Author: Fazilah Sheikh Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai (may Allah protect him)
What is the ruling regarding the shortened prayer (Qasr) at the in-laws' place?
Imam Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), the author of "Muntaqa al-Akhbar," has established a chapter on this issue in Volume 1, page 216, addressing the shortened prayer at the in-laws' place.
Hadith 1528:
Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) performed four rak'ahs at Mina. People objected to this, and he said: "Since I came to Mecca, I got married. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say that whoever marries in a city should perform the prayer as a resident." [Narrated by Ahmad]
Is it correct to say that one should not perform the shortened prayer at the in-laws' place? Please respond in light of the Quran and Sunnah. Jazakum Allah Khairan. (Wasalam Khurram Irshad Muhammadi)
The narration from "Muntaqa al-Akhbar" is reported in Musnad Ahmad [26/1, Hadith 443] and Musnad al-Humaydi [36] through the chain: Ikramah bin Ibrahim al-Bahili: Narrated to us by Abdullah bin Abdulrahman bin Abi Dhubab from his father that Uthman bin Affan prayed at Mina…
Imam Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"This is Munqati (disconnected) and Ikramah bin Ibrahim is weak." [Ma'rifah al-Sunan wa al-Athar, Qalami, vol. 2, p. 425; Nasb al-Rayah, 271/3]
Ikramah bin Ibrahim has been declared weak by the majority of scholars. See Lisan al-Mizan [vol. 4, p. 210].
Hafiz Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"In it is Ikramah bin Ibrahim, and he is weak." [Majma' al-Zawaid, 156/2]
Conversely, there is a narration from Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) where he, after performing the full prayer at Mina, said in a sermon:"O people! The Sunnah is what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his two companions (Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with them) have established. However, due to the crowd this year, I feared people might take it as a precedent (i.e., perform two rak'ahs instead of four at their homes)."
[Sunan al-Kubra by Bayhaqi, vol. 3, p. 144, and its chain is Hasan; Ma'rifah al-Sunan wa al-Athar, 429/2]
↰ From this, it is understood that Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the full prayer during travel to prevent misunderstanding among the ignorant.
It should be noted that performing the full prayer during travel is also permissible as evidenced by authentic Hadiths and the actions of the Companions.
It is better for him to perform the shortened prayer, but he can also pray in full.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
I said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), "May my parents be sacrificed for you! You performed the shortened prayer during travel while I performed the full prayer. You did not fast while I fasted." He said, "You did well, Aisha."
[Sunan al-Nasa'i, vol. 3, p. 122, Hadith 1457, and its chain is Sahih; Sunan al-Daraqutni, 187/2, Hadith 2270, and he said: "Its chain is Hasan"; Bayhaqi authenticated it, vol. 3, p. 142]
↰ The narrator of this Hadith, Alaa bin Zubair, is considered trustworthy and truthful by the majority of scholars. The criticism by Hafiz Ibn Hibbaan is rejected. Thus, some scholars' claims that this Hadith is "Munkar" or weak are incorrect.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also narrated:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to shorten the prayer during travel and sometimes perform it in full. He would also fast and sometimes not fast.
[Sunan al-Daraqutni, 189/2, Hadith 2275, and he said: "This chain is Sahih"]
↰ The chain of this narration is authentic.
A group of students narrates from Sa'id bin Muhammad bin Thawab. See Tarikh Baghdad [vol. 9, p. 95].
Hafiz Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in "Kitab al-Thiqat," saying: "His Hadith is straightforward." [vol. 8, p. 272]
Hafiz Daraqutni considered the chain of his narration to be authentic, affirming his reliability.
Ibn Khuzaymah has included his narration in his "Sahih" [vol. 2, p. 134, Hadith 1062].
Thus, declaring him unknown or unreliable is incorrect.
Note:
The accusation of Tadlees against Ata bin Abi Rabah is invalid and rejected.
Another Narration States:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to sometimes perform the prayer in full during travel and sometimes shorten it.
[Sunan al-Daraqutni, 189/2, Hadith 2276, and he said: "Mughirah bin Ziyad is not strong"; Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar, 415/1; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8187, and its chain is Hasan]
↰ Mughirah bin Ziyad is considered reliable by the majority of scholars.
Thus, the criticism "not strong" is rejected.
The permissibility of performing the full prayer during travel is established by authentic Hadiths.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) have both performed the full prayer during travel.
[e.g., see Sahih Bukhari: 1090 and Sahih Muslim: 685/1572]
Note:
It is also established that Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to shorten the prayer during travel until his death. [see Sahih Bukhari: 1102 and Sahih Muslim 679/1579]
Famous Tabi'i Abu Qilabah (Abdullah bin Zayd al-Jarmi) said:
If you perform two rak'ahs during travel, it is Sunnah, and if you perform four rak'ahs, it is also Sunnah. [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8188, and its chain is Sahih]
Ata bin Abi Rabah said:
If you shorten the prayer, it is a concession, and if you perform the full prayer, it is also permissible. [Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8191, and its chain is Sahih]
Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said:
If you wish, perform two rak'ahs, and if you wish, perform four rak'ahs. [Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8192, and its chain is Sahih]
Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Shortening the prayer during travel is a concession, and if someone performs the full prayer, it is acceptable.
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 544]
From Imam Tirmidhi to Imam Shafi'i, see the authentic chains of these statements in "Kitab al-'Ilal" by Tirmidhi with "Al-Jami'" [p. 889].
All praise belongs to Allah [27th Dhul-Hijjah 1426 AH].
Question:
What is the ruling regarding the shortened prayer (Qasr) at the in-laws' place?
Explanation:
Imam Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), the author of "Muntaqa al-Akhbar," has established a chapter on this issue in Volume 1, page 216, addressing the shortened prayer at the in-laws' place.
Hadith 1528:
Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) performed four rak'ahs at Mina. People objected to this, and he said: "Since I came to Mecca, I got married. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say that whoever marries in a city should perform the prayer as a resident." [Narrated by Ahmad]
Is it correct to say that one should not perform the shortened prayer at the in-laws' place? Please respond in light of the Quran and Sunnah. Jazakum Allah Khairan. (Wasalam Khurram Irshad Muhammadi)
Answer:
The narration from "Muntaqa al-Akhbar" is reported in Musnad Ahmad [26/1, Hadith 443] and Musnad al-Humaydi [36] through the chain: Ikramah bin Ibrahim al-Bahili: Narrated to us by Abdullah bin Abdulrahman bin Abi Dhubab from his father that Uthman bin Affan prayed at Mina…
Imam Bayhaqi (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"This is Munqati (disconnected) and Ikramah bin Ibrahim is weak." [Ma'rifah al-Sunan wa al-Athar, Qalami, vol. 2, p. 425; Nasb al-Rayah, 271/3]
Ikramah bin Ibrahim has been declared weak by the majority of scholars. See Lisan al-Mizan [vol. 4, p. 210].
Hafiz Haythami (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
"In it is Ikramah bin Ibrahim, and he is weak." [Majma' al-Zawaid, 156/2]
Conversely, there is a narration from Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) where he, after performing the full prayer at Mina, said in a sermon:"O people! The Sunnah is what the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his two companions (Hazrat Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar, may Allah be pleased with them) have established. However, due to the crowd this year, I feared people might take it as a precedent (i.e., perform two rak'ahs instead of four at their homes)."
[Sunan al-Kubra by Bayhaqi, vol. 3, p. 144, and its chain is Hasan; Ma'rifah al-Sunan wa al-Athar, 429/2]
↰ From this, it is understood that Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the full prayer during travel to prevent misunderstanding among the ignorant.
It should be noted that performing the full prayer during travel is also permissible as evidenced by authentic Hadiths and the actions of the Companions.
If a Person's In-laws Live in Another City or at a Travel Distance:
It is better for him to perform the shortened prayer, but he can also pray in full.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated:
I said to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), "May my parents be sacrificed for you! You performed the shortened prayer during travel while I performed the full prayer. You did not fast while I fasted." He said, "You did well, Aisha."
[Sunan al-Nasa'i, vol. 3, p. 122, Hadith 1457, and its chain is Sahih; Sunan al-Daraqutni, 187/2, Hadith 2270, and he said: "Its chain is Hasan"; Bayhaqi authenticated it, vol. 3, p. 142]
↰ The narrator of this Hadith, Alaa bin Zubair, is considered trustworthy and truthful by the majority of scholars. The criticism by Hafiz Ibn Hibbaan is rejected. Thus, some scholars' claims that this Hadith is "Munkar" or weak are incorrect.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) also narrated:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to shorten the prayer during travel and sometimes perform it in full. He would also fast and sometimes not fast.
[Sunan al-Daraqutni, 189/2, Hadith 2275, and he said: "This chain is Sahih"]
↰ The chain of this narration is authentic.
A group of students narrates from Sa'id bin Muhammad bin Thawab. See Tarikh Baghdad [vol. 9, p. 95].
Hafiz Ibn Hibbaan mentioned him in "Kitab al-Thiqat," saying: "His Hadith is straightforward." [vol. 8, p. 272]
Hafiz Daraqutni considered the chain of his narration to be authentic, affirming his reliability.
Ibn Khuzaymah has included his narration in his "Sahih" [vol. 2, p. 134, Hadith 1062].
Thus, declaring him unknown or unreliable is incorrect.
Note:
The accusation of Tadlees against Ata bin Abi Rabah is invalid and rejected.
Another Narration States:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to sometimes perform the prayer in full during travel and sometimes shorten it.
[Sunan al-Daraqutni, 189/2, Hadith 2276, and he said: "Mughirah bin Ziyad is not strong"; Sharh Ma'ani al-Athar, 415/1; Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8187, and its chain is Hasan]
↰ Mughirah bin Ziyad is considered reliable by the majority of scholars.
Thus, the criticism "not strong" is rejected.
Conclusion:
The permissibility of performing the full prayer during travel is established by authentic Hadiths.
Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) and Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) have both performed the full prayer during travel.
[e.g., see Sahih Bukhari: 1090 and Sahih Muslim: 685/1572]
Note:
It is also established that Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) continued to shorten the prayer during travel until his death. [see Sahih Bukhari: 1102 and Sahih Muslim 679/1579]
Famous Tabi'i Abu Qilabah (Abdullah bin Zayd al-Jarmi) said:
If you perform two rak'ahs during travel, it is Sunnah, and if you perform four rak'ahs, it is also Sunnah. [Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8188, and its chain is Sahih]
Ata bin Abi Rabah said:
If you shorten the prayer, it is a concession, and if you perform the full prayer, it is also permissible. [Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8191, and its chain is Sahih]
Sa'id bin al-Musayyib said:
If you wish, perform two rak'ahs, and if you wish, perform four rak'ahs. [Ibn Abi Shaybah, 452/2, Hadith 8192, and its chain is Sahih]
Imam Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
Shortening the prayer during travel is a concession, and if someone performs the full prayer, it is acceptable.
[Sunan al-Tirmidhi: 544]
From Imam Tirmidhi to Imam Shafi'i, see the authentic chains of these statements in "Kitab al-'Ilal" by Tirmidhi with "Al-Jami'" [p. 889].
All praise belongs to Allah [27th Dhul-Hijjah 1426 AH].