Ya'la b. Shaddad b. Aws said:

I came to Mu'awiyah in Jerusalem. He led us in the Friday prayer. I saw that most of the people in the mosque were the Companions of the Prophet ﷺ. I saw them sitting in ihtiba condition, i.e. sitting on hips erecting the feet and sticking them to the stomach and holding them with hands or tying them with a cloth to the back, while the imam was giving sermon.

Abu Dawud said: Ibn 'Umar used to sit in ihtiba position while the imam gave the Friday sermon. Anas b. Malik, Shuraih, Sa'sa'ah b. Sawhan, Sa'id b. al-Musayyib, Ibrahim al-Nakha'i, Makhul, Isma'il, Ismail b. Muhammad b. Sa'd, and Nu'aim b. Sulamah said: There is no harm in sitting in ihtiba position.

Abu Dawud said: I do not know whether anyone considered it disapproved except 'Ubadah b. Nasayy.

حَدَّثَنَا دَاوُدُ بْنُ رُشَيْدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ الرَّقِّيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزِّبْرِقَانِ، عَنْ يَعْلَى بْنِ شَدَّادِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ، قَالَ شَهِدْتُ مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ فَجَمَّعَ بِنَا فَنَظَرْتُ فَإِذَا جُلُّ مَنْ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ أَصْحَابُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَرَأَيْتُهُمْ مُحْتَبِينَ وَالإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ كَانَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ يَحْتَبِي وَالإِمَامُ يَخْطُبُ وَأَنَسُ بْنُ مَالِكٍ وَشُرَيْحٌ وَصَعْصَعَةُ بْنُ صُوحَانَ وَسَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ وَإِبْرَاهِيمُ النَّخَعِيُّ وَمَكْحُولٌ وَإِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ وَنُعَيْمُ بْنُ سَلاَمَةَ قَالَ لاَ بَأْسَ بِهَا . قَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ وَلَمْ يَبْلُغْنِي أَنَّ أَحَدًا كَرِهَهَا إِلاَّ عُبَادَةُ بْنُ نُسَىٍّ .