Question:
Should women stand or sit and perform salah? If they sit, will salah be valid? If it is difficult for someone to stand and sit due to fatness, are they allowed to sit and perform salah?
Answer:
Qiyaam (standing) in a Fradh or Wajib prayer is compulsory. This ruling is for both males and females. Therefore women must stand and perform salah.[i]
If an obese person is of such a size that he can still stand and sit, even though with difficulty, then he must stand and perform Fard (and Wajib) salah. Only those people are allowed to sit in Fardh(and Wajib) salah who are unable to stand due to a sickness and if they stand it will increase their sickness or delay their recovery. Simply due to a minor difficulty one is not allowed to sit and perform the Fardh (and Wajib) salah.
However, one may sit and perform Sunnah and Nawafil salah without any excuse. Therefore there will be no problem in sitting and performing Sunnah salah due to obesity.[ii]
And Allah knows best
(Hazrat Mufti Maulana) Khalid Saifullah
Kitabul Fatawa Vol.2 Pg.464-465
[i] Al-Baqarah:238, Badaaius Sana’I Vol.1 Pg.282
[ii] Ad-Durr Mukhtaar Vol.1 Pg.508, Badaaius Sanaa’I Vol.1 Pg.284
