I have veins in my legs called varicose veins that cause me pain when I stand, so I am forced to pray while sitting. Is my prayer valid?
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Question:
'Abd Allah says about herself: I am a woman, I work as a teacher, and I have three children. I have no one to help me at home after I return from school. When I work hard, sometimes I feel terrible pain in my legs, as I have veins in my legs called varicose veins. I also cannot pray while standing due to the intensity of the pain, so I am forced to pray while sitting. Even when I was pregnant with my three children, the doctor prohibited me from moving because my pregnancy was difficult. I was taking iron supplements to stabilize the pregnancy and I was also taking injections. I used to pray while sitting. Is my prayer valid and acceptable, with the permission of Allah, or is there a sin on me and my prayer is not increased? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
As for the voluntary prayer, it is valid for the one who is sitting, even if he is able to stand; he gets half the reward of the one who stands.
As for the obligatory prayer, standing is a pillar of it, so one must stand, as Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Baqarah 2:238] except if he is ill and becomes unable to stand, then he prays sitting, and he indicates his bowing and prostration if he is unable to prostrate. Or as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the sick person: Sunan Abi Dawud 952Sahih (Al-Albani) and in another narration: if you cannot do so, then lie on your back and face the qiblah.
But the questioner mentioned that this pain arises from her going out to work in her job to return and do the housework. So there is no doubt that it is a heavy burden. If she limited herself to housework, if she has enough from her husband, if she has a husband who is providing for her, then it is only a burden from wealth, so this reflects on housework, pregnancy, and childbirth, praise be to Allah. But if she is forced to work because there is no one to help her and her children, then she knows, but adhering to the rulings of the Shari'ah and avoiding free mixing, her work should be in the field of women, as work for a pressing need. So if she is unable to stand due to the pain she suffers as a result of her fatigue from the work she needs and is forced to do, I am excused, praise be to Allah. Yes.
'Abd Allah says about herself: I am a woman, I work as a teacher, and I have three children. I have no one to help me at home after I return from school. When I work hard, sometimes I feel terrible pain in my legs, as I have veins in my legs called varicose veins. I also cannot pray while standing due to the intensity of the pain, so I am forced to pray while sitting. Even when I was pregnant with my three children, the doctor prohibited me from moving because my pregnancy was difficult. I was taking iron supplements to stabilize the pregnancy and I was also taking injections. I used to pray while sitting. Is my prayer valid and acceptable, with the permission of Allah, or is there a sin on me and my prayer is not increased? May Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
As for the voluntary prayer, it is valid for the one who is sitting, even if he is able to stand; he gets half the reward of the one who stands.
As for the obligatory prayer, standing is a pillar of it, so one must stand, as Allah the Exalted said:
and stand before Allah, devoutly obedient.
وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَin sitting condition: if you are then at your side(i.e, in lying condition).
صل قاعدا فإن لم تستطع فقاعدا فإن لم تستطع فعلى جنبBut the questioner mentioned that this pain arises from her going out to work in her job to return and do the housework. So there is no doubt that it is a heavy burden. If she limited herself to housework, if she has enough from her husband, if she has a husband who is providing for her, then it is only a burden from wealth, so this reflects on housework, pregnancy, and childbirth, praise be to Allah. But if she is forced to work because there is no one to help her and her children, then she knows, but adhering to the rulings of the Shari'ah and avoiding free mixing, her work should be in the field of women, as work for a pressing need. So if she is unable to stand due to the pain she suffers as a result of her fatigue from the work she needs and is forced to do, I am excused, praise be to Allah. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، لدي في رجلي عروق تسمى الدوالي تجعلني أتألم إذا وقفت، فأضطر أصلي وأنا جالسة، فهل صلاتي صحيحة؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.