سُوْرَةُ النِّسَآءِ
Surah An-Nisaa (4) — Ayah 101
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ كَانُوا۟ لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا ﴿101﴾
Translation by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan & Dr. Taqi-ud-Din al-Hilali
And when you (Muslims) travel in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten As-Salât (the prayer) if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial (attack you etc.), verily, the disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies.
Word by Word — Arabic, Transliteration & Meaning
وَإِذَا
wa-idhā
And when
ضَرَبْتُمْ
ḍarabtum
you travel
فِى
fī
in
ٱلْأَرْضِ
l-arḍi
the earth
فَلَيْسَ
falaysa
then not
عَلَيْكُمْ
ʿalaykum
upon you
جُنَاحٌ
junāḥun
(is) any blame
أَن
an
that
تَقْصُرُوا۟
taqṣurū
you shorten
مِنَ
mina
[of]
ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ
l-ṣalati
the prayer
إِنْ
in
if
خِفْتُمْ
khif'tum
you fear
أَن
an
that
يَفْتِنَكُمُ
yaftinakumu
(may) harm you
ٱلَّذِينَ
alladhīna
those who
كَفَرُوٓا۟ ۚ
kafarū
disbelieved
إِنَّ
inna
Indeed
ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
l-kāfirīna
the disbelievers
كَانُوا۟
kānū
are
لَكُمْ
lakum
for you
عَدُوًّۭا
ʿaduwwan
an enemy
مُّبِينًۭا
mubīnan
open
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran — Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani
Tafsir Taiseer ul-Quran (Facilitation of the Quran) is a comprehensive Quran commentary by Maulana Abdul Rahman Kilani, a renowned Salafi (Ahl al-Hadith) scholar from Pakistan. Known for his eloquent and accessible writing style, Kilani authored this tafsir with a focus on clarity — making Quranic meanings understandable to the common reader. The tafsir provides detailed historical context for verses related to battles and expeditions, and firmly refutes modernist ideologies using strong scriptural evidence. It is widely regarded as an invaluable resource for understanding the Quran and countering deviant interpretations. The tafsir is originally written in Urdu, translated to English by tohed.com.
101. And when you travel through the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer [138], especially if you fear that the disbelievers may cause you trouble. Surely, the disbelievers are your open enemies.
[138] Although in this verse, along with travel, the fear of the enemy is also mentioned, it is established from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that the prayer of Qasr can be performed in every kind of journey. Nor is it necessary that this journey be only in the way of Allah; rather, Qasr can be performed in every journey. As for the matter of how much distance can be considered a journey, although there are differences in this as well, for us it is sufficient reassurance that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "No woman should travel even for one night without a mahram."
[بخاری، کتاب العمرۃ، باب حج النساء]
That is, such a distance from which a person cannot return home on foot at night is considered a journey, and Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, during his caliphate, considered a distance of 9 miles of that era as a journey in the case of a woman's travel, which according to today's measurement is 25 kilometers. That is, a weak person cannot travel 25 kilometers on foot in one day and return the same distance, totaling 50 kilometers. Therefore, such a distance will be considered a journey. If Qasr is not performed during travel, there is no harm; however, performing Qasr is preferable. Then, during travel, there is also the opportunity to combine two prayers. For such details, please see the following hadiths:
1.
Qasr, Jam‘, and Determination of Journey in Travel:
Sayyidah Aisha ؓ says, "In the beginning, two rak‘ahs were made obligatory for prayer in both travel and residence. Then, the prayer of travel remained as it was, and the prayer of residence was increased. (In Mina...)"
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیرالصلٰوۃ، باب یقصر اذا خرج من موضعہ مسلم، کتاب الصلٰوۃ، باب صلٰوۃ المسافرین]
2. Harith bin Wahb says that in Mina, the Prophet ﷺ led us in two rak‘ahs (Qasr prayer), although he was in complete safety.
