All praise is due to Allah:
Leading prayer while sitting among those who are standing is one of the matters that the four Imams differ on. The difference of opinion relies on two Ḥadīth:
The first is the Ḥadīth of ʽAāʼishah (may Allāh be pleased with her) that she said: “The Prophet (peace be upon him) complained of feeling unwell, and some of his companions came to visit him. They prayed behind him while he was sitting, and they prayed standing up. The Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to them to sit down, and they did so. When he finished praying, he said, ‘The Imam is appointed to be followed. If he bows down, then bow down, and if he stands up, then stand up. If he prays sitting down, then pray sitting down.’ This Ḥadīth is narrated by Al-Bukhāriy and Muslim. This indicates that it is obligatory to follow the Imam in standing and sitting, with the permissibility of the Imam leading while sitting.
The second Ḥadīth is also narrated by ʽAāʼishah (may Allāh be pleased with her) that she said: “When the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) fell ill in his final illness, he (peace be upon him) commanded Abū Bakr (may Allāh be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer. When he started the prayer, the Prophet began to feel a little better and came out to the prayer, supported by two men while his legs making lies on the ground. Abū Bakr intended to step back, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to him to stay in his place. Then he [the Prophet] was brought close until he sat down beside him [Abī Bakr]. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was praying and Abū Bakr was following him, and the people were following Abū Bakr.” This Ḥadīth is recorded by Al-Bukhāriy and Muslim.
This Ḥadīth also indicates the permissibility of the Imam leading the prayer while sitting, but the state of the follower depends on their ability. If they are able, they must stand, but if they have an excuse, they may sit with their Imam. Therefore, scholars have differed in their interpretation of these two Ḥadīths, resulting in two schools of thought: one that holds the view of favoring one state over the other, and one that holds the view of abrogation. This has led to the following schools of thought:
1- The opinion of the Ḥanafiy, Shāfiʽiy, Zāhiriy, and other schools of thought is that It is permissible for a standing person to pray behind a sitting Imam without any conditions. They based their argument on the last Ḥadīth and the fact that it occurred at the end of the Prophet’s life, which abrogated what came before it.
2- The opinion of the Mālikiy school of thought is that it is not permissible for a standing person to pray behind a sitting Imam, and if they do, the prayer of the follower is invalid. They argued that although the Ḥadīths are authentic, they are conflicting and are not supported by the practice of the Companions of Madīnah.
3- The opinion of the Ḥanbaliy school of thought that it is permissible for a standing person to pray behind a sitting Imam under certain conditions, such as if the sitting person is the Imam of a certain district and his illness is expected to heal soon, otherwise, it is not allowed. There is also another opinion that relies on the beginning of the prayer. If the Imam begins the prayer sitting down, then the followers should pray sitting down too. If the Imam starts standing but then sits due to ailment, the followers should continue to pray standing up. This reconciles the two Ḥadīths and puts both of them in effect.
Our opinion/fatwa is in line with the Ḥanafiy school of thought due to the strength of their evidence. Therefore, it is permissible for a standing person to pray behind a sitting Imam due to illness or other reasons. However, we caution that no standing in obligatory prayer without an excuse would result in an invalid prayer.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr