Manner of Sitting

كَانَ النَّبِيُّ ص يَجْلِسُ ثَلَاثاً الْقُرْفُصَا[1] وَ هُوَ أَنْ يُقِيمَ سَاقَيْهِ وَ يَسْتَقْبِلَهُمَا بِيَدَيْهِ وَ يَشُدَّ يَدَهُ فِي ذِرَاعِهِ وَ كَانَ يَجْثُو عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ وَ كَانَ يَثْنِي رِجْلًا وَاحِدَةً وَ يَبْسُطُ عَلَيْهَا الْأُخْرَى وَ لَمْ يُرَ ص مُتَرَبِّعاً قَطُّ.

“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.”

رَأَيْتُ عَلِيَّ بْنَ الْحُسَيْنِ ع قَاعِداً وَاضِعاً إِحْدَى رِجْلَيْهِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ يَكْرَهُونَ هَذِهِ الْجِلْسَةَ وَ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهَا جِلْسَةُ الرَّبِّ- فَقَالَ إِنِّي إِنَّمَا جَلَسْتُ هَذِهِ الْجِلْسَةَ لِلْمَلَالَةِ وَ الرَّبُّ لَا يَمَلُّ وَ لا تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَ لا نَوْمٌ‌.

“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.’”

مَنْ رَضِيَ بِدُونِ التَّشَرُّفِ مِنَ الْمَجْلِسِ لَمْ يَزَلِ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ مَلَائِكَتُهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَقُومَ.

“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.”

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص أَكْثَرَ مَا يَجْلِسُ تُجَاهَ الْقِبْلَةِ.

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

جَلَسَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع مُتَوَرِّكاً رِجْلُهُ الْيُمْنَى عَلَى فَخِذِهِ الْيُسْرَى فَقَالَ لَهُ رَجُلٌ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ هَذِهِ جِلْسَةٌ مَكْرُوهَةٌ فَقَالَ لَا إِنَّمَا هُوَ شَيْ‌ءٌ قَالَتْهُ الْيَهُودُ لَمَّا أَنْ فَرَغَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنْ خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ اسْتَوَى عَلَى الْعَرْشِ جَلَسَ هَذِهِ الْجِلْسَةَ لِيَسْتَرِيحَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- اللَّهُ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُو

“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

كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص إِذَا دَخَلَ مَنْزِلًا قَعَدَ فِي أَدْنَى الْمَجْلِسِ إِلَيْهِ حِينَ يَدْخُلُ.

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

قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع‌ سُوقُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كَمَسْجِدِهِمْ فَمَنْ سَبَقَ إِلَى مَكَانٍ فَهُوَ أَحَقُّ بِهِ إِلَى اللَّيْلِ قَالَ وَ كَانَ لَا يَأْخُذُ عَلَى بُيُوتِ السُّوقِ كِرَاءً.

“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.’”

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ص‌ يَنْبَغِي لِلْجُلَسَاءِ فِي الصَّيْفِ أَنْ يَكُونَ بَيْنَ كُلِّ اثْنَيْنِ مِقْدَارُ عَظْمِ الذِّرَاعِ لِئَلَّا يَشُقَّ بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ فِي الْحَرِّ.

“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.’”

رَأَيْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع‌ يَجْلِسُ فِي بَيْتِهِ عِنْدَ بَابِ بَيْتِهِ قُبَالَةَ الْكَعْبَةِ.

9. Ali has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman who has said the following: “Once, I saw Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) sitting in his house near the door facing the Ka’bah.”