Prayer on a ship: Is it shortened, even though I work on it and stay there for more than six months?
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The questioner : Is prayer on a ship shortened, even though I work on it and stay there for more than six months?
The Shaykh : Yes, travel has no limit that ends the dispensations of travel. As long as a person is a traveler, the dispensations of travel remain for him, whether he is in a car, an airplane, or a ship.
Accordingly, we say to the sailors on the ship: You are travelers as long as you have family in a country to which you return. So whenever you leave your family or the country where your family is, you are travelers, even if the duration is long. Accordingly, you may shorten the prayer, and you may combine prayers. However, shortening is a recommended practice, whereas combining is best left aside unless you have a need for it.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes, travel has no limit that ends the dispensations of travel. As long as a person is a traveler, the dispensations of travel remain for him, whether he is in a car, an airplane, or a ship.
Accordingly, we say to the sailors on the ship: You are travelers as long as you have family in a country to which you return. So whenever you leave your family or the country where your family is, you are travelers, even if the duration is long. Accordingly, you may shorten the prayer, and you may combine prayers. However, shortening is a recommended practice, whereas combining is best left aside unless you have a need for it.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.