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Fiqh Assunah

• Book title: Fiqh Assunah
• Sayyid Saabiq
• Worship And Rulings

Fiqh-us-Sunnah, Volume 2: The prayer of a traveler

Volume2, Page 109a: Shortening the prayers that consist of four rak'at

Allah says in the Qur'an: "And when you go forth in the land there isno sin upon you, if you shorten your prayer when you fear the disbelievers mayattack you." This concession is not limited to situations of danger.

Ya'la ibn Umaiyyah said: "I said to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab: 'Explain tome why the people shorten the salah when Allah says, 'And when you goforth...[the preceding verse] and those days are gone now!' 'Umar said: 'I wonderedabout that too and I mentioned that to the Prophet and he said: "This is acharity that Allah, the Exalted, has bestowed upon you, so accept Hischarity.'" This is related by the group.

At-Tabari records that Abu Munib al-Jarshi mentioned this verse to Ibn 'Umarand said: "We are safe now and are not in fear, should we, then, shortenthe salah'?" He answered him: "You have indeed in the Messenger ofAllah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)."

The issue was also referred to 'Aishah and she said: "The salah wasmade fard in Makkah in sets of two rak'at. When the Prophet sallallahu alehiwasallam came to Medinah, two rak'at were added to each salah except themaghrib salah because it is the witr of the daytime, and the dawn prayer due toits lengthy Qur'anic recital. But if one travels, he performs the originalprayer [i.e., only two rak'at]." This is related by Ahmad, alBaihaqi, IbnHibban, and Ibn Khuzaimah. Its narrators are trustworthy.

Ibn al-Qayyim says: "The Prophet would pray only two rak'at for thoseprayers which consisted of four, whenever he traveled until he returned toMedinah. And it is not confirmed that he ever prayed four rak'at [whiletraveling], and none of the imams differ on this point, although they do differabout the ruling of shortening the salah."

'Umar, 'Ali, Ibn Mas'ud, ibn 'Abbas, ibn 'Umar, Jabir and the Hanafischolars say that it is fard. The Maliki school holds that it is sunnahmu'akadah (the stressed one); it is even more emphasized than thecongregational salah. If the traveler cannot find another traveler to lead himin the salah, he may pray by himself as it is disliked that he should followone who is a resident [i.e., and pray four rak'at] according to the Malikischool. The Hanbali school holds that it is preferred for the person to shortenthe prayer rather than to pray the complete salah. The Shaf'i school has asimilar opinion, if the person has traveled a sufficient distance.

Volume2, Page 110: The distance one must travel before shortening one's prayer

The conclusion from the Qur'anic verse is that any traveling, be it long orshort, which falls within the linguistic definition of the word"travel" would suffice to shorten one's salah, to combine them and tobreak the fast. There is nothing in the sunnah which confines this general termto any particular meaning. Ibn al-Munzhir and others have mentioned more thantwenty reports on this point. Here we shall mention some of the more importantreports.

Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and al-Baihaqi record that Yahya ibn Yazid said:"I asked Anas ibn Malik about shortening the prayer, and he said: 'TheMessenger of Allah would pray two rak'at if he had traveled a distance of threemiles or farsakh."' Ibn Hajar writes in Fath al-Bari: "This is themost authentic hadith which states and clarifies [that question]." Theconflict between mile and farsakh is made clear in Abu Sa'id al-Khudri'sstatement: "If the Prophet traveled a distance of one farsakh, he wouldshorten his prayer." This was related by Sa'id ibn Mansur in his Sunan andby al-Hafiz ibn Hajar in at-Talkhis, and he implicitly accepted it by notmaking any further comments about it. It is well-known that a farsakh equalsthree miles and, therefore, Abu Sa'id's hadith removes the confusion whicharises from Anas' hadith when he says that the shortest distance, due to whichthe Prophet shortened his prayer, was three miles. One farsakh is equivalent to5,541 meters while one mile equals 1,748 meters. The shortest distance whichhas been mentioned with respect to the shortening of salah is one mile. Thiswas recorded by Ibn abi Shaibah, with a sahih chain, on the authority of Ibn'Umar. Ibn Hazm follows this report, and argues that if the distance is lessthan one mile, one is not to shorten the salah, the Messenger of Allah went tothe graveyard of al-Baqi' to bury the dead and (similarly) he went off toanswer the call of nature and did not shorten his salah.

Concerning what some jurists say, namely, that the journey must be at leasttwo days long or as some say three days, Imam Abu al-Qasim alKharqi'srefutation of their opinion is sufficient for us. In al-Mughni he says: 'I donot find any proof for what those scholars say. The statements of the (sahabah)companions are contradictory, and they are not a (conclusive) proof if theydiffer. Something has been related from Ibn 'Umar and Ibn 'Abbas which differsfrom what these scholars use as proof. Even if that were not the case, theirstatements do not constitute a proof when a statement or action of the Prophethimself exists. Even if their statements were accepted, we would not be able tofollow the distance they mentioned due to the following two reasons. One, theydiffer from the sunnah that has been related from the Prophet and from theclear meaning of the Qur'an, as the clear meaning of the verse allows one toshorten one's salah if one makes any journey upon the earth. Allah says:"If you journey on the earth, there is no blame upon you if you shortenyour prayer." The condition of there being fear has been deleted as can beseen in the hadith we recorded from Ya'la ibn Umayyah, and what remains is theclear meaning of the verse which covers every type of journey. The Prophetsaid: "The traveler may wipe over his socks for a period of threedays." This shows the length of time that one may wipe over the socks andit cannot be used as a proof for the question we are discussing here. One couldargue that traveling is less than a three-day journey on the basis of thehadith: "It is not allowed for any woman who believes in Allah and thelast day to travel a journey of one day, save in the presence of a malerelative." Two, the question of the distance to be traveled is one thatmay only be answered by some sort of revelation from Allah, the Exalted [theQur' an or Sunnah]; it is not the type of issue which one may address on thebasis of personal reasoning, nor is there any way to derive an analogy. Theproofs which exist support the opinion that shortening the salah is permissiblefor every traveler, unless there is some consensus to the contrary."

Similar to that is the traveling by planes, trains, and so forth, or a tripthat is in obedience to Allah, the Exalted, or otherwise. If there is someonewhose occupation requires him to always be traveling, for instance, a pilot, aship captain, truck driver, and so on, then he is permitted to shorten hissalah or break his fast as he is truly traveling.

Volume2, Page 111: Whence one may shorten one's salah

The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that it is permissible toshorten one's salah when one leaves one's residence and is outside of one'scity, and that is a condition, and he is not to resume his regular salah untilhe reaches the first houses of his city.

Ibn al-Munzhir says: "I do not know of the Prophet shortening his salahduring any of his travels until after he had left Medinah."

Anas relates: "I prayed four rak'at at Zhul-Halifah." This isrelated by the group. Some of the early scholars say that if one makes theintention to travel, he may shorten his salah even if he is in his house.

Volume2, Page 112: When the traveler is to pray the complete salah

A traveler may shorten his salah as long as he is on a journey. Likewise ifhe stays in some place for business or some other affair, then he may shortenhis salah as long as he is there, even for years. If the person intends to stayin a place for a certain amount of time then, according to Ibn al-Qayyim, heremains a traveler, regardless of whether he plans to stay there for a long orshort time, as long as he does not plan to stay [i.e., reside and not return]in the place that he has traveled to. The scholars differ on this point.Summing up and giving his own opinion, Ibn al-Qayyim says: "The Messengerof Allah stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and during that time he shortened hissalah and he did not say that one may not shorten his salah if he stays longerthan that, although there is agreement that he did stay there for that periodof time."