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیر الصلٰوۃ، باب الصلٰوۃ بمنیٰ]
3. Ya‘la bin Umayyah says that I said to Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, "Allah Almighty says that if you fear (the disbelievers), then shorten the prayer, and now we are in safety." Sayyiduna Umar ؓ replied, "I was also surprised at this and mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he ﷺ said, 'This is a charity which Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity.'"
[ترمذی، ابواب القصر]
4. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ says, "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that when he was in a hurry during travel, he would delay Maghrib and pray three rak‘ahs, then say salam. After a short while, the iqamah for ‘Isha would be given, and he ﷺ would pray two rak‘ahs, then say salam."
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیرالصلٰوۃ، باب یصلی المغرب ثلاثا فی السفر]
5. Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ says that he (the Prophet ﷺ) combined and prayed seven rak‘ahs (Maghrib and ‘Isha) and eight rak‘ahs (Zuhr and ‘Asr) while residing in Madinah (i.e., without travel). Ayyub Sakhtiyani said to Jabir bin Zayd, "Perhaps this was done on a rainy night?" He replied, "Perhaps."
[بخاری، کتاب مواقیت الصلٰوۃ، باب تاخیر الظہر الی العصر]
[138] Although in this verse, along with travel, the fear of the enemy is also mentioned, it is established from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that the prayer of Qasr can be performed in every kind of journey. Nor is it necessary that this journey be only in the way of Allah; rather, Qasr can be performed in every journey. As for the matter of how much distance can be considered a journey, although there are differences in this as well, for us it is sufficient reassurance that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "No woman should travel even for one night without a mahram."
[بخاری، کتاب العمرۃ، باب حج النساء]
That is, such a distance from which a person cannot return home on foot at night is considered a journey, and Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, during his caliphate, considered a distance of 9 miles of that era as a journey in the case of a woman's travel, which according to today's measurement is 25 kilometers. That is, a weak person cannot travel 25 kilometers on foot in one day and return the same distance, totaling 50 kilometers. Therefore, such a distance will be considered a journey. If Qasr is not performed during travel, there is no harm; however, performing Qasr is preferable. Then, during travel, there is also the opportunity to combine two prayers. For such details, please see the following hadiths:
1.
Qasr, Jam‘, and Determination of Journey in Travel:
Sayyidah Aisha ؓ says, "In the beginning, two rak‘ahs were made obligatory for prayer in both travel and residence. Then, the prayer of travel remained as it was, and the prayer of residence was increased. (In Mina...)"
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیرالصلٰوۃ، باب یقصر اذا خرج من موضعہ مسلم، کتاب الصلٰوۃ، باب صلٰوۃ المسافرین]
2. Harith bin Wahb says that in Mina, the Prophet ﷺ led us in two rak‘ahs (Qasr prayer), although he was in complete safety.
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیر الصلٰوۃ، باب الصلٰوۃ بمنیٰ]
3. Ya‘la bin Umayyah says that I said to Sayyiduna Umar ؓ, "Allah Almighty says that if you fear (the disbelievers), then shorten the prayer, and now we are in safety." Sayyiduna Umar ؓ replied, "I was also surprised at this and mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, so he ﷺ said, 'This is a charity which Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity.'"
[ترمذی، ابواب القصر]
4. Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar ؓ says, "I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that when he was in a hurry during travel, he would delay Maghrib and pray three rak‘ahs, then say salam. After a short while, the iqamah for ‘Isha would be given, and he ﷺ would pray two rak‘ahs, then say salam."
[بخاری، ابواب تقصیرالصلٰوۃ، باب یصلی المغرب ثلاثا فی السفر]
5. Abdullah bin Abbas ؓ says that he (the Prophet ﷺ) combined and prayed seven rak‘ahs (Maghrib and ‘Isha) and eight rak‘ahs (Zuhr and ‘Asr) while residing in Madinah (i.e., without travel). Ayyub Sakhtiyani said to Jabir bin Zayd, "Perhaps this was done on a rainy night?" He replied, "Perhaps."
[بخاری، کتاب مواقیت الصلٰوۃ، باب تاخیر الظہر الی العصر]
