Manner of Sitting

“The Holy Prophet would sit with three postures: al-Qurfusa . In this posture both knees are up and one holds them with both arms and hands around them, folding both legs backwards so one can sit on them and one leg folded and the other spread over the folded one. He was never seen sitting with legs squared.”

“I saw Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) when sitting place one foot over his thigh. I said, ‘People dislike this sitting posture and say, “It is the sitting posture of the Lord.’” The Imam said, ‘I sit this way to relieve myself of tiredness. The Lord does not tire and slumber or sleep cannot overcome Him.’”

“Whoever feels content with a seat without formalities in a gathering, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, and His angels continue doing and asking favors for him until he leaves the gathering.”

“The Messenger of Allah most of the time would sit facing the direction of Qiblah (Ka’bah).”

“Once Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) was sitting with his right foot on his left thigh. A man said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, this sitting posture is not desirable.’ The Imam said, ‘It is not so. That is a thing the Jews say that when Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, finished creating the heavens and earth and took His place on the Throne, He sat in this posture to rest and relax. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, revealed 255 of Chapter 2 of the Holy Quran, “Allah exists. No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah, the Everlasting and the Guardian of life. Drowsiness or sleep does not seize him. . . .’” (2:255) Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) continued to remain in that sitting posture.’”

“When the Messenger of Allah was to enter a house he would sit at the nearest place to the entrance.”

“Amir al-Mu’minin, Ali ibn abu Talib (a.s.) would say, ‘The market place of the Muslims is like their Mosque, the one who first takes a place stays there until night. ’ The narrator has said that he (the Imam) would not charge any rent for the shops.’”

“The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘In a gathering during summer the distance between two people should be an elbow’s length (about eighteen inches) so that no difficulty is caused to any of them.’”

“Once, I saw Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) sitting in his house near the door facing the Ka’bah.”