The Ruling on Voluntary and Regular Prayers for a Traveler in the Sacred Mosque

Question : The questioner says: Honorable Shaykh.

Answer : My brothers, the traveler is never prevented from performing voluntary prayers. The traveler may perform as much voluntary prayer as he wishes. However, the Sunnah is not to perform the regular prayers (rawatib) of the midday, sunset, and night prayers—three regular prayers. The Sunnah is to leave them out. But if he completes the prayer, that is fine. However, if he is in the Sacred Mosque waiting for the prayer, let him pray whatever he wishes between the adhan and the iqamah, intending it as a purely voluntary prayer, not as a regular prayer. By doing so, he attains good. Some people have thought that the traveler does not perform voluntary prayers at all, but that is not the case. The traveler performs the night prayer, the midday prayer, the witr, and all voluntary prayers, except for the three regular prayers I mentioned to you, which are the regular prayer of the midday, and the sunset and night prayers. The Sunnah is to leave them out. But if he performs a purely voluntary prayer between the adhan and the iqamah in the midday prayer, he is doing good. Likewise in the sunset prayer. As for the thought of some people that if he completes the prayer with the imam, he should perform the regular prayers based on the fact that he completed it, this is questionable. Because the sunset prayer is a complete prayer, not shortened, and even so, it has no regular prayer if the person is a traveler. He performs all voluntary prayers: the morning prayer, the night prayer, the greeting of the mosque, and all voluntary prayers.