My Prayer Guide
praying seated.
Illness and inability change the form, never the standing before God. Sit on a chair or the floor; gestures replace what the body can't do.
how sitting works
Recite as usual. For bowing, lean forward slightly; for prostration, lean further; the prostration always deeper than the bow. If a chair is needed, use one; the schools accommodate every degree of ability.
one unit, step by step
- 1 Stand facing the qibla and raise your hands: “Allahu akbar”.
- 2 Recite Al-Fatiha (and a short surah in the first two units).
- 3 Bow (ruku), hands on knees, back level, with three quiet glorifications.
- 4 Rise fully: “God hears the one who praises Him”.
- 5 Prostrate (sujud) with forehead and nose to the ground.
- 6 Sit up briefly, then prostrate a second time.
- 7 That is one unit. Stand for the next, or sit for tashahhud.
- 8 End the final sitting with salam to your right, then left.
Built from these answers
Educational, not a personal ruling. For complex cases, confirm with a qualified scholar, and for money and inheritance, with local law.