Shortened Question:

Cannot Perform Sajdah Due to Pain

Question:

Assalamualaikum. My wife has a strain in neck to the extent that she cries in pain when doing sajdah. Please inform how she can pray without doing sajdah if at all allowed in shariah.

Thanks in advance.

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

It is commendable to see that you are mindful of your wife’s Salat.

It Fard to make Qiyam (standing), Ruku (bowing) and Sajdah (prostrating) in your Salat.

If one is not able to go down in Sajdah (prostrating) due to some valid reason in Shari’ah, then it is permissible to sit on a chair and perform the Salat.^[i]

When performing Salat sitting on a chair it is preferable that the Musallie remain seated on the chair for the duration of the Salat.

For the Qiyam (standing) he/she should sit upright placing the hands in the normal position that it would be in Qiyam (standing) of his/her regular Salat and with the feet pointing straight towards the Qiblah.

For Ruku (bowing) the hands should be placed on the knees as usual and the back leaning forward to half the amount when performing Sajdah (prostrating).

For Sajdah the hands should remain on the knees and the back leaning forward to your maximum. This will distinguish and differentiate the Sajdah (prostrating) from the Ruku (bowing).

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Saeed Ahmed Golaub

Islamic Solutions.org

Jamaica

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^[i] الهداية في شرح بداية المبتدي (1/ 76)

فإن لم يستطع الركوع والسجود أومأ إيماء ” يعني قاعدا لأنه وسع مثله ” وجعل سجوده أخفض من ركوعه ” لأنه قائم مقامهما فأخذ حكمهما ” ولا يرفع إلى وجهه شيئا يسجد عليه ” لقوله عليه الصلاة والسلام ” إن قدرت أن تسجد على الأرض فاسجد وإلا فأوم