In Sahih al-Bukhari, it is recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said: "The Prophetstayed, during some of his journeys, for nineteen day and he prayed only tworak'at. If we stayed in a place for nineteen days, we would not pray thecomplete salah. However, if we stayed longer than that, we would perform thewhole salah." Ahmad states that ibn 'Abbas was referring to the Prophet'sstay in Makkah at the time of its conquest when he said: "The Messenger ofAllah stayed in Makkah for eighteen days during the time of the conquest as hehad to go to Hunain and was not planning to stay there." This is hisinterpretation of Ibn 'Abbas' statement. Others say that Ibn 'Abbas wasreferring to the Prophet's stay in Tabuk as Jabir ibn 'Abdullah said: "TheMessenger of Allah stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and performed qasrsalah." Imam Ahmad related this in his Musnad. Al-Miswar ibn Makhramahreports: "We stayed with Sa'd in some of the cities of ash-Sham [Syria]for forty days, and Sa'd would perform qasr while we would offer the wholesalah." Naf'i relates: "Ibn 'Umar was in Azerbaijan for six months,as there was snow blocking the pass, and he would pray two rak'at." Hafsibn 'Ubaidullah says: "Anas ibn Malik stayed in ash-Sham for two years andhe prayed the salah of a traveler." Anas relates: "The companions ofthe Prophet stayed in Ram Hurmuz for seven months and they shortened theirsalah." Al-Hassan reports: "I stayed with 'Abdurrahman ibn Samurahfor two years in Kabul, and he shortened his salah but he did not combine thesalah." Ibrahim says: "We resided in Rai for a year or more and inSijistan for two years . . . [and we prayed qasr]. This is the guidance of theProphet and his companions, and this is the correct position.

Concerning other opinions which people follow Imam Ahmad say: "If aperson intends to stay for four days, he has to offer the whole salah and hemay offer qasr if his intention is for less than that. This is based on aninterpretation of the reports from the Prophet and his companions [i.e., theynever intended to stay for longer than that and would always say: 'We willleave tomorrow,' and so on]. This interpretation is obviously suspect. TheProphet conquered Makkah and stayed there to establish Islam, eradicatepolytheism, and to guide the Arabs. It definitely goes, without saying, thatsuch an objective does take more than a day or two to complete. Similarly, hisstay in Tabuk was in preparation for the impending war and he knew that thismight take longer than just four days. In the same way, Ibn 'Umar's stay inAzerbaijan for six months, and his praying qasr during the entire time was withthe knowledge that it takes more than two or three days for such snow to meltand the pass to become traversable. The same is the case with Anas' stay of twoyears in ash-Sham and his praying qasr and the companions' stay in Ram Hurmuzfor seven months while shortening their prayers. It is well known thatactivities like theirs, such as jihad and guarding, took more than fourdays." The followers of Ahmad maintain: "If one is staying in a placefor the purpose of jihad or due to imprisonment or sickness, then one mayshorten one's salah regardless of whether the person thinks that such asituation may last for a short time or a long time." This is correct butthere is no proof that such conditions have been stipulated in the Qur'an,Sunnah, ijma' (consensus), or practice of the Prophet's companions. They arguedthat such conditions are based on what is needed for the person to fulfill hisneed while remaining a traveler, and that is what is less than four days. Hisresponse to them was: 'From where do you derive those conditions, while theProphet sallallahu alehi wasallam stayed for more than four days, shorteninghis salah, in Makkah and Tabuk, and he did not mention to anyone anything aboutit and he never told them that he never intended to stay for more than fourdays, even though he knew that the people would [strictly] follow his actionsconcerning the salah. They surely followed him in his shortening of the salah,and he did not object to their praying qasr if they were to stay for more thanfour nights. This should be made clear as it is very important. Similarly, thecompanions (as-sahabah) followed him in that and he did not say anything [inobjection] to those who prayed with him."

Malik and ash-Shaf'i say: "If one intends to stay for more than fourdays, he should perform the whole salah, and if he intends to stay for lessthan that, he is to offer qasr."

Abu Hanifah holds: "If one intends to stay for fifteen days, he shoulddo the qasr. If he intends to stay for less than that, he should not shortenthe salah." This is also the opinion of al-Laith ibn Sa'd, and it has alsobeen related from three companions: 'Umar, ibn 'Umar, and Ibn 'Abbas.

Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab is of the opinion that: "If you stay for fourdays, you pray four rak'at." A statement similar to that of Abu Hanifah'shas also been related from him. 'Ali ibn Abi Talib says that if one stays forten days, he is to perform the whole salah, and the same has been related fromIbn ' Abbas .

Al-Hassan says: "One who does not get to his destination or (city ofresidence) may shorten salah."

'Aishah says: "One who does not put down his provision is to shortenthe salah."

The four imams agree that if one has some need to take care of and alwayshas the intention of leaving the next day, then he may shorten his salah for aslong as he is in that state. However, according to one statement of ash-Shaf'i,he may do so only for seventeen or eighteen days and he is not to shorten hissalah after that time. Ibn al-Munzhir states in his Ishraf: "The people ofknowledge are in agreement that a traveler may perform qasr as long as he doesnot intend to stay in a place, even though he stays there for years."

Volume2, Page 114: Nawafli during travel

The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that it is not disliked toperform nawafil during the state in which one is shortening his salah. On thispoint, there is no difference between regular sunnah prayers and other nawafl.

Al-Bukhari and Muslim record that the Prophet made the ghusl in the house ofUmm Hani on the day of the conquest of Makkah and then he prayed eight rak'at.

Ibn 'Umar reports that the Prophet prayed while riding in whatever directionhe was facing and nodding his head [i.e., for the movements of the salah].

Al-Hassan relates: "The companions of the Prophet while on a journeyperformed supererogatory prayers before and after the fard salah."

Ibn 'Umar and others are of the opinion that there are no nawafl, before orafter the fard salah, except for during the middle of the night. He saw somepeople praying after the salah and said: "If I were to pray, I would haveperformed the whole salah [as obviously that would have taken preference]. Onephew, I accompanied the Messenger of Allah [on joumeys] and he never prayedmore than two rak'at until Allah took his soul. And I accompanied Abu Bakr andhe did not pray more than two rak'at." He also mentioned the name of 'Umarand 'Uthman, then he recited the verse: "Ye have indeed in the messengerof Allah a beautiful pattern (of conduct)." This is related by al-Bukhari.

Ibn Qudamah combines what al-Hassan and what Ibn 'Umar say by concludingthat al-Hassan's report points to the fact that there is no harm in prayingnawafil while traveling, whereas Ibn 'Umar's report points to the fact thatthere is no harm in not praying such nawafil.

Volume2, Page 115: Traveling on a Friday

There is no harm in traveling on a Friday if it is not during the time ofthe salah.

'Umar heard a man say: "If today was not Friday, I would haveleft." 'Umar said: "Leave. Friday does not keep one fromtraveling."

Abu 'Ubaidah traveled on Friday and he did not wait for the salah.

Az-Zuhri wanted to travel before noon on Friday and the people mentionedsomething to him, and he said: "The Prophet traveled on Friday."  

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How to Perform Salah When Travelling

If you are traveling, the following question may arise: How to pray Salah while traveling? It is important to know for Muslims how to pray while travelling because praying is one of the obligatory worship for every Muslim around the world. However, the journey that you take can be long and tiring. Therefore, Almighty Allah has offered us convenience to pray Salah during the travelling. 

You can perform Salah while traveling  by shortening the rakats from 4 to 2 of Dhuhr, Asr and Ishaa prayers, and you can also combine the dhuhr with Asr, and Maghreb with Isha. If you can not find a proper place to perform the prayer, you can pray in a sitting position, and make Tayamum instead of Wudu with Water, if there is no access to water or place to make Wudu.

When a person leaves his place of residence for any reason and travels somewhere, it is called Safar in Arabic. The person who sets off in his way is called a traveller (musafir). However, there are certain conditions in order to be considered a passenger in the religion of Islam. Knowing these conditions before traveling is very important to know how to pray Salah while traveling. 

In Islam, there is a certain distance to be counted as a traveler (musafir). Accordingly, you can combine some prayers together while traveling, or you can perform prayers on the plane or bus. 

What Is The Distance for Travel Prayer?

There is no precise definition of the distance that constitutes ‘travel’ in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. For this reason, scholars have reached an answer by examining the practice of the Prophet and Ahl as-Sunnah on this matter..  

There are two important views regarding travel distance. According to the view of Shafi, Maliki and Hanbali schools, travel to shorten prayers should be a two-day journey with a medium walk or journey with two stays and heavy loads on foot. According to the view of the Hanafi school, it should be a three-day journey.

In later periods, scholars of Islam converted the three-day period to hours. Considering the short days of the year, they set a total of 18 hours for three days, with an average of 6 hours per day for normal walks. Later, the calculation has changed from hours to kilometers, and it has calculated that a person could walk a distance of about 80 km (48 miles) in 18 hours on foot or by camel. Therefore, the minimum distance for traveler’s prayer is 42 miles ( 80 km). 

