Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 827
sahih

Narrated `Abdullah bin `Abdullah:

I saw `Abdullah bin `Umar crossing his legs while sitting in the prayer and I, a mere youngster in those days, did the same. Ibn `Umar forbade me to do so, and said, "The proper way is to keep the right foot propped up and bend the left in the prayer." I said questioningly, "But you are doing so (crossing the legs)." He said, "My feet cannot bear my weight."

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مَسْلَمَةَ، عَنْ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْقَاسِمِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، أَنَّهُ أَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّهُ، كَانَ يَرَى عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما ـ يَتَرَبَّعُ فِي الصَّلاَةِ إِذَا جَلَسَ، فَفَعَلْتُهُ وَأَنَا يَوْمَئِذٍ حَدِيثُ السِّنِّ، فَنَهَانِي عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عُمَرَ وَقَالَ إِنَّمَا سُنَّةُ الصَّلاَةِ أَنْ تَنْصِبَ رِجْلَكَ الْيُمْنَى وَتَثْنِيَ الْيُسْرَى‏.‏ فَقُلْتُ إِنَّكَ تَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ‏.‏ فَقَالَ إِنَّ رِجْلَىَّ لاَ تَحْمِلاَنِي‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 10, Hadith 221
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 1, Book 12, Hadith 790 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Conveying the teachings of Islam and teaching them to the people is obligatory upon every Muslim, to the extent of his knowledge and ability, and no Muslim should refuse to convey the teachings even if he is not able to put them into practice himself because of sickness, weakness and the like. In this hadith, it says that the Tabi‘i ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdillah ibn ‘Umar saw his father (may Allah be pleased with him) kneeling with his buttocks resting on his heels when he sat to recite the tashahhud. This manner of sitting means that a person sits on his buttocks, and tucks his right and left feet under him and sits on them. When his son ‘Abdullah saw him doing that in the prayer, he imitated him and did the same as he did. But Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) told him not to do that, and when his son said to him,” But you do that,” he told him the reason why he did it, which was that his feet were not able to carry him because of old age or sickness. And he told him that the Sunnah is to sit with the right foot held upright, and to sit on the left foot which is tucked underneath one. This is the description of sitting to recite the first tashahhud if the prayer consists of four rak‘ahs. In the final tashahhud, the Sunnah is to sit in the manner called tawarruk, because of the hadith narrated by al-Bukhari from Abu Humayd al-Sa‘idi (may Allah be pleased with him): When he [the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)] sat following the [first] two rak‘ahs, he sat on his left foot, holding the right foot upright, and when he sat in the final rak‘ah, he pushed his left foot forward a little and held the other foot upright, and sat on his buttocks on the ground..
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