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Prayer (Salah)

Prayer in illness

The ruling in short

The Prophet ﷺ told Imran ibn Husayn, who had piles: pray standing; if you cannot, sitting; and if you cannot, on your side. Allah has not placed any hardship on you in the religion (22:78) and does not burden a soul beyond its capacity (2:286).

1The steps of ease

  • Pray standing if able, even by leaning on a wall or a stick.
  • If standing is not possible or harms him, pray sitting, and bow and prostrate as he can.
  • If sitting is not possible, pray on the side, facing the Qibla. If that is not possible, on the back with the feet toward the Qibla.
  • If bowing and prostrating are not possible, nod with the head, with the prostration lower than the bowing.
  • If even a nod is not possible, make the movements in the mind. The prayer is not dropped as long as the person is conscious.

2Combining and purification

  • A sick person who finds that wudu is hard on him may use tayammum.
  • A sick person who finds it hard to pray each prayer on time may combine Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha, according to the Hanbali and Maliki schools.

Where the schools differ

The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.

  • Standing is dropped when it causes real harm or severe pain, or would delay recovery. The schools agree on this. Praying sitting out of laziness, when able to stand, is not valid.

The evidence

From the Quran

لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾

Allah n'impose à aucune âme une charge supérieure à sa capacité. Elle sera récompensée du bien qu'elle aura fait, punie du mal qu'elle aura fait. Seigneur, ne nous châtie pas s'il nous arrive d'oublier ou de commettre une erreur. Seigneur! Ne nous charge pas d'un fardeau lourd comme Tu as chargé ceux qui vécurent avant nous. Seigneur! Ne nous impose pas ce que nous ne pouvons supporter, efface nos fautes, pardonne-nous et fais nous miséricorde. Tu es Notre Maître, accorde-nous donc la victoire sur les peuples infidèles.

وَجَٰهِدُوا۟ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦ ۚ هُوَ ٱجْتَبَىٰكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍۢ ۚ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ ﴿٧٨﴾

Et luttez pour Allah avec tout l'effort qu'Il mérite. C'est Lui qui vous a élus; et Il ne vous a imposé aucune gêne dans la religion, celle de votre père Abraham, lequel vous a déjà nommés «Musulmans» avant (ce Livre) et dans ce (Livre), afin que le Messager soit témoin contre vous, et que vous soyez vous-mêmes témoins contre les gens. Accomplissez donc la Salât, acquittez la Zakât et attachez-vous fortement à Allah. C'est Lui votre Maître. Quel Excellent Maître! Et quel Excellent Soutien!

From the Sunnah

Sahih al-Bukhari 1117 Authentic collection

The point of the hadith: Pray standing, and if you cannot, sitting, and if you cannot, on your side.

Read the Arabic text

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ طَهْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْحُسَيْنُ الْمُكْتِبُ، عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كَانَتْ بِي بَوَاسِيرُ فَسَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ ‏ "‏ صَلِّ قَائِمًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبٍ ‏"‏‏.‏

Read it on sunnah.com

This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.

Fiqh questions

Prayer in illness

The Prophet ﷺ told Imran ibn Husayn, who had piles: pray standing; if you cannot, sitting; and if you cannot, on your side. Allah has not placed any hardship on you in the religion (22:78) and does not burden a soul beyond its capacity (2:286).

Is this a fatwa?

No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.

What if my school differs from this answer?

Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.

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