Practising Al-Iqa’ (Sitting on Heels) Between the Sujud

Abu Khuzaimah Ansari

I have noticed this Sunnah being seldom practised nowadays and wanted to encourage brothers to practise it. Al-Iqa’ is to rest the buttocks on the heels while they are joint and the toes are facing the Qiblah (i.e. squatting) while sitting between the sujud (prostration).

Imam an-Nawawi establishes the chapter heading, “The Permissibility of Squatting on the Heels”

Imam Muslim transmits, Abu az-Zubayr narrated he heard Tawus say to Ibn Abbas RadhiAllahu Anhu concerning al-Iqa’ (sitting on the heels). Ibn Abbas replied,

“It is the Sunnah” We (Abu az-Zubayr and Tawus) said “We see this awkward and difficult for a man to practise.” Ibn Abbas said, “Rather it is the Sunnah of your Prophet” (Muslim no.536).

Shaikh Muhammad Nasir ud-Din al-Albani in Sifah tus-Salatin-Nabi (p.152) establishes the chapter, “al-Iqa’u Baynas-Sajdatayn” and said, “SOMETIMES he would practise al-Iqa’ (resting on both heels and all his toes.” (Transmitted by Muslim, Abu Awanah, Abush-Shaikh in Ma Rawahu Abu az-Zubair An Ghayr Jabir (no. 104-106) and al-Bayhaqi)

Shaikh al-Albani Rahimahullah devotes 6 pages to the tracing, verification and authenticating the various routes of transmission for this hadith in is Asal Sifatus Salatin-Nabi (2/802-807). He referenced it as (Muslim (2/70), Abu Awanah (2/189), Abu Dawud (1/134), at-Tirmidhi (2/73), al-Hakim (1/272), al-Bayhaqi (2/119).

He also traces a variant route in Silsilah Ahadith as-Sahihah (1/734 no.383) that Ibn Abbas RadhiAllahu Anhuma said,

“From the Sunnah of the prayer is to sit with the buttocks on the heels between the sujud”. (Transmitted by at-Tabarani in Mu’jam al-Kabir (3/106/1) and other routes. Shaikh al-Albani said the chain is authentic. The Shaikh Rahimahullah then devotes 2 pages tracing and authenticating it, refer to Silsilah as-Sahihah.

One such report in the Sahihah is from Abu Zuhayr Mu’awiyyah b. Hudayj who said,

I saw Tawus doing al-Iqa’ (sitting on his heels) so I said to him, “I saw you doing al-Iqa’. He replied, “What you saw me doing of al-Iqa’ is (part of) the prayer. I saw the three Abadalah doing the same, Abdullah b. Abbas, Abdullah b. Umar and Abdullah b. Zubayr would do the same. Abu Zuhayr said, “I saw them do al-Iqa’.” (Silsilah Ahadith Sahihah (1/735). This is from al-Bayhaqi’s Sunan al-Kubra (3/601 no.2778)

At-Turki in his checking of as-Sunan al-Kubra mentions,

“Ibn Hajr said in Talkhis al-Habir (1/257) the chains of transmission of al-Iqa’ from the Abadalah are authentic chains.” (footnote 1 Sunan al-Kubra (3/602).

Shaikh al-Albani uses very specifically the word “SOMETIMES” thereby intending to reconcile with how we usually sit i.e. iftirash. Shaikh al-Albani also answered Hafiz Ibn Qayyim when he said