They cited the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas: “That is the sunnah.” (1) However, the well-known position among the companions of Imam Ahmad is that this is not from the sunnah, because the majority of hadiths reported from the Prophet ﷺ all describe this sitting posture as iftirāsh—sitting on the left foot while keeping the right foot upright. It is not unlikely that Ibn ‘Abbas mentioned what was practiced at first, for the manner of sitting may be analogous to that of bowing. In the early days, when a man bowed, he would place his hands between his thighs rather than upon his knees. Ibn Mas‘ud adhered to this practice (2), which they call taṭbīq, and he did not know of the sunnah that abrogated it, although there is no doubt that it was abrogated. This has been authentically reported from the Prophet ﷺ. (3) Thus, our jurists hold that this sitting posture has only one form: iftirāsh.

Note: The author did not mention where the hands should be placed or how they should be positioned, although this is an important matter in this sitting posture. Let us therefore explain it:

The first manner is to place the hands on the thighs, with the fingertips level with the knees. (4)

The second manner is to place the right hand upon the right knee, while the left knee is held by the left hand, as though grasping it. (5)

As for how the hands are positioned: