The pillars of the prayer are fourteen, and they are as follows:

The first pillar: Standing during any obligatory prayer. Allah, Exalted is He, says, “And stand before Allah in devout obedience” (Q 2:238). In the marfūʿ hadith of ʿImrān ibn Ḥuṣayn the Prophet said, “Pray standing; if you are unable, then sitting; and if you are unable, then on your side.” Both the verse and the hadith make clear that standing is obligatory in the prescribed prayers for whoever is able.

If a person cannot stand because of illness, he prays according to his condition—seated or on his side. The same dispensation applies to someone in fear, to one who has no clothes, to anyone who must sit or recline for medical treatment that rules out standing, and likewise to a worshiper hemmed in by a low ceiling who cannot step outside. The obligation to stand is also lifted for those praying behind a regular imam who is himself unable to stand; if the imam prays seated, those behind him pray seated in conformity with their imam, for when the Prophet became ill he prayed seated and instructed those behind him to sit as well.