The
Solāh of a Traveler
By Sayyid Sabiq
In the name of Allāh, the
Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
All the praise and thanks
is due to Allāh, the Lord of al-‘ālamīn. There is none worthy of worship except
Allāh, and that Muhammad, Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam is His Messenger.
A traveler may Qasar
his Solāh of four raka’at. Qasar is the shortening the four-raka’at
Solāt of Dzuhur, ‘Asar, and ‘Ishā’, turning each Solāh to a two raka’at. It is
granted to a musafir only on Allah’s cause which means it is not permissible
for travelling on haram cause. Qasar is not applicable to Solāh Maghrib and
Fajar. It is granted regardless of whether or not the traveller encounters any
difficulty during the journey. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said:
“A gift that Allāh has bestowed on you, so accept His gift”.
1 - A
Traveler May Qasar The Solāh That Consist Of Four Raka’at Solāh.
Allāh says: “And
when you travel in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten As-Solāh if
you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial (attack you), verily, the
disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies” [Al-Nisā’,
4:101]
This concession is not
limited to situations of danger only.
Imām Ahmad (rahimahullāh) recorded that Ya’la bin Umayyah
said: “I asked ‘Umar Ibn Al-Khattab (radiyallāhu’anhu) about the verse:“And
when you travel in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten the solāh. If
you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial,” ‘Umar
said to me “Allāh granted Muslims safety now”, and
‘Umar added: “I wondered about the same thing and asked the Messenger of
Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) about it and he said: ‘A gift that Allāh
has bestowed on you, so accept His gift’.”It is also recorded by
Muslim and the collectors of Sunan; At-Tirmidzi said, “Hasan Sahih”. ‘Ali bin
Al-Madini said, ‘his Hadith is Hasan Sahih from the narration of ‘Umar Ibn
Al-Khattab (radiyallāhu`anhu), and it is not preserved by any other route
besides this one, and its narrators are all known.’
At-Tabari recorded that Abu Munib Al-Jarshi mentioned this verse
to ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu‘anhu) and said: “We are
safe now and are not in fear, should we, then, shorten the solāh?” Ibn
‘Umar answered him: “You have indeed in the
Messenger of Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) a beautiful pattern (of
conduct of Sunnah).”
Anas Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu‘anhu) narrated, who said: “We
went out with the Rasulullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) from Al-Madinah to
Makkah; he used to observe solāh two raka’at [i.e Qasar] until we went back to
Al-Madinah.” When he [Anas] was asked how long they remained in Makkah, he
said, “We remained in Makkah for ten days.” This is
recorded by al-Bukhari, 1081; Muslim, 693; and also by the Group.
Imām Ahmad (rahimahullāh) recorded that Harithah bin Wahb
Al-Khuza‘ie (radiyallāhu‘anhu) said: “I
observed solāh behind the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) for the Solāh
Dzuhur and ‘Asar in Mina, when the people were numerous and very safe, and he
observed Solāh of two raka‘at [i.e Qasar Solāh].” This
was also recorded by the Group, with the exception of Ibn Mājah.
The issue was also referred to ‘Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha) and she
said: "The solāh was made fardhu in Makkah in sets of two
raka’at. When the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) came to Medinah, two
raka‘at were added to each solāh except the Solāh Maghrib because it
is the witir of the daytime, and the Solāh Fajar due to its lengthy Qur’anic
recital. But if once travels, Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wasallam) performs the original prayer [i.e., only two
raka`at]." This is recorded by Ahmad, Al-Baihaqi, Ibn Hibban, and Ibn
Khuzaimah; its narrators are trustworthy.
Ibn Al-Qayyim
(rahimahullāh) says: “Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam)
would perform Solāh of only two raka’at for those Solāh which consisted of
four, whenever Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) traveled until he
returned to Medinah. And it is not established that Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) ever prayed four raka’at [while traveling], and none of the
imāms differ on this point, although they do differ about the ruling of
shortening the solāh.”
‘Umar Ibn Khattab, ‘Ali bin
Abi Talib, Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud, ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas, ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar,
Jabir bin Abdullah (radiyallāhu’anhum) held that to Qasar the solāh
when on a musafir is a fardhu; which
make the Hanafi School of
jurisprudence held it is a fardhu too.
The Māliki School
of jurisprudence holds that it is Sunnah Mu’akkadah (the
stressed one); it emphasized that is done in Jama’ah. If the traveler cannot
find another traveler to lead him in the solāh, he may perform the solāh by
himself as it is disliked that he should follow one who is a resident [i.e.,
and solāt four raka’at]. The Hanbali School of
jurisprudence holds that it is mustahabb (preferred) for the
person to qasar the solāh rather than to observe the complete Solāh which is
also permissible if he chooses it, but Qasar is a gift from Allāh. The Shāfi’ie
School of
jurisprudence has a similar opinion, if the person has traveled a sufficient distance
of two marhalah or 16 farshahs or 4 barid
which is approximately 56 M or 91 KM.
2 -The
Distance One Must Travel To Qualify for Qasar Solāh
The evidence derived from
the Qur’anic verse includes that of any traveling, be
it long or short, which falls within the “linguistic definition of
the word travel” would be adequate to qasar one’s Solāh, to Jama’ them and to
break the fasting. There is nothing in the Sunnah which confines this general
term to any particular meaning.
Ibn Al-Munzhir
(rahimahullāh) and others have mentioned more than twenty hadiths on this
point. Here we shall mention some of the more significant hadiths.
Yahya Ibn Yazid
(radiyallāhu’anhu) said: “I asked Anas Ibn Mālik
(radiyallāhu’anhu) about shortening the Solāh, and he said: ‘The Messenger of
Allāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) would observe Solāh two raka’at (Qasar) if
he had traveled a distance of three miles or a farsakh’” [Recorded
by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and al-Baihaqi] Ibn Hajar Asqalani(rahimahullāh)
states in his ‘Fathul-Bāri’: “This is the most authentic hadith which states
and clarifies [that question].”
The argument
between mile and farsakh is made clear in Abu
Sa’id Al-Khudri (radiyallāhu’anhu) statements: “If the
Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) traveled a distance of one farsakh, he
would shorten his Solāt.” This was recorded by Sa’id
ibn Mansur(rahimahullāh) in his Sunan and by Al-Hafiz
Ibn Hajar Al-Asqalani (rahimahullāh) in at-Talkhis, and
he unreservedly accepted it by not making any further comments about
it.
It is well-known that a
farsakh equals three miles and, therefore, Abu
Sa’id’s hadith removes the confusion which arises from Anas’
hadith when he says that the shortest distance, due to
the fact the Prophet (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) qasar his
solat, was three miles. One farsakh is
equivalent to 5,541 meters while one
mile equals 1,748 meters. It should be noted that the
shortest distance which has been mentioned with respect to the qasar of Solāh is
one mile. This was recorded by Ibn Abi Shaibah, also with a sahih chain, on
the authority of Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu’anhu).
Ibn
Hazm (rahimahullāh) argued that if the distance is less than one
mile, one is not to qasar the Solāh, as the Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) went to the graveyard of al-Baqi’ to
bury the dead and (similarly) he went off to answer the call of nature and did
not qasar his solāh.
2.1 - The
View of the Scholars Varies In Relations to the Distance
The view of the scholars
varies in relations to the distance, some says: 81 km,
85 km and 91km. But according to the view of majority
of scholars, the distance which avails for a traveler is defined as
being four Barid or sixteen Farsakh or two
Marhalah approximately fifty-six miles or
ninety-one kilometers. The distance in which
the concession of traveling is allowed is that which is customarily
regarded as travelling, which is approximately eighty five kilometers. Whoever
is going to travel this distance or more is allowed to avail him of the
concessions granted to travellers, namely wiping over the socks for three days
and nights, and jama’ and qasar the
Solāh, and not fasting in Ramadhān.
Ibn
Qudāmah (rahimahullāh) said: The view
of Abu ‘Abdallāh [i.e., Imām Ahmad] is that it is not
permissible to qasar the prayers for a distance not of
less than sixteen farsakhs, and a farsakh is three
miles, so the distance is forty-eight miles. Abdullāh
Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu’anhu) estimated it from ‘Usfan to
Makkah, or from al-Ta’if to Makkah, or from Jeddah to
Makkah. Based on this, the distance at which it is permissible to qasar is
the distance of one day and one night direct travel for that
destination. This is the view of Ibn ‘Abbas and Ibn ‘Umar, and the view
of Malik, al-Layth and Al-Shafi’ie. The equivalent in kilometers is
approximately 91 km. [Al-Mughni]
In relation to what some
jurists say, namely, that the journey must be at least two days
long or as some say three days, Imām Abu Al-Qasim Al-Kharqi’s refutation
of their opinion. It is recorded in ‘Al-Mughni’ Imām
Abu Al-Qasim says: ‘I do not find any proof for what those scholars say’.
Imām Abu Al-Qasim Al-Kharqi
further said the statements of the sahābah are not a conclusive proof if they
differ. It has been narrated from ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar and
Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu‘anhum) which differs from what these scholars
use as proof.Even if that were not the case, their statements do not
constitute a proof when a statement or action of Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi
wasallam) himself exists. Even if their statements
were accepted, we would not be able to follow the distance they mentioned due
to the following two reasons:
One, they
differ from the sunnah that has been related from Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) and from the clear meaning of the Qur'an, as the
clear meaning of the verse allows one to shorten one's Solāh if one makes any
journey upon the earth. Allāh says: “If you journey on the
earth, there is no blame upon you if you shorten your Solāh.” The
condition of there being fear has been removed as can be seen in the hadith we
recorded from Ya’la Ibn Umayyah (radiyallāhu’anhu), and
what remains is the clear meaning of the verse which covers
every type of journey. Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam)
said: “The traveler may wipe over his socks for a period of three
days.” This shows the length of time that one may wipe over the socks and
it cannot be used as a proof for the question we are discussing here.
One could argue that traveling is less than a three-day journey on the basis of
the hadith: “It is not allowed for any woman who believes in Allāh and the
last day to travel a journey of one day, save in the presence of a male
relative.”
Two, the question
of the distance to be traveled is one that may only be answered by some sort of
revelation from Allāh [the Qur’an or Sunnah]; it is not the type of issue which
one may address on the basis of personal reasoning, nor is there any way to
derive an analogy. The proofs which exist support the opinion that qasar of Solāh
are permissible for every traveler, unless there is
some consensus to the contrary.
Similarly is that the
traveling by planes, trains, and so forth, or a trip that is in obedience to Allāh
Almighty. If there is someone whose occupation requires him to always be
traveling, for instance, a pilot, a ship captain, truck driver, and so on, then
he is permitted to qasar or jama’ his Solāh or breaks his fasting as he is
truly traveling.
3 - Whence
One May Qasar the Solāt
The majority of the
scholars are of the opinion that it is permissible to qasar one's
Solāh when one leaves one’s residence and is outside of one’s city, and that is
a condition, and he is not to resume his regular solāh until he reaches the
first houses of his city.
Ibn Al-Munzhir says: "I
do not know of Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu‘alayhi wasallam) qasar his Solāh during
any of his travels until after he had left Medinah."
Anas bin Mālik
(radiyallāhu‘anhu) relates: “I observed Solāh four
raka‘at at Zulhulaifah.” This is narrated by the group. Some of the
early scholars say that if one makes the intention to travel, he may qasar his
Solāh even if he is in his house.
4 -
When the Traveler Is To Observe the Complete Solāh
A traveler may qasar
his Solāh as long as he is on a journey. Likewise if he stays
in some place for business or some other affair, then he may qasar his Solāh as
long as he is there, even for years.
If the person intends to
stay in a place for a certain amount of time then, according to Ibn
Al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh), he remains a traveler, regardless of whether
he plans to stay there for a long or short period, as long as he does not plan
to stay [i.e., reside and not return] in the place that he has traveled to. The
scholars differ on this point.
