Question (Q-09):
Can Salah be prayed whilst sitting on a chair? If a person is unable to stand then how should one perform Salāh?
Answer:
If a person is unable to stand up when performing Salāh then he or she should perform his or her Fardh Salāh whilst sitting down on the floor and perform Sujūd and Rukū’ from his or her sitting position. He or she should fully perform Sujūd on the ground if able to do so. If he or she is unable to physically and fully perform Sujūd on the ground then he or she should signal for Sujūd and Rukū’. He or she should bow a bit more for Sujūd whilst signalling in comparison to Rukū’. There is no specific method prescribed for the manner in which he or she is to sit. It is stated in Al Fatāwā Al Hindiyyah;
الأصح أن يقعد كيف يتيسر عليه هكذا في السراج الوهاج
“The most authentic position is that he should sit however is easy for him. This is what is stated in As Sirāj Al Wahhāj.”
If the feet are so weak that the person is unable to sit on the ground or an expert doctor has told the person not to sit on the ground then the person is permitted to perform Salāh whilst sitting on a chair. He will signal for Sujūd and Rukū’ on the chair.
Answered by: Muftī Shamsulhudā Khān Misbāhī (Allah preserve him)