In this case, if you are thinking of going on a journey and wondering how to pray Salah during the traveling and whether you are counted as a passenger, the journey should be at least 42 miles (80 km).

How Many Rakats to Pray When Travelling?

If your journey provides the necessary distance to be considered as a traveler in Islam, it is important to know how many rakats you need pray while traveling and how to shorten prayers while travelling. Muslims especially wonder what is the ruling on shortening the Salah when travelling. They are asking that if they are gone for an extended period of time, how long can they offer the shortened prayer for?

It is certainly acceptable that the salah, specifically the fard rakats of Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha are reduced from four rakats to two rakats. Therefore, it is permissible to perform these daily prayers as two rakats while traveling. The shortening of the prayer is mentioned directly in the Qur’an as well as a sunnah confirmed by the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). It is stated as follows in Surah an-Nisa:

‘ ‘When you travel throughout the land, there is no blame on you if you shorten the Prayer, (especially) if you fear that the unbelievers might cause you harm. Surely the unbelievers are your open enemies.” (Surah  An-Nisa, Ayat 101)

When you read this verse, you might think that it is permissible to shorten the prayer only while traveling and when there is a threat or danger to your life. But what if you travel and there is no danger? 

It was narrated that Ya’la bin Umayyah (RA) said: “I said to ‘Umar bin Al-Khattab: ‘There is no sin on you if you shorten salah and if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial (attack you). But now the people are safe.’ ‘Umar said: ‘I wondered the same thing, so I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) about that and he said: This is a favor from Allah  to you, so accept His favor.”  ( Sahih (Darussalam) Sunan an-Nasa’i)  

Therefore, Islamic scholars state that it is permissible to shorten the prayer when there is  fear and danger. Thus, Almighty Allah provides convenience to His servants during the traveling. Shortening the prayer on safe journeys is considered as a Sadaka. Almighty Allah’s Sadaka should not be rejected.

The number of Rakats while traveling

It was narrated that Omar said: ” The prayer while traveling is two Rakats, and Friday is two Rakats, and Eid is two Rakats. They are complete and are not shortened, as told by Muhammad (ﷺ). ” (Sunan Ibn Majah)

According to this, the Fards of Dhuhr, Asr and Isha reduced to 2 Rakat. The traveler has the freedom to choose to pray Sunnah and Nafl. It is recommended to pray only Fard Prayers during the traveling. Once you have settled to pray Sunnah and Nafl Rakats. Here are the number of Rakats while traveling:

• Fajr: 2 Rakat of Fard
• Dhuhr: 2 Rakat of Fard
• Asr: 2 Rakat of Fard
• Maghrib: 3 Rakat of Fard
• Isha: 2 Rakat of Fard

Can You Pray Before Time While Traveling?

All schools of Islam agree that any given prayer cannot be performed before its stipulated time. For this reason, it is not possible to perform the prayer if the time for the daily prayer has not yet come before you go on a journey.

However If you are going on a journey that takes 42 miles (80 km) or more, you can combine certain prayers during the traveling. In this case, the prayer is performed by combining one of the daily prayers with another, Dhuhr with Asr, and Maghreb with Isha.

Can You Pray Asr Before Its Time?

Allah says in Surah an-Nisa: “Verily, As-Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” (Surah  An-Nisa, Ayat 103) As it is stated in the Ayat, each Salah should be performed at its own time, which means, prayer offered before its time is not valid.

Even if you go on a journey that takes at least 42 miles (80 km), it is not permissible to perform the daily prayer before its own time comes. However, Allah has made it possible for those who are regarded as passengers to combine their certain daily prayers while traveling.  

Can You Combine Prayers When Travelling?

Each prayer is obligatory to be performed in its own time. Therefore, every prayer should be performed on time under normal conditions. However, if there is a valid excuse, the prayers can be performed by combining them. One of these situations is combining certain prayers while traveling.

According to the view of Hanafi, only a person who is on Hajj can combine two prayers. According to other Islamic schools, two different daily prayers can be combined during the journey. That means, it is permissible to combine Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and Maghrib and Isha for the one who is traveling. However, it should be remembered that only Dhuhr can be combined with Asr and Maghrib with Isha.

