[Q 668] Placement of Chairs in Congregational Prayers

QUESTION:

What is the ruling of using chair as a medium for performing salaah in Masjid. Should there be a specific space for them. Can it be placed in the swaf, in the first swaf, and should it be on the right or left hand side?

ANSWER:

For a person who has a valid excuse that permits them to perform Ruku’  and Sujood (prostration) with gestures of head, or if a person is unable to stand, then it is permissible for them to pray sitting on the ground or on a chair.

When praying in congregation, the placement of the chair is detailed as follows:

1) If there are enough worshippers to fill the row to both corners, then the chair should be placed at the edge of the row on the right or left side where the last person stands. However, placing it in the middle of the row is not sinful or harmful, whether it is in the first row or any other row.

2) If there are not enough worshippers to complete the row to both corners, then the chair should be placed adjacent to where the worshippers are standing without leaving any person’s space empty in between. Placing the chair at the corner with space left in between would inevitably break the continuity of the row, which is considered sinful.

Another important point is that the person who cannot prostrate (Sajda) with their head on the ground and they want to perform the prayers sitting on a chair in congregation, they should place the chair such that the back legs of the chair are in line with the side of the other worshippers in the row. Then they should perform the entire prayer sitting on the chair from start to finish. Because if they stand for qiyam (standing position) and sit on the chair for ruku’ and sujud, then during qiyam they will be slightly ahead of the row, resulting in the row becoming crooked, which is not permitted in Shari’ah.

Likewise, if the front legs of the chair are on the edge of the row and the person stands aligned with others, the presence of the chair will prevent anyone from standing behind in the subsequent row, causing a break in the row.

Note: It should be clear that if a person is unable to perform Sujood on the ground due to some valid reason, they are allowed to perform it by gesture, and their Fard for Qiyam (standing) in prayer is also waived, so if they begin the prayer sitting, it is permissible.
For those who can perform Sujood on the ground but have difficulty standing, it is Fard to perform Sujood on the ground, and they cannot perform it by gesture.

Furthermore, they are required to maintain Qiyam as long as they can, even if it is only to recite the Takbir Tahrimah while standing. When unable to stand any longer, they may sit. If they can stand with the support of a wall or stick, they must do so.

Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Date: 27th April 2024