Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Aasalamo Alaikum

I have a question to ask about reading salah while traveling. I understand that if you are in a plane or taking any means of travel (train / bus / plane) that you can read salah- but what if you are in a car? Like often my friend tells me that when she is running late for work she reads salah quickly in the car while her sibling or parent is driving her to work.

is that alright to do?

And just to clarify some things, what kinds of prayers like rakats or farz can you read while traveling. i was told that you can read only farz during travels (by plane or train). if you can cut down your salah into a small amount (like 2 farz instead of 4), can you possibly specify on that a little bit?

I`m just not to positive of how this works...

your answer will be quite appreciated, thank you. And if you can possibly reply soon that would be great because i wish to inform my friend if she is doing right/wrong and I would also like to know this thing for myself.

Thank you very much and may Allah ST bless you and your family and their families- Ameen.

FEEIMANILLAH

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Answer:

Praying in car vehicle

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Your Question: ….Like often my friend tells me that when she is running late for work she reads salah quickly in the car while her sibling or parent is driving her to work.

is that alright to do?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.393 Narrated by Jabir

Allah's Messenger (saws) used to pray (optional, non-obligatory prayer) while riding on his mount (Rahila) wherever it turned, and whenever he wanted to pray the obligatory (fard) prayer, he (saws) dismounted and prayed facing the Qibla.

Dear and beloved brother, it is permissible in Shariah to offer one’s voluntary (Sunnah or Nafl) prayers whilst moving on a mount or in a vehicle, but when one wishes to offer one’s obligatory (fard) prayers and has the physical ability to do so, one must dismount from their vehicle and offer their prayers.

If one is traveling in a vehicle or car and one fears one would not reach their destination before the prayer time elapses, one should stop their vehicle, get down, and offer their prayers facing the Qibla.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.67

Allah the Exalted has conferred a special blessing upon this Muslim Ummah - that is, the whole earth has been declared a mosque for it. Therefore, when the time for prayer comes, a Muslim may pray wherever he may be. Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Wherever you may be at the time of salah, you may pray for it [the earth] is all a mosque."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

One cannot say with absolute conviction that the ‘fard’ or obligatory prayer one offers while sitting on a mount or being seated in a vehicle would be invalid or unacceptable to Allah Subhanah; but without an iota of a doubt, such a prayer would be against the practice, guidance, and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

Your Question: And just to clarify some things, what kinds of prayers like rakats or farz can you read while traveling. i was told that you can read only farz during travels (by plane or train). if you can cut down your salah into a small amount (like 2 farz instead of 4), can you possibly specify on that a little bit?

I`m just not to positive of how this works...

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 101-102:

101 When ye travel through the earth there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers.

Dear and Beloved Sister in Islam, to make the observance of the deen easy, the Lord Most Merciful has permitted the believers, men and women, to shorten their obligatory (fard) prayers when they are on travel as stated in the above Verse of Surah Nisaa.

There are several authentic narrations that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would shorten his prayers whenever he (saws) was on a journey. According to authentic tradition the Prophet (saws) did not stay out of Madinah for a period longer than 20 days at any one stretch where he (saws) did indeed shorten his prayers, the eminent scholars and jurists in Islam have differed on exactly how many days one may offer shortened prayers when one is on a journey, depending on which hadith they use as their evidence for their opinion.

Some of the scholars have said four days, while others have allowed ten, fourteen, nineteen or twenty days, while others have said even six months and others have said that regardless of the time, as long as one has no intention to settle down in that place, he may shorten his prayers as long as he does not return to his place of residence! Each of the eminent scholars have given their evidence from the Sunnah or tradition of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and of his noble companions, thus regardless of which school of thought one prefers over the other, as long as one has evidence from the Sunnah, it would be deemed acceptable in Shariah.

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

Ibn al-Mundhir states in his Ishraf: "The people of knowledge are in agreement that a traveler may perform ‘qasr’ (shortened) prayers as long as he does not intend to stay (permanently) in a place.’

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.112

Hafs ibn 'Ubaidullah says: "Hadrat Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) stayed in ash-Sham for two years and he prayed the salah of a traveler (Qasr).” Hadrat Anas (r.a.) relates: "The companions of the Prophet (saws) stayed in Ram Hurmuz for seven months and they shortened their salah." Al-Hassan reports: "I stayed with 'Abdurrahman ibn Samurah (r.a.) for two years in Kabul, and he shortened his salah but he did not combine the salah." Ibrahim says: "We resided in Rai for a year or more and in Sijistan for two years . . . [and we prayed qasr].’

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.110

Topic: The distance one must travel before shortening one's prayer

The conclusion from the Qur'anic verse is that any traveling, be it long or short, which falls within the linguistic definition of the word "travel" would suffice to shorten one's salah.

Your Question: ….what kinds of prayers like rakats or farz can you read while traveling.

The ‘fajr’ and the ‘magrib’ obligatory prayers are to be prayed in full even in the state of travel; the only prayers which are shortened when one is eligible to offer them ‘qasr’ or shortened are the obligatory ‘dhuhr’, ‘asr’, and the ‘isha’ prayers which are normally prayed as four-rakahs, but during ‘qasr’ they are to be offered as only two-rakah prayers.

Your Question:….i was told that you can read only farz during travels (by plane or train).

There is absolutely no such restriction or prohibition in Shariah upon the believers who are traveling that they are to offer only their obligatory or ‘fard’ prayers alone…..During travel one is absolutely permitted to offer as many Sunnah or Nafl prayers as they wish or is easy for them along with their obligatory or ‘fard’ prayers.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan