2/187. Chapter:
Sunan Abi Dawud 962 — Sitting in Prayer
How Should One Sit In The Tashah-hud
How the Prophet Sat in Prayer: Left Foot Sitting Hadith
Sunan Abi Dawud : 962
Sunan Abi DawudHadith Number 962
حَدَّثَنَا هَنَّادُ بْنُ السَّرِيِّ، عَنْ وَكِيعٍ، عَنْ سُفْيَانَ، عَنِ الزُّبَيْرِ بْنِ عَدِيٍّ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ، قَالَ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا جَلَسَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ افْتَرَشَ رِجْلَهُ الْيُسْرَى حَتَّى اسْوَدَّ ظَهْرُ قَدَمِهِ .
Ibrahim Narrated from:
When the Prophet (ﷺ) would sit in the prayer, he would place his left foot horizontally - so much so that the upper-part of his foot became black.
Reference : Sunan Abi Dawud 962In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 573English translation : Book 2, Hadith 957
Summary of Sunan Abi Dawud Hadith 962
This hadith describes a clear part of the Prophet’s prayer posture. Ibrahim reports that when the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) sat in the prayer, he placed his left foot horizontally. The wording even mentions that the upper part of his foot became black, showing how often or firmly this sitting position was known in the report. For people searching how to sit in prayer, tashahhud sitting, or left foot sitting in Salah, this hadith gives a simple picture: the seated posture mattered and was noticed. The text does not list every movement of prayer. It focuses on one detail, the left foot during sitting. So the main teaching is to respect the careful description of Salah as it was passed down.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet’s sitting in prayer was described with close attention.
- The left foot position is the main detail in this report.
- Small prayer postures were preserved and taught by narrators.