Can I Pray Maghrib and Isha Together When Travelling?

The other question about how to perform prayers during a journey is that if we can pray Dhuhr and Asr together while traveling. If you are traveling or have an important excuse, you can combine the Dhuhr and Asr prayers. The person who will perform the prayers by combining them performs these prayers one after the other and in order. He does not perform the Sunnah Prayers between two Fards and does not engage in anything else.

As a conclusion, it can be performed by combining Dhuhr and Asr during the journey. In this case, the 3 rakats Fard of Maghrib and 2 rakats Isha prayers can be combined in time of Maghrib or Isha. 

InshAllah this clears up any confusion you may have had. Please leave a comment below if this helped or if you believe we have made a mistake anywhere.

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Salah During Travel (Qasr)

Praying 5 times a day is an obligation upon Muslims. However, Allah has allowed His servants to shorten their Salah during travel.

1- Why Should We Follow Qasr Salah During Travel?

The Messenger of Allah (S.A.W.) said, 

“Verily, Allah loves for you to take His concessions , just as he dislikes you to be disobedient.” (Musnad Ahmad: 5832)

The shortening of prayers is mentioned in the Quran and is a confirmed Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.): 

“And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for the shortening Prayer” (Quran 4:101, An-Nasai: 457)

Hence, for travelers, it is permissible to shorten those Prayers that consist of 4 Rakat to only 2 Rakat (i.e. only Fardh Prayer of Dhuhr, Asr & Isha Salah).

2- Opinion of Different Fiqh:

According to Imam Shafii (R.A.) and Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (R.A.), Reduction in the Prayer is not obligatory but merely optional. However, it is better to shorten it.

Imam Abu Hanifah (R.A.) considers ‘Reduction in Prayer'’ as obligatory (Wajib) during travel .

3- Conditions for Qasr:

Travelling Distance

According to Imam Abu Hanifa, the minimum required distance for a person to be considered a traveler is when he or she intends to travel for 48 miles (80 kilometers approx) from his/her Waṭan-e-Aṣli (Original Hometown).

Imam Shafi'i, Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal and Imam Malik fixed this distance at 55 miles approx (88 km approx).

Shortening of the prayers commences once a person leaves the city limits and ceases when they re-enter the city limits.

Period/Time

There is considerable scholarly disagreement on this matter from three days to four and to fifteen days.

Traveler-status is the intention to stay at the place of arrival for a period of:

Less than Fifteen (15) days [Hanafi]

Less than Four (4) days [Hanbali, Maliki and Shafii] - (Days of arrival and departure are not included)

4- How to do Taqseer (shortening of Prayers):

During travel, only Salah with 4 Rakat Fardh is to be shortened, i.e. Dhuhr, Asr & Isha. Travelers should offer 2 Rakat instead of 4 Rakat of the mentioned Salahs.

However, 2 Rakat Fardh of Fajr and 3 Rakat of Maghrib Salah must be offered in full as you cannot cut 2 or 3 Rakat Fardh Salah in half.

When on a journey, the Prophet (S.A.W.) used to offer, without fail, 2 Sunnah Rakat of Fajr Prayer and 3 Rakat Witr with Isha Prayer . So these two should be offered even during traveling. 

Remember that these rules are only for a person who is traveling and offering individual Salah. If the traveler is praying in congregation then he must follow the Imam and offer the full Salah.

The Quran, written centuries ago, contains profound hints at future discoveries. It includes scientific facts that surpass the knowledge of anyone who lived in the 7th century. This serves as compelling evidence of the divine nature of the Quran.

This year, Nisf Shaban (Shab-e-Barat) will start after the sunset of Tuesday, March 7th, 2023.

Isra wal Meraj is a journey of faith and revelation that the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) took from Makkah to Jerusalem and then to the 7th Heaven.

Isra and Miraj (The Night Journey) is miraculous journey that Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) took in one night from Makkah to Bait al-Maqdas and then an ascension to the heavens.

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Joining Prayers While Traveling (Maliki) – Shaykh Rami Nsour

Answered by Shaykh Rami Nsour

Question: What is the ruling on joining prayers when traveling according to the Maliki teachings?

