Answered by Mufti Yusuf Mullan
My husband recently developed the habit of praying most of his prayers while sitting, fard and nawafil. Someone cited a hadith for him that the Prophet peace and blessings be upon him prayed sitting on his camel, and he’s been praying sitting ever since. Is this permissible?
In the name of Allah, ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem and may his abundant blessings be showered on our master, Mohammed, the best of creation, his family and companions.
By scholarly consensus standing’ is from the integrals of the fard prayer. Given this, all the fard prayers offered sitting without a valid excuse, will need to be repeated. [Ibn Qudaamah, al-Mughni vol. 1 page 693]
The instances in which the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, offered prayer upon his camel are all limited to nafl prayer, as this is explicitly mentioned in many narrations [Muslim, Abu Dawud etc.]
And Allah alone gives success.
Yusuf Mullan
[Mufti Yusuf Mullan is Director of the Toronto Shariah Program (www.shariahprogram.ca). After long years of study, he completed the specialization in fiqh & legal verdicts (ifta’) under top scholars such as Shaykh Taqi Usmani Shaykh Mahmud Usmani.]