prostrate on the ground. They should take advantage of the concession only as needed and not act upon the concession without a valid excuse. The concession should be limited to the need, and one should not act on concessions without reason.
If a person feels difficulty in Qiyam and Ruku’ but can perform Sujud easily, they should perform the entire prayer sitting on a chair but prostrate on the ground.
It should be remembered that all these rulings pertain to the obligatory (Fard) prayers. For voluntary (Nafl) prayers, there is more leeway. A person can pray as they find it easy, because the Messenger of Allah ﷺ also performed voluntary prayers on his mount. The prophetic hadith is: “Whoever prays sitting has half the reward of one who stands.”
If a person has the ability to perform Qiyam, Ruku’, and Sujud but cannot sit in the Tashahhud like other worshippers, they should sit on a chair at the time of Tashahhud.
The original situation is that a sick person should pray sitting on the ground, but it is also permissible to pray on a chair.
Issue: It is often observed that people place a table-like object in front of the chair. This act is not correct; it is an unnecessary burden for which we have not been commanded, whereas in prayer, piety is required from a person according to their ability and capacity without any artificiality. The attainment of piety is the real purpose of prayer, and this is the position of most scholars.
Issue: It has also been observed that some of our brothers spread their two hands in the air at the time of prostration and then prostrate between them. This is not a correct action, nor is there any authentic narration regarding it.
(And Allah knows best)
Written by: Shaykh Fahd bin Abdur-Rahman ash-Shuwayb
Translated by: Mr. Abdul Azeem Jawad
After the above detailed and evidenced discussion, the summary is that you should pray in the manner you find convenient. But remember not to use this concession without necessity… If you perform the prostration according to the Hanafi method, this is attributed to your physical inability, not that a change of belief is intended. And in case of inability, it is permissible to pray even while lying down. Then the posture of your prostration is less than that.
وَبِاللّٰہِ التَّوْفِیْقُ
وَصَلَّی اللّٰہُ عَلٰی نَبِیَّنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِہ وَصَحْبِہ وَسَلَّمَ
وعلى آله وأصحابه وأتباعه بإحسان إلى يوم الدين۔
ھٰذٙا مٙا عِنْدِی وٙاللہُ تٙعٙالیٰ اٙعْلٙمْ بِالصّٙوٙاب
وَالسَّـــــــلاَمُ عَلَيــْــكُم وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكـَـاتُه
And with Allah is all success.
And may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions.
And upon his family, his companions, and his followers with excellence until the Day of Judgment.
This is what I have, and Allah the Almighty knows best what is correct.
And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
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