Answer : According to the Maliki madhab, it is a permissible dispensation (rukhsa) to join prayers while traveling. The travel does not have to be one where the distance allows you to shorten the prayer, you merely have to be out of your city limits. Once you are out of your city limits, and traveling to do something that is not disobedience, then you can either bring Asr (or Isha) forward or delay Dhuhr (or Maghrib) depending on your situation. If you are in a resting place when Dhuhr enters, and you intend to be traveling until Maghrib, then you can bring Asr forward. In the case of Maghrib, if you are resting while it enters and you will then travel past fajr time, then you can bring Isha forward.

To delay Dhuhr or Maghrib, the following is the scenario; If you are traveling while dhuhr enters and you will continue traveling but will stop before maghrib, then you can delay dhuhr. If you are traveling while Maghrib enters and you will stop before Fajr, then you can delay Isha.

So, as an example, you are leaving Liverpool around noon to attend a program after Asr in London. You are on the road when dhuhr comes in but you wont get into London to the masjid until after Asr has entered. In this situation, you can delay dhuhr and pray it with Asr in London. On the way home, you leave before Maghrib enters and then the sun sets while you are on the road. You will get back to Liverpool before fajr and so you can pray Maghrib with Isha when you return.

For bringing them forward; you are travelling from Liverpool to London in the winter time. You stop for fuel when dhuhr is in and you wont get to London until maghrib. You can pray asr with dhuhr.

To illustrate using this dispensation in times other than when you shorten prayer: You live in Liverpool but you need to go to Warrington. You leave before Maghrib and the sunsets after you have left your city limits. You will be out and about the whole time in Warrington until you return but then maghrib will be out. You can delay maghrib and pray it with isha.

source : http://seekersguidance.org/ans-blog/2012/07/20/joining-prayers-while-traveling-maliki/

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For those living in the USA:

For those living in the UK:

For those living in Canada:

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Home » Maliki Fiqh » Seekersguidance.org » A Summary of the Non-Obligatory Prayers in the Maliki School

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A Summary of the Non-Obligatory Prayers in the Maliki School

Answered by Shaykha Mona ElZankaly and Saira AbuBakr

Question: Assalaam alaykum,

I wanted to know the Maliki opinion for sunnah rakats for each fard prayer. I have been given different information regarding the sunnah prayers for Dhuhr and Isha, specifically.

Also, what are the amount of sunnah prayers to be performed for Jumah?

Jazak Allah khayr.

Answer : Walaikum salaam wa RahmatuAllah,

JazakuAllahu khairun for your question.

The witr prayer is the only daily confirmed sunnah prayer, in the Maliki school. The other daily non-obligatory prayers that are prayed immediately before or after the five obligatory prayers are considered confirmed nafilah (nafilah muakkadah). The exception to this is the fajr prayer i.e. the two non-obligatory rakahs that are prayed before the dawn obligatory prayer (subh prayer). These two rakahs fall under the category of raghiba. This category is considered below a sunnah but higher than a nafila. There are no other prayers in this category.

Summary of the non-obligatory prayers:

2 before the Subh prayer (Fajr prayer) Ruling: Raghibah

4 before Duhr and 4 after Duhr prayer. Ruling: Nafilah Muakkadah

4 before Asr prayer. Ruling: Nafilah Muakkadah

2 (but ideally 6) after Maghrib prayer. Ruling: Nafilah Muakkadah

3 Witr prayer- Ruling 2 shafi-Nafilah Muakkadah; 1 Witr-Sunnah Maukkadah

Sunnah Mukkadah/ Confirmed Sunnah : Voluntary prayers that Rasul Salla Allahu alayhi wa salaam never left and always performed.

Nafilah : Voluntary prayers that Rasul Salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam sometimes preformed and sometimes left.

Raghibah : The word essentially means desirous and it is the ruling giving only to the two rakahs before the obligatory dawn prayer. It is given this name as Rasul salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam encouraged us to perform it.

