What is the ruling on the standing pause (qawmah) and the sitting pause (jalsah) in prayer, and how long should one…

Qawmah is the act of standing upright after rising from bowing (ruku‘) in prayer, before proceeding to prostration (sujud), and remaining in this position for at least the time it takes to say “Subhanallah.” Jalsah is sitting between the two prostrations and waiting for at least the same duration. According to one opinion in the Hanafi school, both jalsah and qawmah are sunnah, but the preferred opinion is that they are wajib (obligatory). If omitted unintentionally, the prostration of forgetfulness (sajdat al-sahw) must be performed. Deliberately omitting them is considered prohibitively disliked (tahriman makruh), and in this case, the prayer must be repeated. According to Imam Shafi‘i, Imam Malik, and Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal, both jalsah and qawmah are fard (obligatory), and omitting them invalidates the prayer. (Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar, 1/465; Ibn Qudamah, al-Mughni, 2/22; Nawawi, Rawdah, 1/223)

Abu Hurayrah (ra) narrated: “The Prophet entered the mosque one day, and a man came in and prayed. Then he came and greeted the Prophet, who returned his greeting and said, ‘Go back and pray, for you have not prayed.’ This happened three times. On the last occasion, the Prophet said: ‘When you stand for prayer, say the takbir, then recite whatever is easy for you from the Qur’an. Then bow until you are at ease in bowing. Then rise and stand upright. Then prostrate until you are at ease in prostration. Then sit until you are at ease in sitting. Then prostrate again until you are at ease in prostration. Do this in all your prayers.’” (Bukhari, Adhan, 122 [793]; Muslim, Salah, 45 [397])

Accordingly, it is of great importance for the person praying to observe ta‘dil al-arkan (proper fulfillment of the pillars of prayer). Ta‘dil al-arkan is especially relevant in bowing, qawmah (standing after bowing), prostration, and jalsah (sitting between the two prostrations). In conclusion, with regard to ta‘dil al-arkan, one must remain in bowing, standing after bowing, prostration, and sitting between the two prostrations for at least the time it takes to say “Subhanallah” once. (Zayla‘i, Tabyin al-Haqa’iq, 1/106)

Source: T.C. Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı, Din İşleri Yüksek Kurulu