a single body: when one limb suffers, the rest of the body responds with sleeplessness and fever.” (1)

His statement, “the prayer standing”: the definite article here refers to the prescribed prayer, for a voluntary prayer is not obligatory upon either the sick person or anyone else to perform standing. A person may offer a voluntary prayer while seated. However, if he does so because of an excuse, he receives the full reward; if he does so without an excuse, he receives half the reward.

His statement, “standing,” means upright. Its apparent meaning is that this applies even if he is in a bowing posture, or leaning upon a stick, a wall, a pillar, or another person. Whenever he is able to be standing, he must do so, whatever the manner in which he stands.

An example of one who is like a person bowing is someone with a back condition who is unable to straighten his back while standing; in that case, he prays even if he is in a bowing posture.

As for one who leans, this is like a weak person who lacks strength and cannot stand except by leaning on a stick, a wall, a pillar, or another person: he prays standing, even while leaning.

However, standing with complete reliance on something is not valid when one is able to stand without such reliance. Complete reliance means that, were the support removed, the person leaning on it would fall. For one who stands while relying completely on something is as though he is not standing; he does not experience the hardship of standing. But if it were supposed that a person could either stand while leaning or else—