Umm Waraqa to lead the members of her household and appointed a muezzin for her.” She would stand behind them, even though they were following her in prayer, due to necessity. This supports those who permit a follower to stand ahead of the imam when necessary. This is despite the report that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No woman shall lead a man in prayer,” and despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of scholars prohibit women from leading men in prayer.

On the basis of this principle, Ahmad acted upon the widely transmitted report that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said concerning the imam: “If he prays seated, then all of you should pray seated.” He explained this by saying that standing in such a case resembles the practice of non-Arabs standing for one another. The obligation to stand was therefore waived for the followers because of the harm involved, to which the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, alluded: differing from the imam and imitating non-Arabs by standing in his honor. The leading Companions likewise acted upon this after him: when they fell ill, they prayed seated, with the people behind them also seated, as did Usayd ibn al-Hudayr.

This was deemed disliked, however, when the person leading was not the regular imam, since there was no need to diminish the prayer by following him. It was likewise deemed disliked when the regular imam suffered from a chronic illness, because he would then be required to withdraw from leading the prayer. Ahmad did not consider this ruling abrogated by the fact that, during his final illness, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, joined the prayer seated after it had begun while the others remained standing. There is no contradiction between what he commanded and what he did. Moreover, after his death, the Companions acted upon his command even though they had witnessed what he did. A distinction is therefore made between sitting from the outset of the prayer and sitting during it, for both are permissible: his action does not in any way render what he commanded prohibited. There is, moreover, a subtle discussion concerning these issues which