The Ruling on the Resting Sitting in Prayer

The questioner : It is permissible to take a rest if one actually sits down, provided one does not contradict the imam.

The Shaykh : If it were a heavy burden, we would say it is forbidden and invalidates the prayer, but considering that...

The questioner : Oh, let us go.

The Shaykh : But considering that it is light, the Shaykh al-Islam said that the better course is not to sit; he did not say it is forbidden. If one sat for the first tashahhud, it would be forbidden.

The questioner : Do you see?

The Shaykh : Be patient, be patient, because the sitting is long, but this one is so light that no clear contradiction is apparent. So the better course is not to sit, but if one sits, it does not matter. In reality, if you delve into the hadith, you will find that this sitting is not as light as some people do it now. This light sitting is actually a form of fatigue; it is not a rest. It is a sitting where one settles, and for this reason, in the hadith of Malik ibn Huwayris, it says "until he sits firmly, then he rises on his hands." This means if you were to observe the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), you would find that this sitting involves some tranquility, followed by some effort in rising. Therefore, he rises on his hands. This rising on the hands, as it appears to me, and Allah knows best, is only for the ease of standing up. Hence, it is mentioned in the hadith: to facilitate rising. This is different from placing the hands on the knees, for example, or on the chest, which is undoubtedly an act of worship. However, rising on the hands after this sitting is ambiguous between being an act of worship and being a means to assist in standing up. Likewise, the sitting itself: a person doubts whether it is an act of worship or for the sake of rest. The stronger view is that it is not an act of worship, because if it were an act of worship, it would be intended, and if it were intended, it would have a specific mention like the other actions in the prayer. There is no intended action in the prayer that does not have a specific mention, but this one does not. For this reason, al-Muqaffa (may Allah have mercy on him) in *al-Mughni* and Ibn al-Qayyim in *Zad al-Ma'ad* preferred the middle position in this issue: that if it is difficult for a person to stand up quickly, he should sit, because Allah the Exalted loves ease for His servants. And if that is not the case, the better course is to stand up, because this is more energetic and more active in standing. For this reason, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: A person should be upright, not placing his hands or forearms on his knees or on the ground, for that is the prostration of a person with some laziness. So the stronger a person is, the better.