(1) Al-Bukhari said: “… he was lying asleep next to me—reclining right here ….” I note: this is also the wording found in the Musnad of Imam Ahmad. It proves that supererogatory prayer may be performed while lying on one’s side. Al-Khattabi denied this, followed by Ibn Battal, who even added: “Yet the disagreement is real, for al-Tirmidhi transmitted with his chain from al-Hasan al-Basri that he said: If a person wishes, he may offer voluntary prayer standing, sitting, or lying on his side. A number of scholars adopted this view. It constitutes one of the two opinions within the Shafi‘i school, and later Shafi‘i authorities considered it the sounder view. Qadi Iyad also reports it as a position among the Malikis and states that it was the choice of al-Abhari, who invoked this very hadith as evidence.” Notice: Imran’s use of the word “man” in his question reflects common speech and carries no limiting implication; the ruling therefore applies to both men and women alike. So states Fath (2/248). (2) Reported by al-Bukhari (2/467, 469); Abu Dawud (1/150); al-Nasa’i (1/245); al-Tirmidhi (2/207), who declared it sound; Ibn Majah (1/370); Ibn Nasr (83); al-Daraqutni (162); al-Bayhaqi (2/491); and Ahmad (4/433, 435, 442) through several chains from Husayn al-Muallim, from Abd Allah ibn Buraydah, from him. Most scholars understand the hadith to refer to voluntary prayer, whereas al-Khattabi applied it to obligatory prayer in the manner explained below. The apparent sense is that it covers both. Al-Khattabi said: “What is meant by the hadith of Imran is the sick person performing an obligatory prayer who, with effort, can stand despite hardship. The reward of the one who prays seated is therefore half that of the one who stands, so as to encourage him to stand while still allowing him to sit.” End quote. Al-Hafiz commented (2/468): “This is a plausible interpretation …” He then said: