Jami' at-Tirmidhi
Jami` at-Tirmidhi 283
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ مُوسَى، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ، أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ طَاوُسًا، يَقُولُ قُلْنَا لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي الإِقْعَاءِ عَلَى الْقَدَمَيْنِ قَالَ هِيَ السُّنَّةُ . فَقُلْنَا إِنَّا لَنَرَاهُ جَفَاءً بِالرَّجُلِ قَالَ بَلْ هِيَ سُنَّةُ نَبِيِّكُمْ صلى الله عليه وسلم . قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ . وَقَدْ ذَهَبَ بَعْضُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ إِلَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم لاَ يَرَوْنَ بِالإِقْعَاءِ بَأْسًا وَهُوَ قَوْلُ بَعْضِ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْفِقْهِ وَالْعِلْمِ . قَالَ وَأَكْثَرُ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَكْرَهُونَ الإِقْعَاءَ بَيْنَ السَّجْدَتَيْنِ .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Tawus said: We asked Ibn Abbas about sitting in iqaa on the heels. He said: It is the Sunnah. We said: We consider it an awkward posture for a man. He said: Rather, it is the Sunnah of your Prophet. Abu Isa said: This hadith is hasan sahih. Some of the people of knowledge among the Companions of the Prophet followed this hadith and saw no harm in iqaa. This is the view of some of the people of fiqh and knowledge in Makkah. Most of the people of knowledge dislike iqaa between the two prostrations.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The questioners describe the posture as jafa, a sense of awkwardness or roughness; rendered as awkward posture.
فَقُلْنَا إِنَّا لَنَرَاهُ جَفَاءً بِالرَّجُلِ قَالَ بَلْ هِيَ سُنَّةُ نَبِيِّكُمْ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Jafa can suggest roughness, discomfort, or an awkward manner here.
Does awkward posture best convey the questioners view of sitting on the heels?