Summing up and giving his
own opinion, Ibn al-Qayyim (rahimahullāh) says: “The Messenger of Allāh
stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and during that time he
observed qasar Solāh and he did not say that one may not qasar
his Solāh if he stays longer than that, although there is agreement that he
stayed there for that period of time.”
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas
(radiyallāhu’anhu) said: “Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam)
stayed, during some of his journeys, for nineteen day and he observed Solāh
only two raka‘at (i.e qasar Solāh). If we stayed in a place for nineteen days,
we would not observe the complete Solāh. However, if we stayed longer than
that, we would perform the whole Solāh (complete form)." [Recorded
by Al-Bukhari]
Ibn ‘Abbas
(radiyallāhu‘anhu) was referring to the Prophet’s stay in Makkah at the time of
its conquest when he said: " Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) stayed in Makkah for eighteen days during the
time of the conquest as he had to go to Hunain and was not planning to stay
there." [Recorded by Imām Ahmad] This is his interpretation of Ibn
‘Abbas' statement.
Others say that Ibn ‘Abbas
was referring to the Prophet’s stay in Tabuk as Jabir Ibn
‘Abdullah (radiyallāhu’anhu) said: “Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and performed qasar
Solāh.” [Recorded by Imām Ahmad in his Musnad]
Al-Miswar Ibn Makhramah
reported: “We stayed with Sa’ad in some of the cities of Ash-Sham [Syria]
for forty days, and Sa’ad would perform qasar while we would offer the whole
Solāh.”
Naf'i related: “Ibn
‘Umar (radiyallāhu‘anhu) was in Azerbaijan for six months, as
there was snow blocking the pass, and he would pray two raka‘at."
Hafs Ibn ‘Ubaidullah said:
“Anas
Ibn Mālik (radiyallāhu‘anhu) stayed in Ash-Sham for two years
and he observed the Solāh of a traveler (i.e qasar)."
Anas Ibn Mālik
(radiyallāhu‘anhu) related: "The companions of
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) stayed in Ram Hurmuz for
seven months and they qasar their Solāh."
Al-Hassan bin ‘Ali
(radiyallāhu‘anhu) reported: “I stayed with ‘Abdurrahman Ibn Samurah for two
years in Kabul, and he qasar his Solāh but he did not combine the
Solāh.” Ibrahim says: "We resided in Rai for
a year or more and in Sijistan for two years . . . [and we
observed Solāh qasar].
This is the guidance of
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) and his companions, and this is the
correct position.
4.1 -
When a Musafir Makes Intention to Stay For a Certain Number of Days
Other opinions which people
follow Imām Ahmad (rahimahullāh) concerning Solāh qasar when musafir making
intention to stay for a certain number of days:
“If a person intends to
stay for four days, he has to offer the whole Solāh and he may offer qasar if
his intention is for less than that. This is based on an interpretation of the
hadiths from Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) and his companions [i.e.,
they never intended to stay for longer than that and would always say: “We will
leave tomorrow” and so on]. This interpretation is obviously suspect.
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) conquered Makkah and stayed there to
establish Islam, eradicate polytheism, and to guide the Arabs. It definitely
goes, without saying, which such an objective does take more than a day or two
to complete. Similarly, his stay in Tabukwas in preparation for the
impending war and he knew that this might take longer than just four days.
In the same way, Ibn
‘Umar’s stay in Azerbaijan for six months, and his observing
qasar Solāh during the entire time was with the knowledge that it takes more
than two or three days for such snow to melt and the pass to become
traversable. The same is the case with Anas’ stay of two years in Ash-Sham and
his observing qasar Solāh and the companions' stay in Ram Hurmuz for
seven months while qasar their Solāh.
It is well known
that activities like theirs, such as jihad and guarding, took more than
four days."
The followers of Imām Ahmad
(rahimahullāh) also maintain the view:
“If one is staying in a
place for the purpose of jihad then, or due to imprisonment or
sickness, then one may qasar the Solāh regardless of whether the person thinks
that such a situation may last for a short time or a long time."
This is correct but there is no proof that such conditions have been stipulated in the Qur'an, Sunnah, ijma’ (consensus), or practice of the Prophet's companions.
This is correct but there is no proof that such conditions have been stipulated in the Qur'an, Sunnah, ijma’ (consensus), or practice of the Prophet's companions.
They argued that such
conditions are based on what is needed for the person to fulfill his need while
remaining a traveller and that is what less than four days is. His response to
them was: 'From where do you derive those conditions, while Rasūlullāh
(Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) stayed for more than four days, qasar his
solāt, in Makkah and Tabuk, and he did not mention
to anyone anything about it and he never told them that he never intended to
stay for more than four days, even though he knew that the people would
[strictly] follow his actions concerning the Solāh. They surely followed him in
his qasar of the salāt, and he did not object to their
observing solat qasar if they were to stay for more than four
nights. This should be made clear as it is very important. Similarly, the
sahabah followed him in that and he did not say anything [in objection] to
those who prayed with him.”
Imām Malik and Imām
Ash-Shāfi’ie (rahimahullāh) say: "If one intends to
stay for more than four days, he should perform the whole solāh, and if he
intends to stay for less than that, he is to offer qasar Solāh."
Abu Hanifah (rahimahullāh)
holds: "If one intends to stay for fifteen days,
he should do the qasar. If he intends to stay for less than that, he should not
qasar the Solāh." This is also the opinion of Al-Laith Ibn Sa’ad
concerning the intention to stay, and it has also been related from three
companions: ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Umar, and Ibn ‘Abbas (radiyallāhu‘anhum).
Sa’id Ibn al-Musayyab
(rahimahullāh) is of the opinion that: "If you stay for
four days, you observe four raka’at Solāh." A statement similar
to that of Abu Hanifah's has also been related from him.
‘Ali Ibn Abi Talib
(radiyallāhu’anhu) says that if one stays for ten days, he is to
perform the whole Solāh, and the same has been narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas
(radiyallāhu’anhu).
Al-Hassan bin ‘Ali
(radiyallāhu’anhu) says: "One who does not get to his destination
or (city of residence) may qasar Solāh."
‘Aishah (radiyallāhu’anha)
says: "One who does not put down his provision is to qasar the
Solāh."
The four imāms the
school of jurisprudence have the same opinion that if a
traveller (musafir) has some need to take care of and always has the intention
of leaving the next day, then he may qasar his Solāh
for as long as he is in that state. However, according to one statement ofAsh-Shāfi’ie (rahimahullāh),
states that one may do so only for seventeen or eighteen days and he is not
to qasar his Solāh after that time.
But Ibn Al-Munzhir
(rahimahullāh) states in his ‘Ishraf’: “The scholars are in
agreement that a traveler may perform qasar as long as he does not intend to
stay in a place, even though he stays there for years.”
5 –
Observing the Nawafil Solāh during Travel.
The majority of the scholars
are of the opinion that it is not disliked to perform Nawafil during the state
in which one is qasar his Solāh. On this point, there is no difference between
regular Sunnah mu’akaddah Solāh and other Nawafil Solāhs.
Al-Bukhari and Muslim
(rahimahullāh) recorded that Rasūlullāh (Sallallahu ‘alayhi
wasallam) made the ghusul in the house of his cousin Umm
Hani (radiyallāhu’anha) on the day of the Conquest of Makkah and
then he observed eight raka’at Nawafil Solāh (Solāh Ad-Duha).
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu’anhu)
narrated that Rasūlullāh (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) observed nawafil Solāh while riding in whatever direction he
was facing and nodding his head [i.e. indicates the movements of the Solāh].
Al-Hassan bin ‘Ali
(radiyallāhu’anhu) related: “The companions of Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu
‘alayhi wasallam) while on a journey performed regular Sunnah (mu‘akaddah)
Solāh before and after the fardhu Solāh.”
‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar
(radiyallāhu’anhu) and others are of the opinion that there are no Nawafil
Sunnah, before or after the solāh fardhu, except for during the middle
of the night. He saw some people observing Solāh after the Solāh and said: “If I
were to observe Solāh, I would have performed the whole solāh [referring
the ‘fardhu’ and ‘sunnah’ as obviously that would have taken preference]. O
nephew, I accompanied Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) [on journeys]
and he never observed Solāh more than two raka’at until Allāh took his soul.
And I accompanied Abu Bakar (radiyallāhu‘anhu) and he did not observe Solāh
more than two raka’at.” He also mentioned the name of ‘Umar and ‘Uthman, then
he recited the verse: “Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allāh a beautiful
pattern (of conduct).” This is recorded by al-Bukhari.
Ibn Qudamah (rahimahullāh)
combines what Al-Hassan and what Ibn ‘Umar (radiyallāhu‘anhum) say by
concluding that Al-Hassan's hadith points to the fact that there
is no harm in observing Sunnah (mu’akaddah)
and Nawafil Solāh while traveling, whereas Ibn ‘Umar’s
hadith points to the fact that there is no harm in not observing Nawafil Solāh.
6 -
Traveling On a Friday
Ka`ab bin
Malik (radiyallāhu`anhu) reported: “The Prophet (Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam) set out on
Thursday for the expedition of Tabuk. He liked to set out on a journey on
Thursdays”. [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
Sakhr Bin Wada` ah Al-Ghamidi (radiyallāhu`anhu) reported: The Messenger of Allah (Sallallāhu`alayhi wasallam) said,
"O Allah! Bless my people in the
early part of the day (morning). Whenever he dispatched a detachment or an
army-unit, he would dispatch it at the beginning of the day (soon after dawn).”
The narrator, Sakhr (radiyallāhu`anhu) was a merchant, and he used to send off
his merchandise at the beginning of the day. So his trade flourished and he
made a good fortune. [At-Tirmidzi and
Abu Dawud]
The two Ahadith mentioned above point
out the desirability to set off on a journey, business trip, Jihad or anything on Thursdays and at the beginning of the day (soon after dawn).
On the other hand there is
no harm in traveling on a Friday if it is not during the time of the Solāh. ‘Umar
Ibn Al-Khattab (radiyallāhu`anhu) heard a man say: “If
today was not Friday, I would have left.” ‘Umar said: “Leave. Friday does not keep one from traveling.”
Abu ‘Ubaidah (radiyallāhu`anhu) traveled on Friday and he did not wait for the solāh. Az-Zuhri wanted to travel before noon on Friday and the people mentioned something to him, and he said: “Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) traveled on Friday.”
Abu ‘Ubaidah (radiyallāhu`anhu) traveled on Friday and he did not wait for the solāh. Az-Zuhri wanted to travel before noon on Friday and the people mentioned something to him, and he said: “Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) traveled on Friday.”
Solāh al-Jumu’ah is not
obligatory on the Musafir on the road. This is the opinion of the Hanafi,
Māliki, al-Shāfi’ie and Hanbali schools of Jurisprudence of.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn
Taymiyah (rahimahullāh) said:
“The correct opinion,
without a doubt… is that this (Solāh al-Jumu’ah and ‘Eid) are not
obligatory for the traveller. Rasūlullāh (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) used to
travel frequently: he performed ‘Umrah three times, besides the ‘Umrah he
performed along with Hajj. Rasūlullāh (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam) performed
his Farewell Pilgrimage accompanied by thousands of people, and he went on more
than twenty military campaigns, but there are no narrations at all that say he
observed Solāh Jumu’ah or ‘Eid when travelling; he just observed Solāh two
raka’at [i.e., qasar (shortening the solāt)] as on all the other days.
There are also no reports
indicated that say he delivered a khutbah on a Friday when he was travelling,
neither standing on his own two feet or from atop his camel, as he used to do
on ‘Eid, or from a minbar, as he used to do on Fridays. Rasūlullāh (Sallallahu
‘alayhi wasallam) occasionally used to deliver an address to the people when he
was travelling, and this was narrated by them… but no-one reported that he
delivered a khutbah to them before the Solāh on a Friday whilst travelling, and
no-one reported that he recited Qur’ān aloud on a Friday (i.e., during Solāh
al-Dzuhur, on a journey). Of course, if he had done something out of the
ordinary and recited aloud or delivered a khutbah, they would have reported it.
On the Day of ‘Arafāh, he
delivered a khutbah, then he came down and led them in a two-raka‘ah solat, but
no one reported that he recited aloud in that Solāh. That khutbah was not for
Jumu’ah – because if it had been for Jumu’ah, he would have done the same
(delivered a khutbah) on every other Friday (when he was travelling); that
khutbah was given because it was part of the rituals (of Hajj).
Hence all the Muslim
scholars said that he would have given a khutbah at ‘Arafāh even if it had not
been a Friday. This mutawātir report proves that it was a khutbah for the Day
of ‘Arafāh, not for Friday.”
[Majmu’ Al-Fatāwa (24/178)]
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen
(rahimahullāh) said: “The traveller does not have to observe
Jumu‘ah, and the evidence for that is the fact that during his journeys,
Rasūlullāh (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam) did not observe Jumu’ah, even though
he had many people with him; rather he would observe Solāh Dzuhur and shorten
it.” [Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (5/10)]
However, if he observes
Solāh Al-Jumu’ah with the people of the place he is stopping (transiting) on
way to his destination; this is a permissible and worthy act too.
It says: “Whoever of these
people – travellers, slaves and women – attends Jumu’ah does not have to observe
Solāh Dzuhur, and we know of no dispute on this point. Their exemption from
having to attend Jumu’ah is to make things easy for them, but if they attend,
it is permissible too, as is the case with the sick person. It is preferable
for the traveller to attend Jumu’ah, because this is better deed, and is on the
safe side (because some scholars hold that al-Jumu’ah is obligatory for the
traveller who is stopping; staying in a particular place, but not for the
traveller who is on the road), as he comes under the general meaning of the
ayah which means: “O you who believe! When the call is
proclaimed for the Solāh on the Day of Friday (Solah Jumu’ah), come to the
remembrance of Allāh, and leave off business (and every other thing), that is
better for you, if you did but know!” (Al-Jumu‘ah
62:9) [Al-Sharh Al-Kabeer (2/154)]
However majority of
scholars holds it is not obligatory.
Allāh Almighty Knows Best
[This article is based from
‘The Fiqh-Us-Sunnah’: ‘The Solāh of a Traveler’ by Sayyid Sabiq]
See: Is Solāh Jumu’ah
waived for the traveller?
All About The Solah
1. The Purification; 2. The Menstruation; 3. The Ghusul ;
6. The Adzān;
11. Adhkar in the Solāh; 12. Du'ā Al-Qunūt;
13. Places Where Offering Solāh Is Prohibited ; 14. Placing a Sutrah In front of One Who is Performing Solah;
15. What is permissible During the Solāh?; 16. The Acts that Renders Solāh Invalid; 17. Disliked Actions during the Solāh; 18. The Solāh in Times of Fear or Danger; 19. The Solāh of a Sick Person ;
22. Solāh of a Traveler; 23. Solāh Qasar ; 24. Solāh Jama’;
25. The Solāh Jama’ ;
26. The Masajid;
27. The Etiquette at the Masjid;
29. Solāh al-Jumu`ah;
30. The Sanctified Hour of Jumu’ah.
33. Dzikirullāh after Solāh; 34. Du`ā Recited
After the Solāh. ;
36. Solāh al-Hajjat ; 37. Solāh al-Tahajjud ;
38. Solāh al-Tarawih ;
39. Solāh al-Dhuha ; 40. Solāh al-Hajjat ;
41. Solāh al-Istikhārah ;
42. Solāh al-Janāzah;
43. Solāh al-Jumu`ah;
44. Solāh al-Kasuf ;
45. Solāh al-Khauf ;
46. Solāh al-Marid;
47. Solāh al-Tahajjud ;
48. Solāh al-Tahiyyyatul Masjid; 49. Solāh al-Tarawih;
50. Solāh al-Tawbah ;
51. Solāh al-Witr;
52. Solāh al-Wudhu’ ; 53. Solāh Eid ul Fitr
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