following the Prophet’s prayer, while the people followed Abu Bakr’s prayer. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not command them to sit.” (1)

This is the evidence by which Imam Ahmad reconciled this report with the hadith: “If he prays sitting, then pray sitting.” (2) Accordingly, the general meaning of his statement, “If he prays sitting, then pray sitting,” is qualified by this particular case: if he began the prayer with them standing, they should complete it standing.

THE PRAYER OF ONE WITH URINARY INCONTINENCE BEHIND ANOTHER IN THE SAME CONDITION IS VALID.

His statement, “The prayer of one with urinary incontinence behind another in the same condition is valid”: urinary incontinence means that it continues without stopping and that one is unable to prevent it. A person may be afflicted with a continual state of ritual impurity due to urine, feces, or wind. There is no doubt that this is an illness; only one afflicted by it truly knows the extent of Allah’s blessing upon a person in being spared from it. How, then, should someone afflicted with this illness perform ablution and pray?

The answer is that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says in His Book:

“And He has not placed upon you in the religion any hardship.” [al-Hajj: 78]

Thus, all of the religion—praise be to Allah—is ease. The manner in which such a person performs ablution and prayer is as follows: we say to him, once the prayer time begins, wash your private parts and take precautions—that is, place a pad or other protection over them to prevent the urine from leaking and spreading onto your body and clothing. Then perform ablution for the prayer, and pray whatever obligatory and voluntary prayers you wish, even after the prayer time has ended. This is because there is no evidence that the expiration of the prayer time invalidates the ablution of one whose state of ritual impurity is continual. However, when the time for a prescribed prayer begins, we say: perform ablution, because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to the woman with irregular bleeding: “Perform ablution for every prayer.” (3)