PERFORMING NAMAAZ ON THE CHAIR IN JAMAAT

In the case of Performing Salaah on a chair, it causes a person to give up Qiyaam (standing), Ruku (bowing), Sujood (prostrations). Therefore without a valid Shar’ee excuse, Namaaz will be invalid when performed on a chair, because it is obligatory to perform the Faraa’id, Waajibaat and the Sunnah of Fajr Salaah in the standing the condition. If these Salaah are performed in a sitting condition without a valid reason of Shariah then these Salaah will not be valid. Nowadays globally, the practice of using chairs for Salaah inside the Masjid is becoming very common, and people are using chairs for Salaah, sometimes with a valid excuse or sometimes without a valid excuse. It is often seen and heard that people are healthy, they have the complete strength to walk, to get up, and to sit down, and they even walk (to the Masjid) from their homes, but the same people at the time of Salaah, they pull up a chair and offer Salaah on it. This situation shows that people are careless and heedless and are unaware of the importance of Salaah. So they need to be reminded. Therefore, in this regard Huzoor Sadrush-Shariah Alaihir Rahmah has written the following words of caution in Bahaar e Shariat part 3: Nowadays we notice that if a person has the slightest fever or slightest pain, he commences his Salaah whilst sitting, whereas the same person is able to stand for ten to fifteen minutes at a time, and even longer and talk about all other issues. They should be cautioned by way of these laws. All those Salaah in which they were able to stand, but they sat and read becomes Fard to repeat. Similarly, if one was not able to stand by himself but could do so with the support of a stick, another person or the wall, then even those Salaahs have not been fulfilled. To repeat them is Fard, Allah Almighty grant them the Taufeeq (opportunity) to do so. (Bahaar e Shariat part 3, page number 66). After mentioning some of the above necessary words of caution, now let us come to the case which has been queried in the above mentioned question, and in order to understand this queried situation or case in a better way. Here are two brief examples for the justification of performing Salaah on a chair, so that those who have a valid excuse and are thus counted amongst the excused can benefit from it.

Those two cases or examples are as follows: 1) There is a person who cannot stand at all in Salaah or can only stand for a short while, and his strength does not remain (to continue standing), but he can (i.e. he has the ability) to perform the Ruku (bowing) and Sujood (prostrations) of Salaah perfectly and correctly. The Shariah ruling for such a person is that he should stand and perform Salaah for as long as he can, even if he stands up and says only the Takbeer, then he should sit and perform the rest of the Salaah and because he is able to perform Ruku and make Sujood then it will be necessary upon him to make Ruku and to make the Sujood on the ground or on something that is at most twelve finger spaces above the ground. In other words, he must make Sujood on the ground, even if he is sitting on a chair, because he has been excused from Qiyaam (Standing) due to an excuse and not from Sujood (prostrations) because he is able to make Sujood (prostrations). Therefore, he has to get down from the chair in order to prostrate. If he will not get down and he will make Sujood through a gesture while sitting on the chair or he will prostrate on a slate made on the chair, then it will not be a prostration, and this will invalidate his Salaah, therefore (in such a case) he should sit on the ground and perform Salaah, not on a chair, so that he does not have to go up and down again and again, which in many ways can cause disliked actions to occur. It is in Durr-e-Mukhtar:

If one is capable of standing for a short while, even if it is possible to stand with the support of a stick or by leaning against the wall, then he must do as much as he can, even if it may be for the duration of (listening) to one verse or a Takbeer (saying Allahu Akbar), for indeed the ruling of the partial is considered for the overall. (Raddul Mukhtar with Raddul Muhtar/Chapter of Salaah, Volume 2 page number 683). 2) If the person is unable to perform both the Ruku and Sujood of the Salaah or is not able to perform the Sajdah only, although he is able to stand, in this case with such a person standing will be void or lapsed. Therefore, such an ill person can perform Salaah while sitting on a chair, but he should avoid reclining without any reason, rather he should perform Salaah with utmost reverence and respect. It is in Durr e Mukhtar:

If a person is excused from Ruku and Sujood, that is, he is incapable to do them, it is not a condition to be incapable to do both, but even if he is incapable to do only prostration, then he should sit down and offer Salaah with gestures. In this case performing Salaah while sitting is better than performing Salaah in a standing condition with gestures, because in a sitting condition a person is closer to the ground. (Durr e Mukhtar with Raddul Muhtar/ Chapter of Salaah Volume 2 page number 683). It is in Bahaar e Shariat that if one is able to stand, but he is unable to perform Ruku and Sujood or if he is only unable to perform Sajdah, for example he has a wound in the throat etc. and it will ooze if he goes into Sajdah, then too he is permitted to perform it whilst sitting using gestures, and for him this is better. (Bahaar e Shariat Volume 1 part 3 / Fataawa Europe and Bartaaniah)

In short, a person who is not able to stand and is not able to perform Ruku and Sujood, is counted amongst those who are excused (Ma’zoor) and the excused one should offer his Salaah while sitting. If it is difficult for him to sit on the ground, then he can perform his Salaah while sitting on a chair and he can make Ruku and Sujood with gestures and he should bend to a reasonable extent for Ruku, and for Sajdah, he should bend more than the Ruku. As it is in Fataawa Hindiyah in the chapter of Salaatul-Mareez (Salaah of a sick):

If a person is unable to stand and is unable to perform Ruku and Sujood but he is able to sit. then he should sit and perform his Salaah with gestures and he will make Sujood in which he will bend more than Ruku, as it is in Fataawa Qaazi Khan. (Fataawa Markaz e Tarbiyat e Ifta with the reference of Fataawa Hindiyah volume 1 page 136) It should further be kept in mind that the person who sits on the chair for his Salaah in this way (as explained above) and he joins the congregational Salaah then it will not break the Saff (row). Yes, the chair should be positioned on the edge, adjacent to the row so that there is no space in between and if it is not possible, for example the Saff (row) was not completed and the excused one comes for Salaah, then in this case if he will place his chair at the edge of the Saff then the Saff will be broken, from this reason he should place his chair in the middle of the Saff (row), however, the chairs or tables should be such that it should not take up much space. In response to a similar question, Huzoor Taajush Shariah Alaihir Rahma said: If the excused person performs his Salaah in congregation with his chair in the middle of the row, then this action of that excused person will not invalidate the Salaah of the Muqtadees (followers) who are standing in the row. However, the Salaah of that excused person who is performing his Salaah in this way must be considered as to whether he is performing his Salaah on the chair in this way (i.e. the correct way), and if the Sajdah was not performed in the right way then in this case, his Salaah will not be valid and in this case if he is among the Muqtadees (followers), then this will break the Saff (row). (Audio Verdict of Huzoor Taajush Shariah Alaihir Rahma)