Today our Muslim brothers and sisters all over the world celebrate the Eid al Fitr after several days of fasting.
The Eid al-Fitr, also called the “Festival of Breaking the Fast” or Lesser Eid, or simply Eid, is a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide that marks the end of the month-long dawn-to-sunset fasting of Ramadan.
The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari is a Muslim, and today he celebrated the Eid al Fitr in Aso rock alongside his wife and children.
The President was the only one sitting on a chair while others knelt down to pray. A lot of people kept wondering why President Buhari didn’t join others to kneel while praying.
After some research online, I realized that kneeling may not be necessary to reverent adoration, but it does promote a proper attitude. God is holy and we are not. The Muslims recognize this fact when they prostrate themselves before Him in prayer.
According to Islamic traditions and practices, if individuals cannot stand, they are allowed to pray seated or laying. If they are able to stand, they should maintain correct postures as much as they can. “The kneeling posture (sujud) increases the elasticity of joints.
President Buhari who recently received medical treatments in United Kingdom may not seem physically fit to knee during the prayers which is why he was offered a chair to sit.
According to Al-Baqarah: 238, Allah says: “And stand before Allah with obedience”.
For obligatory prayers, if a person sits down to pray when he is able to stand, his prayer will be invalid before Allah. Truly, such prayer will not get any reward. More so, this is actually counted as a sin.
Your opinions are highly welcomed in the comments section.