● Prayer of the Traveller:
❀ Allah the Exalted says:
﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ﴾
“Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire hardship for you, and [He wants] that you complete the count, and that you glorify Allah for having guided you, so that you may be grateful.”
The religion of Islam is an easy religion. It obligates the servant only to the extent of his capacity, and it does not command him to carry out commands that he has no power to perform.
Since during travel there is a risk of facing hardship and difficulty, Allah has granted two concessions in this regard:
◈ Shortening the Prayer:
Shortening the prayer is done by praying two rak’ahs instead of four for the prayers that have four rak’ahs. Therefore, if someone is travelling, he should pray two rak’ahs instead of four for Zuhr, Asr and Isha. However, there is no shortening for prayers of two or three rak’ahs, so the Fajr and Maghrib prayers are prayed in full.
The legislation of shortening the prayer is an ease and concession from Allah for His righteous servants, and Allah loves that His granted concession be acted upon, just as He wishes that His obligations be fulfilled.
This concession of shortening is not restricted to any specific means of transport. Whether the journey is by car, by aeroplane, by ship, by train, on an animal, or on foot, the use of all these means is called travel. Therefore, in all these cases the prayer is shortened, provided that the journey is not a journey of sin.
◈ Determining the Distance for Shortening:
❀ Allamah Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says:
“In the Shariah, no limit of distance has been fixed for the Ummah for shortening and breaking the fast. Rather, the ruling has been kept general for any journey ((( ضَرْبٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ ))), just as the ruling of tayammum has been kept absolute for every journey. And among the narrations in which a limit of one, two or three days is mentioned, none of them reaches the level of authenticity.”
Shu’bah narrates from Yahya bin Yazid al-Huna’i that he asked Sayyidina Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) about shortening, and he said:
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ set out for a journey of three miles or three farsakh, he would pray two rak’ahs.”
Allamah al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) writes in Silsilat al-Sahihah: 1/307, 308:
“This hadith is evidence that when a traveller is going a distance of three farsakh (approximately 23–24 kilometres), it is permissible for him to shorten the prayer.”
◈ Duration of Shortening:
It is narrated from Sayyidina Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and continued to shorten the prayer.
Muhaddith al-Albani (may Allah have mercy on him) declared it “Sahih”.
If one resolves to stay for more than nineteen days, one should pray the full prayer, as is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when the Prophet ﷺ conquered Makkah, he stayed there for nineteen days and continued to pray two rak’ahs. Ibn Abbas said: when we travel and stay in a place for nineteen days, we shorten; if the stay is longer than that, we pray the full prayer.
◈ Combining Two Prayers While Travelling:
It is permissible for a traveller to combine two prayers and pray them at one time. Thus, Zuhr and Asr may be combined, and likewise Maghrib and Isha, to be prayed at one time. The time is one, but each prayer is performed separately: first Zuhr is prayed, and immediately after it Asr is prayed. Likewise with Maghrib and Isha: first Maghrib is prayed, and immediately after it Isha is prayed.
It should be noted that combining two prayers is permissible only between Zuhr and Asr, and between Maghrib and Isha. Therefore, combining Fajr with Zuhr or Asr with Maghrib is not permissible.
◈ Evidence:
It is narrated from Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, during travel, would combine Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha.
And it is narrated from Sayyidina Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that on the occasion of the Battle of Tabuk, if the Messenger of Allah ﷺ began his journey after the sun had passed its zenith, he would combine Zuhr and Asr at that time; and if he began his journey before the sun passed its zenith, he would delay Zuhr and perform it together with Asr. Similarly, if he began his journey after the sun had set, he would pray Maghrib and Isha at that time; and if he began his journey before the sun set, he would delay Maghrib and pray it together with Isha.
Ibn Hibban declared it “Sahih”.
