It is also understood from the author’s words that if someone other than a physician advises him to do this—meaning, an ordinary person says to him, “I think that praying standing will harm you”—his statement is not to be relied upon. However, this is not absolute. If it is known through experience that this type of illness harms a patient when he prays standing, then the statement of an experienced person is to be acted upon. For the foundations of medicine are acquired either through revelation or through experience.

An example of revelation is the saying of Allah, Most High:

“From their bellies comes a drink of different colours, in which there is healing for people.” [al-Nahl: 69]

Another example is the Prophet’s saying: “The black seed is a cure for every disease except death.” (1)

The black seed is what we call al-sumayra. “Except death” means: except death itself.

Many remedies are known through experience. Therefore, if an experienced person, even if he is not a physician, says, “Praying standing will harm you,” then he may pray lying on his back or sitting.

It is also understood from his words that if a non-Muslim advises him to do this, his statement is not to be accepted, because this is a matter of trustworthiness, and a non-Muslim is not trustworthy. A Christian physician may say to a Muslim, “If you pray standing, it will harm you,” so that he will not pray standing despite being able to do so, thus rendering his prayer invalid. There is no doubt that this stems from the Christian’s ignorance, for Islam is a religion of ease. If standing harms the sick person, causes him hardship, or if he fears that it will harm him, he may pray sitting and will receive the reward of one who prays standing.

Some scholars hold that only trustworthiness should be stipulated, without