أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ أَنَّهُ قَالَ اشْتَکَی رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّی اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَلَّيْنَا وَرَائَهُ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ وَأَبُو بَکْرٍ يُکَبِّرُ يُسْمِعُ النَّاسَ تَکْبِيرَهُ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْنَا فَرَآنَا قِيَامًا فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَعَدْنَا فَصَلَّيْنَا بِصَلَاتِهِ قُعُودًا فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ قَالَ إِنْ کُنْتُمْ آنِفًا تَفْعَلُونَ فِعْلَ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ يَقُومُونَ عَلَی مُلُوکِهِمْ وَهُمْ قُعُودٌ فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا ائْتَمُّوا بِأَئِمَّتِکُمْ إِنْ صَلَّی قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَإِنْ صَلَّی قَاعِدًا فَصَلُّوا قُعُودًا
سنن نسائی · Hadith 1205
It was narrated that Jabir said: “The Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم was ill, and we prayed behind him while he was sitting, and Abu Bakr repeated his Takbirs so that the people could hear them. He turned to us and saw us standing, so he gestured to us to sit down. So we prayed behind him sitting. When lie said the Salam he said: ‘Just now you were doing what the persians and Romans do for their kings when they are sitting. Do not do that. Follow your Imams: If they pray standing then pray standing, and if they pray sitting then pray sitting.” (Sahih)
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020