There are no specific recommended nafilah/sunnah prayer for Jumu’a rather it is makruh (discouraged) to pray nafila after completing the Jumu’a prayer in the masjid (until people have dispersed/time has come for them to disperse and it is best to pray nafilah at home). It is haram to perform nafilah once the Imam has entered the masjid to deliver the sermon ( khutbah ). So one would not perform the greeting masjid prayer ( tahiyyatul masjid) if one comes late.

The nafilah/sunnah prayers are prayed two rakah at a time, not 4 rakah at a time. If one mistakenly adds a third rakah one would complete a fourth rakah and perform two prostrations of forgetfulness before saying the salaam.

Below is what has been mentioned in the two main texts (Mukhtasar Khalil is the text that contains the dominant opinion of the school):

There is a general recommendation for the supererogatory( nafil ) prayer (all the time). The recommendation is confirmed ( takkada h) after the sunset (maghrib) prayer and (in general) after all (five) daily prayers, but specifically before and after dhuhr and before Asr without an (upper) limit such that if a person did two or four or six he has fulfilled the original recommendation.

Having said this, it is better or more complete (worship) that one performs four before and after dhuhr (due to what has been narrated in the prophetic traditions), four before Asr and six after maghrib. Furthermore, there is a confirmed recommendation for praying the morning prayer ( Duha ). The least of it is two, six is the middle number, eight is the upper limit and any more is considered makruh . (Taken from Al Sharh al Kabir on Mukhtasar Khalil )

It is recommended to pray two rakahs after maghrib and if one does more then it is beneficial (khair). There is a general recommendation to pray nafila prayers between Maghrib and Isha. Prophetic narration: The one who prays six rakahs after maghrib and does not utter vile speech between them, is equated with (a reward) of 12 years of worship. (Taken from Kifayatul Talib alRabbani Sharh of Risalah of Ibn Abi Zayd Al Qayrawani)

Approved by Shaykh Rami Nsour

This answer was collected from Seekersguidance.org. It’s an online learning platform overseen by Sheikh Faraz Rabbani. All courses are free. They also have in-person classes in Canada.

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What Are the Basic Rulings of Prayer During Travel?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan

My university is some 95 miles from my home address and I stay there five nights a week and return home for two. When not at university, I attend an unpaid placement some 200 miles from my home address and approximately 125 miles from the university. I usually stay here between 14 and 28 days at a time.

According to the Hanafi school of thought, do I qualify for the conditions of travel (safar) whilst at university and on placement and how do I correctly fulfill these?

I pray this finds you in the best of health and states.

According to the Hanafi school, the conditions of being deemed a traveler are to:

(a) go to a place at least (roughly) 48mi (77km) from one’s home, and

(b) stay there for less than 15 days.

Hence, you do meet the conditions of travel when you are at university. You also meet those conditions when you are on placement as long as you stay there for less than 15 days at a time. If you stay there for 15 days or longer, you are legally a resident there.

When one is a traveler, it is mandatory (wajib) to shorten the obligatory four-rakat prayers (zuhr, ‘asr and ‘isha) to two rakats. One still prays the sunna prayers though, unless in the midst of a journey and in the rush of travel.

If one is a traveler during the month of Ramadan, then fasting is optional, although it is superior to do so if it does not pose undue hardship. Of course if one does not fast, it is obligatory to make up the missed days. [Shurunbulali, Ascent to Felicity; Maraqi Falah]

This is merely a quick summary; for more details on the rulings related to travel, it would be strongly advised to take a basic course such as: Absolute Essentials of Islam: Beliefs & Worship

Related Answers:

• When Is a Person Considered a Traveler Who Can Shorten Their Prayers?
• Shortening Prayers when Traveling for Leisure?
• A Real Life Case Study of When to Shorten Prayers and Refrain from Fasting When Traveling
• Should I Feel Bad for Not Fasting When I Had to Travel?
• Are We Supposed to Pray Sunna and Witr Prayers When Traveling?

And Allah knows best. wassalam, [Shaykh] Faraz A. Khan Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Faraz A. Khan has lived in Amman, Jordan, for several years studying and teaching traditional Islamic sciences, with a focus on Hanafi jurisprudence, hadith studies, theology, logic, and Arabic grammar. He translated and annotated the classical Hanafi primer “Ascent to Felicity” (Maraqi ‘l-Sa`adat) by Imam Shurunbulali, recently published by White Thread Press.

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