Dear Hadi,
Asalamualaikum,
I am seven months pregnant and in good physical health, Alhamdulilah. I go walking every day for thirty minutes to one hour.
I was wondering if it is essential for me to pray in the usual way (as in standing to pray) or if I can sit in a chair and pray.
Thank you.
Dear Praying while Pregnant,
Congratulations on your pregnancy. We pray all goes smoothly for you and your baby inshallah.
Based on a hadith from Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, permission has been given to those who cannot stand to perform their prayers while seated or even lying down.
This ruling is based on the last verse of surat al-Baqara, Quran 2:286 ("Allah tasks not a soul beyond its capacity" ), as well as a portion of verse 2:185 ("Allah wants for you ease and does not want for you hardship"), which was revealed in the context of making allowances for those who will have difficulty fasting because of illness or travel.
Alhamdulillah, it is good that you can walk comfortably for thirty minutes to one hour.
We, therefore, suggest that at this stage, you begin your prayers standing up but use a chair for doing ruku and sujood.
In that spirit, if at some point during your pregnancy, you can no longer stand comfortably, or your doctor advises you to avoid bending and/or prostrating, then offering your prayers while sitting or even lying down will, inshallah, be accepted.
You can find a reasonably comprehensive summary of the relevant juristic opinions at the About Islam website: https://aboutislam.net/counseling/ask-the-scholar/acts-of-worship/pregnant-woman-praying-sitting-valid/
Lastly, a subtle but important point has to be made.
Because we are trying to please Allah SWT, we search diligently for the correct answer to questions like yours.
However, we need to remember that the scope of the mercy of Allah SWT is such that there can be more than one correct answer.
This is well-illustrated by the incident related in the Sahih al-Bukhari. The Prophet, pbuh, advised a delegation to the tribe of Banu Qurayzah: "None of you should pray asr except in Banu Qurayzah."
The sun began to set as the group traveled, and different opinions arose regarding the asr prayer.
Some people interpreted the Prophet's instruction to mean that he wanted them to travel quickly to reach Banu Qurayzah before sunset and pray asr there. To them, he certainly did not mean that they should let the sun set on them without praying asr (in case of travel delays).
So, they stopped and prayed asr.
The other group took the instruction literally -- the Prophet, pbuh, said not to pray asr except at Banu Qurayzah, so they would pray asr only after they reached Banu Qurayzah, irrespective of the time.
Later, the incident was related to the Prophet, pbuh, and he found no blame for either group.
Therefore, you make the call -- but first, purify your intentions and learn to trust in God's mercy.
As long as you do not deliberately abuse the licenses He (SWT) has given, insha'Allah, whatever decision you make will be accepted by God.
In peace.