Is the rest sitting a recommended practice in the prayer?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. Is the rest sitting in the prayer part of the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : Yes, the rest sitting in the prayer, meaning: if he wants to stand up in the prayer to the second or to the fourth, does he sit or not?
The correct view is that he does not sit unless there is a reason, such as old age, illness, joint pain, or something similar. This is because we know that this sitting is not intended, as it is not preceded by takbir nor followed by takbir, and there is no dhikr in it. Furthermore, those who described the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that he stands up on his hands, meaning he relies on his hands when standing up. This indicates the difficulty of his rising in one motion, and that due to the difficulty of rising, he leans slightly in the sitting and then stands up on his hands. It is well known that such a characteristic does not occur except in cases of weakness and fatigue. Therefore, what we see is what Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and al-Muwaffaq, the author of al-Mughni, chose: that it is not an absolute Sunnah, but rather it is recommended for one who needs it due to old age, illness, joint pain, or something similar.
However, the question remains: if you are praying and he does it, do you sit following the imam? The answer is yes, you sit following the imam. And if you are praying behind an imam who does not do it, and you consider it a Sunnah, you do not sit. Meaning, following the imam is more important. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, the rest sitting in the prayer, meaning: if he wants to stand up in the prayer to the second or to the fourth, does he sit or not?
The correct view is that he does not sit unless there is a reason, such as old age, illness, joint pain, or something similar. This is because we know that this sitting is not intended, as it is not preceded by takbir nor followed by takbir, and there is no dhikr in it. Furthermore, those who described the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned that he stands up on his hands, meaning he relies on his hands when standing up. This indicates the difficulty of his rising in one motion, and that due to the difficulty of rising, he leans slightly in the sitting and then stands up on his hands. It is well known that such a characteristic does not occur except in cases of weakness and fatigue. Therefore, what we see is what Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) and al-Muwaffaq, the author of al-Mughni, chose: that it is not an absolute Sunnah, but rather it is recommended for one who needs it due to old age, illness, joint pain, or something similar.
However, the question remains: if you are praying and he does it, do you sit following the imam? The answer is yes, you sit following the imam. And if you are praying behind an imam who does not do it, and you consider it a Sunnah, you do not sit. Meaning, following the imam is more important. Yes.