About The Imam Praying While Sitting Down

Anas b. Malik said; The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rode a horse and was thrown off it and his right was grazed. He then prayed one of the prayers sitting and we prayed one of the prayers sitting, and when he finished he said:
the Imam is appointed only to be followed ; so when he prays standing, pray standing, and when he bows, bow; when he raises himself, raise yourselves; when he says “Allah listen to him who praises Him”, “Our Lord ! to Thee be the praise”: and when he prays sitting all of you pray sitting.

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ شِهَابٍ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ رَكِبَ فَرَسًا فَصُرِعَ عَنْهُ فَجُحِشَ شِقُّهُ الأَيْمَنُ فَصَلَّى صَلاَةً مِنَ الصَّلَوَاتِ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ وَصَلَّيْنَا وَرَاءَهُ قُعُودًا فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ قَالَ " إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ الإِمَامُ لِيُؤْتَمَّ بِهِ فَإِذَا صَلَّى قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَارْكَعُوا وَإِذَا رَفَعَ فَارْفَعُوا وَإِذَا قَالَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ فَقُولُوا رَبَّنَا وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ وَإِذَا صَلَّى جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا أَجْمَعُونَ " .

Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah:

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ rode a horse in Medina. It threw him off at the root of a date-palm. His foot was injured. We visited him to inquire about his illness. We found him praying sitting in the apartment of Aisha. We, therefore, stood, (praying) behind him. He kept silent.

We again visited him to inquire about his illness. He offered the obligatory prayer sitting. We, therefore, stood (praying) behind him; he made a sign to us and we sat down. When he finished the prayer, he said: When the imam prays sitting, pray sitting; and when the imam prays standing, pray standing, and do not act as the people of Persia used to act with their chiefs (i.e. the people stood and they were sitting).

حَدَّثَنَا عُثْمَانُ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا جَرِيرٌ، وَوَكِيعٌ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ رَكِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَرَسًا بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَصَرَعَهُ عَلَى جِذْمِ نَخْلَةٍ فَانْفَكَّتْ قَدَمُهُ فَأَتَيْنَاهُ نَعُودُهُ فَوَجَدْنَاهُ فِي مَشْرَبَةٍ لِعَائِشَةَ يُسَبِّحُ جَالِسًا قَالَ فَقُمْنَا خَلْفَهُ فَسَكَتَ عَنَّا ثُمَّ أَتَيْنَاهُ مَرَّةً أُخْرَى نَعُودُهُ فَصَلَّى الْمَكْتُوبَةَ جَالِسًا فَقُمْنَا خَلْفَهُ فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَعَدْنَا . قَالَ فَلَمَّا قَضَى الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ " إِذَا صَلَّى الإِمَامُ جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا وَإِذَا صَلَّى الإِمَامُ قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَلاَ تَفْعَلُوا كَمَا يَفْعَلُ أَهْلُ فَارِسَ بِعُظَمَائِهَا " .

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Prophet ﷺ said: The imam is appointed only to be followed; when he says "Allah is most great," say "Allah is most great" and do not say "Allah is most great" until he says "Allah is most great." When he bows; bow; and do not bow until he bows. And when he says "Allah listens to him who praise Him," say "O Allah, our Lord, to Thee be the praise."

The version recorded by Muslim goes: "And to Thee be the praise: And when he prostrate; and do not prostrate until he prostrates. When he prays standing, pray standing, and when he prays sitting, all of you pray sitting.

Abu Dawud said: The words "O Allah, our Lord, to You be the praise" reported by Sulaiman were explained to me by some of our companions.

حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ حَرْبٍ، وَمُسْلِمُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، - الْمَعْنَى - عَنْ وُهَيْبٍ، عَنْ مُصْعَبِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ " إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ الإِمَامُ لِيُؤْتَمَّ بِهِ فَإِذَا كَبَّرَ فَكَبِّرُوا وَلاَ تُكَبِّرُوا حَتَّى يُكَبِّرَ وَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَارْكَعُوا وَلاَ تَرْكَعُوا حَتَّى يَرْكَعَ وَإِذَا قَالَ سَمِعَ اللَّهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ فَقُولُوا اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ " . قَالَ مُسْلِمٌ " وَلَكَ الْحَمْدُ " . " وَإِذَا سَجَدَ فَاسْجُدُوا وَلاَ تَسْجُدُوا حَتَّى يَسْجُدَ وَإِذَا صَلَّى قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَإِذَا صَلَّى قَاعِدًا فَصَلُّوا قُعُودًا أَجْمَعُونَ " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ " اللَّهُمَّ رَبَّنَا لَكَ الْحَمْدُ " . أَفْهَمَنِي بَعْضُ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ .

Narrated AbuHurayrah:

The Prophet ﷺ said: The imam is appointed only to be followed. This version adds: When he recites (the Qur'an), keep silent."

Abu Dawud said: The addition of the words "When he recites, keep silent" in this version are not guarded. The misunderstanding, according to us, is on the part of Abu Khalid (a narrator).

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ آدَمَ الْمَصِّيصِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَجْلاَنَ، عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ أَسْلَمَ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ " إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ الإِمَامُ لِيُؤْتَمَّ بِهِ " . بِهَذَا الْخَبَرِ زَادَ " وَإِذَا قَرَأَ فَأَنْصِتُوا " . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَهَذِهِ الزِّيَادَةُ " وَإِذَا قَرَأَ فَأَنْصِتُوا " . لَيْسَتْ بِمَحْفُوظَةٍ الْوَهَمُ عِنْدَنَا مِنْ أَبِي خَالِدٍ .

‘A’ishah said; The Messenger of Allah ﷺ prayed in his house sitting and the people prayed behind him standing. He made a sign to them (asking them) to sit down. When he finished the prayer, he said :
The IMAM is appointed only to be followed; so when he prays standing. Pray standing ; and when he raises himself, raise yourself: and when he prays sitting. Pray sitting.

حَدَّثَنَا الْقَعْنَبِيُّ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَهُوَ جَالِسٌ فَصَلَّى وَرَاءَهُ قَوْمٌ قِيَامًا فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَنِ اجْلِسُوا فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ قَالَ " إِنَّمَا جُعِلَ الإِمَامُ لِيُؤْتَمَّ بِهِ فَإِذَا رَكَعَ فَارْكَعُوا وَإِذَا رَفَعَ فَارْفَعُوا وَإِذَا صَلَّى جَالِسًا فَصَلُّوا جُلُوسًا " .

Jabir said :
when the prophet ﷺ became seriously ill, we prayed behind him while he was sitting and Abu Bakr was calling “Allah is most great “ to cause the people to hear the TAKBIR. Then he (the narrators) narrated the rest of the tradition.

حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ، وَيَزِيدُ بْنُ خَالِدِ بْنِ مَوْهَبٍ، - الْمَعْنَى - أَنَّ اللَّيْثَ، حَدَّثَهُمْ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ، عَنْ جَابِرٍ، قَالَ اشْتَكَى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَصَلَّيْنَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ يُكَبِّرُ لِيُسْمِعَ النَّاسَ تَكْبِيرَهُ ثُمَّ سَاقَ الْحَدِيثَ .