Umm al-Mu’minin Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that some people came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) while he was ill. He (peace be upon him) led them in prayer while sitting, and they began the prayer standing. He gestured to them to sit down. (After finishing the prayer) the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:“Indeed, the imam is appointed so that he may be followed, so when he leads the prayer sitting, you should also pray sitting, and when he leads the prayer standing, you should also pray standing, and when he bows (in ruku‘), you should also bow, and when he prostrates, you should also prostrate, and when he raises his head, you should also raise your heads.”

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) rode a horse in Madinah Munawwarah, and it threw him onto a date-palm trunk, which caused a sprain in his foot. So we came to visit him for his care, and we found him in the room of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) performing voluntary prayers while sitting. So we stood behind him (to join the prayer). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gestured to us to sit, so we sat down. Then, when he completed the prayer, he said: "When the Imam leads the prayer sitting, you should also pray sitting, and when the Imam leads the prayer standing, you should also pray standing. And do not do as the Persians do with their kings and leaders."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fell ill with the sickness in which he passed away, Sayyiduna Bilal (may Allah be pleased with him) came to inform him about the prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the people in prayer." We said, "O Messenger of Allah, indeed Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) is very soft-hearted and he weeps quickly. If he stands in your place, he will start crying and will not be able to lead the prayer. Therefore, if you command Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), it would be better." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Tell Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer." The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave this command three times. Then he said: "Indeed, you are like the women who were involved in the story of Yusuf (peace be upon him)." Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says, so we sent a message to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) (he came) and led the people in prayer. (During this time) the Prophet (peace be upon him) felt some relief, so he came out supported by two men, while his blessed feet were dragging on the ground. When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) sensed the arrival of the Prophet (peace be upon him), he began to step back, but the Prophet (peace be upon him) gestured to him to remain in his place. Thus, the Prophet (peace be upon him) came and sat beside Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). In this way, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in prayer, and the people were following Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) in prayer. May Allah be pleased with them all. This hadith is from Waki’ and in the narration of Abu Muawiyah, the words are that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was sitting and Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was standing. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that a group of hadith scholars say that when a sick imam leads the prayer sitting, the followers who are able to stand should pray standing behind him. They say that the hadith of Aswad and Urwah narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) abrogates those ahadith which we have mentioned in previous pages, in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) commanded his companions to pray sitting when their imam was also praying sitting. He says that the previous ahadith are from the time when the Prophet (peace be upon him) fell from a horse (and due to a sprain, he led the prayer sitting), and the incident mentioned in this hadith is from the time of the illness in which he passed away. Therefore, they say that the last action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) abrogates his previous statements and actions. Imam Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I ask Allah Almighty for protection from error and for guidance to the right path, and I say that in this matter, in my view, the correct position is that if it is proven that the Prophet (peace be upon him) himself was the imam in his last illness, then the matter will be as this group of hadith scholars says. But in our view, this is not established, because there is a difference among the narrators regarding this prayer, and they have formed three groups (which are as follows).

In the narration from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) reported by Urwah and Aswad, it is stated that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) himself was the Imam. And with a similar chain of narration, it is reported from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). She says that some people say that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) stood in front of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) (as Imam), and some people say that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stood in front of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him).

The Imam has mentioned the chain of narration for the report of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her).

Hazrat Masruq bin Ajda’ narrates from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was present in the row.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the people in prayer, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was in the row behind him.

Hazrat Ubaidullah bin Abdullah narrates from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) in prayer while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was present in the row behind them. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that, therefore, the narration is not correct which states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the imam in the prayer performed during his last illness, and he was sitting while Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were standing. Because in the ahadith narrated by Masruq and Ubaidullah from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), it is mentioned that the imam was Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was a follower, and this narration is contrary to the narrations of Urwah and Aswad from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). On this basis, Imam Shuba bin Hajjaj has stated in his chain from the narration of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that some people say that Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was the imam of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), while some people say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was the imam of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). As for the hadith which those people have used as evidence who think that this action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was when he fell from a horse, and the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that the followers should follow the imam, and when he leads the prayer sitting, the followers should also pray sitting, this is abrogated. However, this is not authentically proven in transmission. Therefore, it is not correct for any scholar to declare abrogated by a disputed hadith any such action and command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which is proven from him with authentic and continuous chains. Because the group of hadith scholars who have claimed this, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has prohibited this action in the hadith of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), and we have stated that this narration is disputed, and you have stated that this is what the Persians and Romans do with their kings, that when their kings are sitting, they (out of respect for them) remain standing. We have already mentioned this hadith in its place. Therefore, how can it be correct to command such an action following the Persians and Romans, from which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has prohibited? And after the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has prohibited it, it is also not authentically proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded this action or declared it permissible. There is no difference among the scholars who are knowledgeable about hadith that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed prayer sitting, and also commanded the people to pray sitting, while they had the ability to stand and it was possible for them to perform the prayer sitting. Indeed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded the followers to pray sitting behind the imam, when the imam is also praying sitting, and when the imam is leading the prayer sitting, he prohibited the followers from standing in prayer. There is a difference among the scholars regarding the abrogation of this command, but in terms of transmission, there is no such narration proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) which abrogates the action and command proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as we have stated. Therefore, what is authentically proven from you and upon which the scholars agree on its authenticity is certain, and regarding that which the scholars differ and nothing is proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), that thing is doubtful, and it is not permissible to abandon a certain and established thing for a doubtful thing, rather a certain thing is only abandoned for another certain thing. If someone who ponders deeply in the religious rulings says, how can it be permissible for a person who is able to stand to pray sitting? He will be answered that, if Allah wills, it will be permissible for him to pray in the best manner, as this is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), whose following has been commanded and upon whose following the promise of guidance has been made. Thus, it has been stated that obedience to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is in fact obedience to Allah, the Exalted, Himself. And the questioner’s saying (how can it be permissible for the follower to pray sitting) while it is authentically proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) through continuous chains from just narrators that he commanded (to pray sitting behind a sitting imam) and it is also proven from his action. This is the ignorance of the claimant, because according to all the experts of hadith, it is authentically proven from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he commanded to pray sitting when the imam leads the prayer sitting, and it is also established according to them that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed prayer sitting along with his companions, while none of the companions (may Allah be pleased with them) or any one of them was unable (all were able to pray sitting). There was not a group (all were able to pray sitting). A group has claimed its abrogation, but their claim is not proven by any such authentic narration which does not have any opposing or contradictory narration. Therefore, it is not permissible to oppose what is authentically proven by the command and action of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) until there is an authentic narration abrogating the command and action of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and such an abrogating narration is non-existent. The non-existence of such a narration invalidates the claim of that group of hadith scholars. Therefore, when the imam leads the prayer sitting, it is permissible for the followers to pray sitting behind the imam, according to the command and action of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). "And Allah is the Giver of success to the right path." (Allah alone grants the ability to follow the correct path.)

And he should not count this prostration, because the one who catches the prostration is only the one who has also caught the bowing before it (otherwise, a single prostration will not complete the rak'ah).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When you come (for prayer) and we are in the state of prostration, then join us in prostration and do not count it as anything. And whoever catches a rak‘ah (including bowing and prostration) has caught the prayer." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I do not feel at ease about this chain of narration because I do not know about the criticism or praise regarding Yahya bin Abi Sulayman (whether this narrator is weak or trustworthy?). Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: I pondered over it and found that the freed slave of Banu Hashim, Abu Sa‘id, narrates several traditions from this same Yahya bin Abi Sulayman. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says: These words, "do not count it as anything," belong to the same category which I have mentioned in several places in my books, that the Arabs sometimes negate the name of something due to its being incomplete or deficient. Therefore, the intention of the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (if this hadith is authentically proven from him) with these words is that you should not count it as such a prostration that suffices for the obligatory (rak‘ah). His intention is not that you should not count it as obligatory or supererogatory at all (rather, this prostration will be counted as supererogatory).