Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamualaikkum (w.b.r.)

Can One sit and pray if he is unable to stand due to medical problems. Is this acceptable? 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Can one sit and pray ?

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. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

There is absolutely no harm if one sits and offers his prayers for a valid reason, be it medical, or old age, etc.

Reported 'Umar ibn Hussain, "I had some physical problem, so I asked the Prophet (saws) about the prayer, and he (saws) said, 'Pray standing; if you are not able to; pray sitting, if you are not able to; pray (while lying) on your side."

(Related by al-Bukhari.)

If one can not stand, he may pray according to what he is capable of doing, as Allah does not burden a soul beyond its ability. He will get a complete reward for the prayer. Abu Musa reported that the Prophet (saws) said, "If a slave (of Allah) is sick or travels, he will get a reward for those acts similar to what he would get if he was healthy and at home."

Ahmad, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah record that Hadrat Aisha (r.a.) said: "I never saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) ever sitting while reciting during the night prayer until he became old, then he would sit until when about thirty or forty verses were left of his recital then he would stand, finish the recital and make ruku'..."

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan