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:

AssalamAlaikum
Initially when we use to be travelling in a car, we use to pray while sitting in the car, when it used to be time of prayers.
LAter, Iwas informedby one of my friend that you cannot do this as QIYAM is a fard and without standing we cannot read the prayers. As such we have to stop the car and do our qiyam onthe ground.
I understand the logic and tried to dothe same.On a recent trip, wherever we stopped the car to pray the ground was very dirty because of rain.Even the toilets were dirty and we could not do wudu.
My question is: !) can we do tayammum because it is very dirtyin the toilets?
2) Since the ground is dirty can we read sitting down in the car?
I stopped my husband fromreading in car saying that qiyam is necessary and he should read when he reaches the destination. Did I do wrong?

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Answer:

Praying in car and tayammum

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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

The Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) when traveling on his vehicle (camel, horses, etc.) was that he would pray his ‘nafl’ or voluntary prayers while sitting on the moving vehicle; but if it was time for the ‘fard’ (obligatory) prayers, he would dismount from his vehicle and offer his ‘fard’ prayers on the ground.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 7.15

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu Bakr ibn Umar that Said ibn Yasar said, ''I was travelling with Abdullah ibn Umar on the road to Makka, and fearing that it was nearly dawn. I dismounted and prayed witr. Abdullah said, 'Is there not a model for you in the Messenger of Allah (saws)?' I said, 'Of course, by Allah!' He said, 'The Messenger of Allah (saws) used to pray witr on his camel.' "

There is absolutely no harm if one wishes to offer his/her voluntary (Sunnah, Nafl) prayers while in the vehicle of travel. The majority of the scholars in Islam are of the opinion that if one is riding or driving a vehicle which is under one’s control (horse, camel, car, etc.), and the time of the ‘fard’ prayer is due; one should alight from the vehicle and offer the ‘fard’ prayers on the ground.

But if one is traveling in a vehicle over which one has no control (bus, trains, aeroplanes, etc.), and one fears that one might miss the allotted time for the ‘fard’ prayers; there is no harm if one prays in the moving vehicles.

‘Qiyam’ or standing is indeed one of the ‘wajib’ acts of prayer; but if one is ill, or for a valid reason cannot offer his prayers standing, there is no harm if one offers his prayers in a sitting posture.

Reported 'Umar ibn Hussain, "I had some physical problem, so I asked the Prophet (saws), about the prayer, and he said, 'Pray standing; if you are not able to; pray sitting, if you are not able to; pray (while lying) on your side."

Related by al-Bukhari.

Your Question: can we do tayammum because it is very dirtyin the toilets?

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 5 Surah Maidah verse 6:O ye who believe! When ye prepare for prayer wash your faces, and your hands (and arms) to the elbows, rub your heads (with water), and (wash) your feet to the ankles. If ye are in a state of ceremonial impurity bathe your whole body. But if ye are ill, or on a journey, or one of you cometh from offices of nature, or ye have been in contact with women, and ye find no water; then take for yourselves clean sand or earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allah doth not wish to place you in a difficulty, but to make you clean and to complete His favor to you that ye may be grateful.

The conditions where one is permissible to do the ‘tayammum’ would be if one cannot find water, or if one is ill and the contact of water to his skin would be detrimental to his health, etc.

If the toilets are extremely dirty for any reason, one may take the water in a container and do the ablution with the water in a cleaner place away from the toilets. But when water is available, and the touching of water would not effect one’s health; then one must use water to do one’s ablution.

Your Question: Since the ground is dirty can we read sitting down in the car?
There is a huge difference in the ground being dirty, and the ground being impure. If the ground is dirty with a little bit of rain, etc., then there is absolutely no harm praying on the ground; or praying on a prayer mat laid on the ground.

But if the ground where one wishes to pray is impure due to the spilling of blood, or urine, etc., then one should not offer ones prayer on such impure grounds and find a better and pure place to offer their prayers. If the unusual circumstance where one is unable to find a pure ground, then there is no harm praying in a sitting posture in the car.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan