Ruling on combining and shortening prayers for those who are always at sea
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Q504: The questioner says: We work at sea constantly on the deck of a ship, spending days and weeks on board. The ship is equipped with all means of comfort. When Fridays occur, our number exceeds sixty. Is the Friday prayer obligatory upon us, or are we travelers and should we pray it as Zuhr? Also, should we shorten and combine the prayers, even though we do not need to stand to perform the prayer, and we have designated a place for prayer, but it sometimes does not accommodate all the worshippers, so they pray in an adjacent place, following the same imam? Is this permissible, knowing that the prayer space only allows them to be in front of the imam? Is the prayer valid or not?
A504: As for the Friday prayer, it is not valid for you; the obligatory prayer for you is the congregational prayer, because the Friday prayer is only obligatory upon residents. As for a traveler on a ship or otherwise, the Friday prayer is not obligatory upon him.
It is not valid for them unless they pray it following the people of the town. As for praying it while in a state of travel, it is not valid for him. As for combining prayers, combining is only done out of necessity; the two prayers are not combined except with necessity. If there is a necessity such that you cannot perform each prayer in its time, there is no harm in combining the two prayers. As for the prayer of those you mentioned, where the place is too narrow for you and there is another place adjacent to the prayer area where the congregation prays, there is no harm in that, as long as they can hear the voice of the imam. It is not permissible for them to be in front of the imam; rather, they must be to his right, to his left, or behind his back. As for being in front of him, it is not valid. The position of the follower is behind the imam, or to his right, or to his left, if there are other worshippers. The result is that one of the conditions of the follower’s prayer is that the imam not be behind him. As for shortening, as long as their travel reaches the distance for shortening, eighty kilometers or more, shortening is permissible for them, because shortening is a recommended practice for the traveler, and combining is permissible out of necessity.
A504: As for the Friday prayer, it is not valid for you; the obligatory prayer for you is the congregational prayer, because the Friday prayer is only obligatory upon residents. As for a traveler on a ship or otherwise, the Friday prayer is not obligatory upon him.
It is not valid for them unless they pray it following the people of the town. As for praying it while in a state of travel, it is not valid for him. As for combining prayers, combining is only done out of necessity; the two prayers are not combined except with necessity. If there is a necessity such that you cannot perform each prayer in its time, there is no harm in combining the two prayers. As for the prayer of those you mentioned, where the place is too narrow for you and there is another place adjacent to the prayer area where the congregation prays, there is no harm in that, as long as they can hear the voice of the imam. It is not permissible for them to be in front of the imam; rather, they must be to his right, to his left, or behind his back. As for being in front of him, it is not valid. The position of the follower is behind the imam, or to his right, or to his left, if there are other worshippers. The result is that one of the conditions of the follower’s prayer is that the imam not be behind him. As for shortening, as long as their travel reaches the distance for shortening, eighty kilometers or more, shortening is permissible for them, because shortening is a recommended practice for the traveler, and combining is permissible out of necessity.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.