The ruling in short
The Prophet ﷺ told Imran ibn Husayn, who had piles: pray standing; if you cannot, sitting; and if you cannot, on your side. Allah has not placed any hardship on you in the religion (22:78) and does not burden a soul beyond its capacity (2:286).
1
The steps of ease
- Pray standing if able, even by leaning on a wall or a stick.
- If standing is not possible or harms him, pray sitting, and bow and prostrate as he can.
- If sitting is not possible, pray on the side, facing the Qibla. If that is not possible, on the back with the feet toward the Qibla.
- If bowing and prostrating are not possible, nod with the head, with the prostration lower than the bowing.
- If even a nod is not possible, make the movements in the mind. The prayer is not dropped as long as the person is conscious.
2
Combining and purification
- A sick person who finds that wudu is hard on him may use tayammum.
- A sick person who finds it hard to pray each prayer on time may combine Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha, according to the Hanbali and Maliki schools.
The four Sunni schools agree on the main ruling above and differ in these points. No school is preferred here.
- Standing is dropped when it causes real harm or severe pain, or would delay recovery. The schools agree on this. Praying sitting out of laziness, when able to stand, is not valid.
The evidence
From the Quran
لَا يُكَلِّفُ ٱللَّهُ نَفْسًا إِلَّا وُسْعَهَا ۚ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَعَلَيْهَا مَا ٱكْتَسَبَتْ ۗ رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَآ إِن نَّسِينَآ أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تَحْمِلْ عَلَيْنَآ إِصْرًۭا كَمَا حَمَلْتَهُۥ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِنَا ۚ رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦ ۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآ ۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ ﴿٢٨٦﴾
Allah tasketh not a soul beyond its scope. For it (is only) that which it hath earned, and against it (only) that which it hath deserved. Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget, or miss the mark! Our Lord! Lay not on us such a burden as thou didst lay on those before us! Our Lord! Impose not on us that which we have not the strength to bear! Pardon us, absolve us and have mercy on us, Thou, our Protector, and give us victory over the disbelieving folk.
وَجَٰهِدُوا۟ فِى ٱللَّهِ حَقَّ جِهَادِهِۦ ۚ هُوَ ٱجْتَبَىٰكُمْ وَمَا جَعَلَ عَلَيْكُمْ فِى ٱلدِّينِ مِنْ حَرَجٍۢ ۚ مِّلَّةَ أَبِيكُمْ إِبْرَٰهِيمَ ۚ هُوَ سَمَّىٰكُمُ ٱلْمُسْلِمِينَ مِن قَبْلُ وَفِى هَٰذَا لِيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ شَهِيدًا عَلَيْكُمْ وَتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ ۚ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ هُوَ مَوْلَىٰكُمْ ۖ فَنِعْمَ ٱلْمَوْلَىٰ وَنِعْمَ ٱلنَّصِيرُ ﴿٧٨﴾
And strive for Allah with the endeavour which is His right. He hath chosen you and hath not laid upon you in religion any hardship; the faith of your father Abraham (is yours). He hath named you Muslims of old time and in this (Scripture), that the messenger may be a witness against you, and that ye may be witnesses against mankind. So establish worship, pay the poor-due, and hold fast to Allah. He is your Protecting friend. A blessed Patron and a blessed Helper!
From the Sunnah
1 Sahih al-Bukhari 1117 Authentic collection
The point of the hadith: Pray standing, and if you cannot, sitting, and if you cannot, on your side.
Read the Arabic text
حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَانُ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، عَنْ إِبْرَاهِيمَ بْنِ طَهْمَانَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي الْحُسَيْنُ الْمُكْتِبُ، عَنِ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ، عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كَانَتْ بِي بَوَاسِيرُ فَسَأَلْتُ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم عَنِ الصَّلاَةِ فَقَالَ " صَلِّ قَائِمًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبٍ ".
Read it in the hadith library This is general information, not a fatwa. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.
Fiqh questions
Prayer in illness
The Prophet ﷺ told Imran ibn Husayn, who had piles: pray standing; if you cannot, sitting; and if you cannot, on your side. Allah has not placed any hardship on you in the religion (22:78) and does not burden a soul beyond its capacity (2:286).
Is this a fatwa?
No. It is a summary of well-known rulings with their evidence. For your own case, ask a qualified scholar.
What if my school differs from this answer?
Follow the view of the school you follow and the scholar who teaches you. The page lists the differences of the four schools.
