The Ruling on Prostration of Recitation, Standing for It, and Prostration of Gratitude

Question:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: If a man is reciting the Noble Book among a group and he reads a verse of prostration, then he stands on his feet and prostrates, is his standing better than his prostrating while sitting?

Answer:
I was asked. Ahh. I was asked: If a man is reciting the Noble Book among a group and he reads a verse of prostration, then he stands on his feet and prostrates, is his standing better than his prostrating while sitting, or not? And is his doing so showing off and hypocrisy? It is better for him to do so while sitting, as mentioned by those scholars who mentioned it from the followers of al-Shafi'i and Ahmad and others, and as transmitted from A'ishah. Indeed, the same applies to the prostration of gratitude, as Abu Dawud narrated in his Sunan from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding prostrating until the standing prayer. It is established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sometimes prayed while sitting, and when he approached the bowing, he would bow and prostrate while standing, and sometimes he would bow and prostrate while standing. This is evidence that it is better, as it is more complete and greater in humility due to the lowering of his head and his prostrating limbs to Allah from a standing position. And as for one who has a regular portion of night prayer in the last part of his life, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray while sitting in his late-night prayer, and sometimes he would pray standing, and sometimes he would recite part of the recitation while sitting, then complete it while standing and bow, as A'ishah informed us of this. He would do it sometimes one way and sometimes another: sometimes he would pray sitting, and sometimes he would recite while sitting, and when the bowing came, he would stand and bow. And sometimes he would recite part of the recitation while sitting, then stand and complete it while standing and bow. All of this was his practice in the last part of his life (peace and blessings be upon him) in voluntary prayer. Aa.
In the night prayer, in the last of his life, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would pray sitting in his tahajjud at night. Sometimes he would pray standing, and sometimes he would recite part of the recitation while sitting, then complete it while standing and bow, as Aisha informed us of this. It was sometimes one way and sometimes another: sometimes he would pray sitting, and sometimes he would recite while sitting, and when the time for bowing came, he would stand up and bow. Sometimes he would recite part of the recitation while sitting, then stand up and complete it while standing and bow. All of this was his practice in the last of his life (peace and blessings be upon him) in voluntary prayers. Yes, yes.
A person has a choice in voluntary prayer according to what Allah makes easy for him. If he prays sitting, there is no harm; if he prays standing, there is no harm; and if he recites part of the recitation while sitting, then stands up and bows, there is no harm. The matter is broad in this regard. As for the obligatory prayer, he must pray it standing if he is able. And whoever has a prescribed regular practice, such as the Duha prayer or standing in night prayer or something else, he should pray it wherever he is. It is not befitting for him to leave his prescribed practice because he is among people, if Allah knows from his heart that he does it secretly for the sake of Allah, while striving to keep it safe from showing off and the corrupters of sincerity. Al-Fudayl ibn 'Iyad said: Leaving an act of worship for the sake of people is showing off, and doing an act of worship for the sake of people is shirk (associating partners with Allah). And doing it in the place where he is, in his livelihood by which he helps himself in worshipping Allah, is better for him than doing it where his livelihood is neglected and his heart is preoccupied because of that. The matter is broad in this. If he prays while people are present, and Allah knows from his heart that he intends His Noble Face, it does not harm him. If he prays the Duha prayer while with a group of people, he prays the Duha prayer, perhaps Allah will guide them thereby and benefit them, and there is no blame on him. Even if he stands up and prays his usual practice, for example the Sunnah of Duha, among people, or sleeps with them and gets up at night, all of this has great good in it, and perhaps Allah will guide others thereby. There is no harm in that, and there is no objection to it, if Allah knows from his heart that he is not showing off, but only did this for His Noble Face, Glorified and Exalted is He. And so, if he is in the market, in his shop, in his workshop, and then stands up at the time of Duha and prays the Duha prayer, then returns to his work, all of this is permissible. Yes. Indeed, the more prayer gathers the heart and is further from whisperings, the more perfect it is. And whoever forbids a prescribed matter merely on the assumption that it is showing off, his forbidding is rejected against him from several angles. First, that prescribed acts of worship are not forbidden out of fear of showing off, but rather one is commanded to do them and to be sincere in them. And when we see someone doing them, we approve of them, even if we are certain that he is doing them out of showing off. And when we see someone doing them, we approve of them, even if we are certain that he is doing them out of showing off. The hypocrites about whom Allah said except for a few. These people, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the Muslims approved of what they displayed of religion, even if they were showing off, and they did not forbid them from the outward appearance, because the corruption in leaving the display of the prescribed is greater than the corruption in displaying it out of showing off. Just as the corruption of this is that whoever displays good is approved of, and Allah knows his intention. It is not said: "He is prevented because he is suspected of showing off." No, whoever displays good is approved of in his good and encouraged to good, and Allah is the One who knows the secrets and rewards for them. So it is obligatory to encourage whoever displays good, to support him in displaying good, and it is not said: "You are such and such" or "You are such and such," but rather he is encouraged to good, and Allah is the One who knows the secrets. Yes. And the corruption of leaving the display of faith and prayers is greater than the corruption in displaying them out of showing off. And because forbidding only occurs regarding the corruption in displaying them out of showing off to people. Second, because forbidding only occurs regarding what the Shari'ah has forbidden. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Umar ibn al-Khattab: "Whoever shows us good, we love him and ally with him for it, even if his secret is otherwise. And whoever shows us evil, we hate him for it, even if he claims his secret is good." Third, that permitting such...
(may Allah be pleased with him) , and in another wording, "We trusted him, and whoever displayed evil, we did not trust him and did not bring him close." The point of this is that it is obligatory to encourage people to do good, and when they display good, it is not permissible to suspect them of evil. So, whoever displays good should be encouraged, and one should pray for his success, while his inner state is between him and Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). Yes. The third point is that justifying such behavior leads to the people of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and corruption denouncing the people of good and religion. What? The third point is that justifying such behavior leads to the people of shirk and corruption denouncing the people of good and religion when they see someone displaying a prescribed, recommended matter. They say, "This is a hypocrite," so the people of truth and sincerity leave off displaying prescribed matters out of fear of their criticism and blame. Thus, good is neglected, and the people of shirk retain a stronghold to display evil, with no one denouncing them, and this is one of the greatest harms. The fourth point is that such behavior is among the characteristics of the hypocrites, and it attacks those who display prescribed deeds. The fourth point. The fourth point is that such behavior is among the characteristics of the hypocrites, and it attacks those who display prescribed deeds. Allah the Exalted said: meaning that this is the work of the hypocrites; they discourage people from good and accuse them, saying, "This one is a hypocrite, this one is such and such, this one is such and such." So, one should not assist in falsehood. Rather, whoever displays good should be brought close, and whoever displays evil should be kept away and forbidden. Yes. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged spending in the year of Tabuk, some of the Companions brought a bag of money that his hand almost could not carry, and they said, "This is a hypocrite." Some brought a sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg), and they said, "Indeed, Allah was rich without so-and-so's sa'," and they criticized both of them. So, Allah revealed that, and it became a lesson regarding those who criticize the believers who obey Allah and His Messenger, and Allah knows best. The point is to encourage good.
And praising its people, whether little or much. So the one who comes when people are urged to or jihad, the one who comes with a sa' or with ten or with a hundred or with a thousand, all of them are encouraged and thanked, and it is not said: "This one is showing off" or "This one is such and such" or "This one is rich." Allah is rich without your dirhams or your sa' or your riyal. No, all of them are encouraged. This is what is befitting, and criticism is from the characteristics of the hypocrites. Yes.