in the ninth year, toward the end of the Prophet’s life. This indicates that it is recommended, and that it is among the prescribed sittings, not among the sittings done merely by natural inclination or habit.

Those who maintain that one should not sit cite the hadith of Wa'il ibn Hujr: when the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, rose, “he rose upon his knees and supported himself on his thighs” (1).

Those who differentiate between cases argue that it is known that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, had two states:

One state in which he was energetic, young, and strong; and another in which he was less so. Toward the end of his life, he would perform the night prayer sitting down for more than a year (2). He raced with Aishah, and she outran him (3). Moreover, he loved to make worship easy for himself, and he likewise loved for a person to make worship easy for himself. Indeed, he reproved those who said, “We will fast and not break our fasts; we will pray all night and not sleep; and we will not marry women” (4). And he forbade Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As