Where Does One Place the Hands in the Sujud While Praying Seated on a Chair?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Ustadha Shazia Ahmad

Question

In the Shafi’i madhab, where does one place one’s hands in the sujud position while seated on a chair?

Answer

Thank you for your question.  One may place the hands on the thighs/knees during the sajda position when praying while seated on a chair. I haven’t seen it specified.

It says in the Reliance of the Traveller:

f14.2 When seated for the prayer, the minimal bowing is to incline until the forehead is farther forward than the knees. The optimal way is to incline until the forehead is as far forward as where the headrests are in prostration. When unable to bow or prostrate, one comes as close to the ground with the forehead as one can. When unable to do this, one performs them by nodding.

Please see these links as well:

May Allah give you the best of this world and the next.

[Ustadha] Shazia Ahmad
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadha Shazia Ahmad lived in Damascus, Syria, for two years, where she studied Aqidah, Fiqh, Tajweed, Tafseer, and Arabic. She then attended the University of Texas at Austin, where she completed her Master’s in Arabic. Afterward, she moved to Amman, Jordan, where she studied Fiqh, Arabic, and other sciences. She recently moved back to Mississauga, Canada, where she lives with her family.