What is the ruling on the Friday prayer for a traveler, and does the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) drop off him if he prays Friday?
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The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah forgive you, if a traveler prays Friday, does the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) for the midday prayer drop off him, or does he pray it?
The Shaykh : If a traveler is in a town where the Friday prayer is held, it is obligatory for him to pray Friday, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Jumu'ah 62:9]. The traveler falls under the general ruling because he is among the believers. He does not say, "I am a traveler, so I will shorten the prayer." Friday is obligatory upon you. If he prays Friday, it has no regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) before it, as is well known, but it has a regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) after it. So, does he pray the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) or not?
It appears that he does not pray the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib), but he prays it as a general voluntary prayer. We say that it appears he does not pray it because the reason for leaving off the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) is not that the prayer is shortened. This is proven by the fact that the sunset prayer for a traveler is not shortened, yet he does not pray its regular voluntary prayer (rawatib). So we say: there is no regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) for Friday in your case, but if you pray a general voluntary prayer without intending it to be the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib), there is nothing wrong with it.
The Shaykh : If a traveler is in a town where the Friday prayer is held, it is obligatory for him to pray Friday, based on the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah and leave trade
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلاةِ مِنْ يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسَعَوْا إِلَى ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَرُوا الْبَيْعَIt appears that he does not pray the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib), but he prays it as a general voluntary prayer. We say that it appears he does not pray it because the reason for leaving off the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) is not that the prayer is shortened. This is proven by the fact that the sunset prayer for a traveler is not shortened, yet he does not pray its regular voluntary prayer (rawatib). So we say: there is no regular voluntary prayer (rawatib) for Friday in your case, but if you pray a general voluntary prayer without intending it to be the regular voluntary prayer (rawatib), there is nothing wrong with it.