Q 3: Due to sickness,
I cannot stand for a long time to offer Salah (Prayer); is it permissible for me to offer Salah in a sitting position?
It is worth mentioning that I am twenty-six years old and when I stand to offer the congregational Salah, I find people who are over sixty praying beside me while standing. So how can I pray in a sitting position! What will the people standing by my side say about me? What should I do in Salat-ul-Tarawih (special supererogatory night Prayer in Ramadan) and Qiyam-ul-Layl (optional Prayer at night)? Can the sick offer Qiyam-ul-Layl and supererogatory Salah while not standing? Please advise me. I also hope that you supplicate Allah to cure me.
A:
If you cannot offer the obligatory Salahs while standing or this causes you pain in your body, there is no blame on you if you offer Salah in a sitting position. Allah (Exalted be He) says:
So keep your duty to Allâh and fear Him as much as you can
The Prophet (peace be upon him) also instructed one of his (sick) Sahabah (Companions of the Prophet), saying:
Pray while standing; and if you cannot, pray while sitting; and if you cannot, pray while lying on your side.
(Related by
Al-Bukhari) (Part No. 6; Page No. 363) As for the supererogatory Salah, the matter is flexible and there is no need to offer it standing even if a person is able to stand, yet standing is better. It is Mustahab for sick people, like healthy people, to perform the supererogatory Salah and the voluntary acts of worship that they are capable of.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.
Laziness in offering...
