Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (4/333)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

than the statement of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, who said: “Prayer is not waived so long as the mind remains sound. As long as the mind remains sound, he must perform as much of the prayer as he is able.”

Note: Some laypeople say that if one is unable to gesture with his head, he should gesture with his finger. Thus, he holds his finger upright while standing, bends it slightly while bowing, and curls it while prostrating. They claim that, since he is unable to perform it with his whole body, he is required to perform it with part of it, and the finger is part of a person. So, if his entire body is incapacitated, let the finger be the one praying. The index finger, they say, is more fitting, because it is the finger used to point when mentioning Allah and making supplication to Him. Were he to gesture with his middle finger, then, according to the logic of their principle, the prayer would not be valid, because it is the index finger that is charged with praying.

This has no basis. It has not been established by the sunnah, nor has any scholar said it. Yet—glory be to Allah—despite the fact that no scholar, to our knowledge, has ever said this, it is widely known among the laypeople. Students of knowledge must therefore explain to the public that it has no basis. We have previously mentioned that the correct view regarding gesturing with the eyes—a matter over which scholars differ—is that one does not pray by means of them. So what then of the finger, concerning which there is no report in the sunnah, whether weak or authentic? To our knowledge, no scholar has ever held this view.

Question: Suppose someone is unable to stand throughout the entire rak‘ah, but is able to stand for half of the recitation. Should we say: Begin the prayer seated, then stand when you approach bowing? Or should we say: Begin it standing, and then sit when standing becomes difficult for you?

If we consider the practice of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, in the night prayer: when he grew old, he would perform the night prayer seated; then, when there remained

كلامِ شيخِ الإِسلامِ ابن تيمية ﵀، حيث قالوا: لا تسقطُ الصَّلاةُ ما دام العقلُ ثابتاً، فما دام العقلُ ثابتاً فيجبُ عليه مِن الصَّلاةِ ما يقدِرُ عليه منها. تنبيه: بعض العامة يقولون: إذا عَجَزَ عن الإِيماءِ بالرَّأسِ أومأَ بالإِصبعِ، فينصب الأصبعَ حالَ القيام ويحنيه قليلاً حالَ الركوعِ ويضمُّه حالَ السُّجودِ لأنه لما عَجَزَ بالكلِّ لزمه بالبعض، والإصبع بعضٌ مِن الإِنسانِ، فإذا عَجَزَ جسمُه كلُّه فليكن المصلِّي الإِصبع، والسَّبَّابةُ أَولى؛ لأنها التي يُشار بها إلى ذِكْرِ الله ودُعائِه، فلو أومأ بالوسطى فقياس قاعدتهم أنَّ الصلاةَ لا تصِحُّ؛ لأن السَّبَّابةَ هي المكلَّفة بأن تصلِّي، وهذا لا أصلَ له، ولم تأتِ به السُّنَّةُ، ولم يقلْه أهلُ العِلمِ، ولكن ـ سبحان الله ـ مع كونِه لم يقلْه أحدٌ مِن أهلِ العِلم فيما نعلمُ فمشهورٌ عندَ العامةِ، فيجب على طلبةِ العلمِ أن يبيِّنوا للعامة بأن هذا لا أصلَ له، فالعين وهي محلُّ خِلافٍ بين العلماء سبق لنا أن الصَّحيح أنه لا يصلِّي بها فكيف بالإصبع الذي لم تردْ به السُّنَّةُ لا في حديثٍ ضعيفٍ ولا صحيحٍ؟ ولم يقلْ به أحدٌ مِن أهلِ العِلم فيما نعلم. مسألة: لو كان يعجَزُ عن القيامِ في جميعِ الركعةِ، لكن في بعضِ القيامِ يستطيع أن يقفَ نصفَ القراءة، فهل نقول: ابدأ الصَّلاةَ قاعداً، ثم إذا قاربت الركوعَ فَقُمْ، أو نقول: ابتدئِها قائماً فإذا شَقَّ عليك فاجلسْ؟ إذا نظرنا إلى فِعْلِ الرسولِ ﷺ في قيام الليل أنَّه لما كَبِرَ ﵊ صار يقومُ الليلَ جالساً، فإذا بقيَ عليه مِن