Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يُونُسُ وَحُجَيْنٌ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ عَنْ أَبِي الزُّبَيْرِ عَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ اشْتَكَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَصَلَّيْنَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ قَاعِدٌ وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ يُكَبِّرُ يُسْمِعُ النَّاسَ تَكْبِيرَهُ فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْنَا فَرَآنَا قِيَامًا فَأَشَارَ إِلَيْنَا فَقَعَدْنَا فَصَلَّيْنَا بِصَلَاتِهِ قُعُودًا فَلَمَّا صَلَّى قَالَ إِنْ كِدْتُمْ آنِفًا تَفْعَلُونَ فِعْلَ فَارِسَ وَالرُّومِ يَقُومُونَ عَلَى مُلُوكِهِمْ وَهُمْ قُعُودٌ فَلَا تَفْعَلُوا ائْتَمُّوا بِأَئِمَّتِكُمْ إِنْ صَلَّى قَائِمًا فَصَلُّوا قِيَامًا وَإِنْ صَلَّى قَاعِدًا فَصَلُّوا قُعُودًا.
English Translation
Yunus and Hujayn told us, Layth told us, from Abu al-Zubayr, from Jabir, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, fell ill, so we prayed behind him while he was seated, and Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was saying the takbir, making the people hear his takbir. He turned to us and saw us standing, so he gestured to us, and we sat down and prayed his prayer sitting. When he finished the prayer, he said, "Just now you almost did what the Persians and the Byzantines do - they stand before their kings while their kings are sitting. Do not do that; follow your leaders in prayer. If he prays standing, pray standing, and if he prays sitting, pray sitting."