I was told that you said: “The prayer of one who sits is half the prayer of one who stands,” while you yourself pray sitting! He said: “Yes, but I am not like any one of you.”(1)

21 - Chapter on the virtue of the prayer of one who sits(2) over the prayer of one who lies down

1660 - Humayd ibn Mas‘adah informed us, from Sufyan ibn Habib, from Husayn al-Mu‘allim, from ‘Abdullah ibn Buraydah, from ‘Imran ibn Husayn, who said: I asked the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, about the one who prays sitting. He said: “Whoever prays standing, that is better; whoever prays sitting, he has half the reward of the one who stands; and whoever prays lying down, he has half the reward of the one who sits.”(3)

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(1) Its chain of transmission is authentic. Yahya: he is Ibn Sa‘id al-Qattan, and Sufyan: he is Ibn Sa‘id al-Thawri, and Mansur: he is Ibn al-Mu‘tamir, and Abu Yahya: he is al-A‘raj, whose name is Misda‘. It is in “Al-Sunan al-Kubra” under number (1365).
Ahmad (6512) and Muslim (735) also narrated it via Yahya al-Qattan, with this chain.
Ahmad (6894) narrated it from ‘Abd al-Razzaq, from Sufyan al-Thawri, with it.
Ahmad (6803) and (6883), and Muslim (735) narrated it via Shu‘bah, and Muslim (735) and Abu Dawud (950) via Jarir, both from Mansur, with it. Shu‘bah’s narration is limited to the marfu‘ portion of it.
The marfu‘ portion of it was also narrated by Ahmad (6808), and the author in “Al-Kubra” (1371), (1373), (1374), and (1376), and Ibn Majah (1229) via multiple paths from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr, with it.
The author also narrated it in “Al-Kubra” (1372) and (1375) from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr as a mawquf narration.
(2) In (R) and (M): “the one who stands,” and above it in (M): “the one who sits” (variant reading).
(3) Its chain of transmission is authentic. Husayn al-Mu‘allim: he is Ibn Dhakwan. It is in “Al-Sunan al-Kubra” under number (1366).
Ahmad (19887), (19899), (19974), and (19983), al-Bukhari (1115) and (1116), Abu Dawud (951), al-Tirmidhi (371), Ibn Majah (1231), and Ibn Hibban (2513) narrated it via multiple paths from Husayn al-Mu‘allim, with this chain. Al-Bukhari added in narration (1116): “lying down, in my view” =