I have a question to ask about reading salah while traveling.
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
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
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
Wister