Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (3/293)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

the ablution thoroughly, then face the qiblah and say the takbir.” (1)

One who rises to pray will stand during the prayer, and because this is the natural order of the prayer: one begins by standing and then says the takbir. If you were to say the opening takbir while not standing, your prayer would not be valid if it were an obligatory prayer.

If someone were to ask: How can you regard standing as a pillar when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The prayer of one who is seated is half that of one who is standing”? (2) This indicates that there is reward in the prayer of one who is seated; yet if standing were a pillar, there would be no reward for omitting it.

The answer is that prayers are either obligatory or voluntary. Thus, the hadith giving preference to the prayer of one standing over that of one seated is understood to refer to voluntary prayer, as indicated by the hadith of Imran. It is therefore said that standing is not a pillar in voluntary prayer; rather, it is a sunnah act. This is further supported by the Prophet’s practice: while travelling, he would perform voluntary prayers on his mount. (3) Had standing been a pillar of such prayers, he would not have prayed on his mount; rather, he would have dismounted and prayed on the ground. This is why he did not perform obligatory prayers upon it: were he to perform an obligatory prayer on it, the pillar of standing would be missed.

Issue: Standing is obligatory even when one is supported. If someone were to say: “If I were to

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari, Book of the Call to Prayer, chapter: “The obligation of recitation for the imam and those praying behind him” (755); and Muslim, Book of Prayer, chapter: “The obligation of reciting al-Fatihah in every rak'ah” (397) (46). (2) Narrated by al-Bukhari, Book of Tahajjud, chapter: “The prayer of one who is seated” (1115). Its wording is: “Whoever prays seated receives half the reward of one who prays standing.” Muslim also narrated it in the Book of the Traveler’s Prayer, chapter: “The permissibility of voluntary prayer while standing and sitting” (735) (120). Its wording is: “A man’s prayer while seated is half of the prayer.” (3) Its source reference has previously been given on p. 73.

الوضوءَ، ثم استقبلِ القِبْلَةَ فكبّر» (١). والقائمُ إلى الصَّلاةِ سيقوم في الصَّلاةِ، ولأنَّ الترتيبَ الطبيعيَّ في الصَّلاةِ هو هذا؛ أن تبدأ فتقوم، ثم تكبِّر، ولو كبَّرت للإِحرام وأنت غير قائم ما صحَّت صلاتك إنْ كانت فريضةً. فإن قال قائل: كيف تجعلون القيامَ رُكناً، وقد قال النبيُّ ﷺ: «صلاةُ القاعدِ على النصفِ مِن صلاةِ القائم» (٢) وهذا يدلُّ على أنَّ في صلاة القاعد أجراً، ولو كان القيامُ رُكناً لما كان في تَرْكِهِ أجْرٌ؟ فالجواب: أنَّ الصَّلاةَ منها ما هو فَرْض ومنها ما هو نَفْل، فيُحمل حديث تفضيل صلاة القائم على صلاة القاعد على النَّفل، كما دلَّ عليه حديث عِمران، ويُقال: إنَّ القيام ليس رُكناً في النَّافلة، وإنما هو سُنّة، ويؤيِّدُ هذا: فِعْلُ النبيِّ ﷺ، فقد كان يُصلِّي النَّافلةَ على راحلتِه في السَّفَر (٣)، ولو كان القيامُ رُكناً فيها لم يُصلِّ على الراحلة، بل نَزَلَ وصَلَّى على الأرض، ولهذا لا يُصلِّي عليها الفريضة؛ لأنه لو صَلَّى الفريضةَ لفاتَ رُكن القيام. مسألة: ويجب القيامُ ولو معتمداً، فلو قال قائل: أنا لو

(١) أخرجه البخاري، كتاب الأذان، باب وجوب القراءة للإمام والمأموم … (٧٥٥)؛ ومسلم، كتاب الصلاة، باب وجوب قراءة الفاتحة في كل ركعة (٣٩٧) (٤٦). (٢) أخرجه البخاري، كتاب التهجد، باب صلاة القاعد (١١١٥) ولفظه: «ومن صلى قاعداً فله نصف أجر القائم»؛ ومسلم، كتاب صلاة المسافرين، باب جواز النافلة قائماً وقاعداً … (٧٣٥) (١٢٠) ولفظه: «صلاة الرجل قاعداً على نصف الصلاة». (٣) تقدم تخريجه ص (٧٣).