How Could a Sick Person Pray while Sitting on a Chair?
Name of Questioner: Sho Ayb
Date: 21-11-2021 12:28:08 AM
Consultant: EDC
This week I suffered with severe back pain. This was worse first thing in the morning, it meant for a couple of days I could not prostrate or kneel without experiencing pain plus the movement might make things worse. This applies to sitting on a chair also. All I could do was go through my prayers standing up. I'm wondering if that was a permissible way of praying or should I have accepted I was not well enough to pray?
Thank you very much for your question. It is our pleasure to answer it.
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright.
Dear brother, the ummah is unanimously agreed that whoever is unable to stand during the obligatory prayer may pray sitting, and he does not have to repeat it.
The basic principle with regard to the obligatory duties of prayer is that whatever the worshipper can do, he is obliged to do it, and whatever he is unable to do, is waived for him.
If you are able to stand but you cannot bow or prostrate, the standing is not waived for him; you should pray standing and tilt your head for the bowing, then sit down and tilt your head for the prostration.
Because Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): “And stand before Allaah with obedience” (Al-Baqarah 2:238), and the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Pray standing.” And because standing is one of the pillars (essential parts of prayer) for the one who is able to do it, so he must do it, like the recitation. Being unable to do other things does not mean that this is waived, as is also the case if he is unable to recite.
And Allah knows best.