whether it is one of the sunnahs of prayer, and thus recommended for everyone, or whether it (1) is not a sunnah and is done only by those who need it. There are two views, both reported from Ahmad (2).
Al-Khallāl said: “Ahmad returned to following the hadith of Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith concerning the sitting for rest (3).” He also said: “Yūsuf ibn Mūsā informed me that Abū ‘Abd Allāh (4) was asked about rising and replied: ‘On the balls of the feet, in accordance with the hadith of Rifā‘ah.’”
The hadith (5) of Ibn ‘Ajlān (6) indicates that he would rise on the balls of his feet. This has also been reported from several Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). The others who described the prayer of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not mention this sitting; it was mentioned only in the reports of Abū Humayd and Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith (7).
Had his practice (peace and blessings be upon him) been to do this consistently, everyone who described his prayer (peace and blessings be upon him) would have mentioned it. The mere fact that he (peace and blessings be upon him) did so does not establish that it is one of the sunnahs of prayer, unless it is known that he