2/94. Chapter:
Jami at-Tirmidhi 283 — Sitting on the Heels in Prayer
[What Has Been Related] About Permission For Squatting
Sitting on the Heels in Prayer as a Sunnah
Jami at-Tirmidhi : 283
Jami at-TirmidhiHadith Number 283
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ طَاوُسًا، يَقُولُ قُلْنَا لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الإِقْعَاءِ عَلَى الْقَدَمَيْنِ قَالَ هِيَ السُّنَّةُ . فَقُلْنَا إِنَّا لَنَرَاهُ جَفَاءً بِالرَّجُلِ قَالَ بَلْ هِيَ سُنَّةُ نَبِيِّكُمْ صلى الله عليه وسلم . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَقَدْ ذَهَبَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ إِلَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لاَ يَرَوْنَ بِالإِقْعَاءِ بَأْسًا وَهُوَ قَوْلُ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْفِقْهِ وَالْعِلْمِ . قَالَ وَأَكْثَرُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَكْرَهُونَ الإِقْعَاءَ بَيْنَ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ .
Tawus Narrated from:
We Asked Ibn Abbas About Squatting (Sitting) On The Heels. He Said: 'It Is The Sunnah.' We Said: 'We Think That It Is Difficult For A Man.' He Said: 'Rather, It Is Sunnah Of Your Prophet.'
[1] This is not the same as the previous type of squatting, as is seen in the Hadīth in this chapter.Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 283In-book reference : Book 2, Hadith 135English translation : Vol. 1, Book 2, Hadith 283
Summary of Jami at-Tirmidhi Hadith 283
This Hadith about sitting on the heels in prayer shows a question asked to Ibn Abbas. Tawus says they asked him about squatting or sitting on the feet. Ibn Abbas replied, "It is the Sunnah." When they said that it seemed difficult for a man, he corrected that view and said it was the Sunnah of their Prophet. The teaching is not built on personal comfort alone. It shows that a prayer posture may feel difficult to some people, but it can still be part of the taught practice. The text also mentions that some scholars saw no harm in it, while many disliked squatting between the two prostrations.
What we learn from this hadith
- A Sunnah practice should not be rejected only because it feels hard.
- Questions about prayer posture should be answered with knowledge.
- Ibn Abbas linked this sitting directly to the Sunnah of the Prophet.
