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Fatwa CenterWhere to place hands when praying sitting on chair
Question
Assalaamu alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Where does one place their hands while bowing when praying while sitting? Is it the same as while standing; one one's knees? Or should they be placed on the thighs? And where should the hands be placed while prostrating if one is praying on a chair and has difficulty prostrating on the ground? On their thighs, or on the knees? I wanted to pray the Duha prayer this morning, but since I did not know where to place my hands, I did not pray. Please advice, Shaykh, and may Allaah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
The act of the Sunnah, in this case, is to place your hands on your knees when performing bowing and on the floor when prostrating, if that is possible; otherwise, place them on your knees. Shaykh Ibn Baaz 
wrote:
"The one who prays sitting on the ground or on a chair must make his Sujood (prostration) lower than his Rukoo‘ (bowing). The Sunnah is for him to put his hands on his knees in the Rukoo‘ and to put them on the ground in Sujood if possible; if he cannot do that, then he puts them on his knees, because it was proven that the Prophet, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said, 'I have been commanded to prostrate on seven bones: the forehead – and he, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, pointed to his nose – the two hands, the two knees, and the toes of both feet.'" [Majmoo‘ Al-Fataawa]
Allah knows best.
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