had piles, so I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the prayer. He said, "Pray while standing and if you can't, pray while sitting and if you cannot do even that, then pray Lying on your side."
Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer)
Sahih al-Bukhari - Hadith 1117
Hadith Text
"had piles, so I asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about the prayer. He said, 'Pray while standing and if you can't, pray while sitting and if you cannot do even that, then pray Lying on your side.'"
Scholarly Commentary
This noble hadith establishes the principle of concession (rukhṣah) in Islamic worship, demonstrating Allah's mercy toward His servants. The Prophet (ﷺ) taught that prayer should be performed according to one's capability, with standing being the primary position for the obligatory prayer.
Scholars explain that this gradation indicates the order of preference: standing is superior, then sitting, then lying on one's side. If one cannot stand due to illness or weakness, sitting becomes permissible. If sitting becomes impossible, praying while lying on the side is allowed.
The wisdom behind this teaching is that Allah does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. The concession applies to both the obligatory (farḍ) and supererogatory (nāfilah) prayers when genuine incapacity exists. The prayer performed in a sitting position should ideally include the bowing (rukū') and prostration (sujūd) motions if possible.
When lying on one's side, the worshipper should face the qiblah and make gestures for bowing and prostration, preferably lowering the head more for prostration than for bowing. This ruling exemplifies the flexibility and practicality of Islamic jurisprudence in accommodating human circumstances while maintaining the essence of worship.