And it is possible that it is not required, for Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, said concerning the one on a ship who is unable to stand fully due to the shortness of the ship's ceiling: 'He should pray sitting, unless it is a minor thing.' So, the rest of what is in its meaning is compared to it, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): 'Pray standing; if you are unable, then sitting,' and this person is unable to stand.

Section: [Whoever is able to stand, but is unable to perform ruku' (bowing) or sujud (prostration), the standing is not waived for him] (10), and he shall pray standing; he should perform the ruku' by bowing, then sit and perform the sujud by bowing. Al-Shafi'i held this view. Abu Hanifa said: 'The standing is waived.' This is because it is a prayer that has neither ruku' nor sujud, so the standing is waived in it, like the nafilah (voluntary) prayer on a riding animal. We argue based on the saying of Allah the Almighty: {And stand before Allah, devoutly obedient} (11), and the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon him): 'Pray standing.' Furthermore, because standing is a pillar he is capable of, so he is obligated to perform it, just like recitation. Inability to perform other parts does not necessitate the waiver of this one (12), just as if he were unable to recite. Their analogy is invalid for several reasons: First, the ruku' is not waived in the prayer on a riding animal. Second, standing is not required for the voluntary prayer, so what was waived on the riding animal is due to the omission of ruku' and sujud. Third, it is contradicted by the funeral prayer.

Section: If the sick person is able to pray alone standing, but is unable to do so with the Imam due to the Imam's prolongation of the prayer, it is possible (14) that he is required to stand and pray alone; because standing is more confirmed as it is a pillar of prayer without which it is not complete, whereas the prayer is valid without the congregation. It is also possible that he is given a choice between the two, because we have permitted him to leave the standing he is capable of while behind an Imam who is present but unable to stand, out of consideration for the congregation, so here it is even more appropriate. Also, because the reward (15) is multiplied by the congregation more than it is multiplied by standing, based on the evidence that 'The prayer of the one sitting is half of the prayer of the one standing' (16), and 'The congregational prayer exceeds the prayer of a man alone by twenty-seven degrees' (17). This is the better view, and it is the school of al-Shafi'i.

243 - Issue; He said: (If he cannot do so sitting, then lying down)

Meaning lying on his side, and he called it 'sleeping' (na'iman) because he is in the posture of a sleeper. Such a naming has come from the Prophet (peace be upon him), who said: 'The prayer of the one sitting is half of the prayer of the one standing, and the prayer of the one lying down is half of the prayer of the one sitting.' Al-Bukhari narrated it (1) in this way. So whoever is unable to pray sitting should pray on his side, facing the qibla with his face. This is the opinion of Malik, al-Shafi'i, and Ibn al-Mundhir. Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, al-Harith al-'Ukli, Abu Thawr, and the People of Reason (Ahl al-Ra'y) said: He should pray lying on his back, with his face and feet toward the qibla, so that his gesture of bowing/prostration is toward it, for if he prays on his side, his face when gesturing might be toward other than the qibla. We argue...