Traveling by plane and the time for prayer arrives: what is best for the traveler, to wait, to pray on the plane, or to pray when he reaches the airport?
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The questioner : The listener Saud al-Abdullah says: I traveled by plane and the time for prayer arrived. What is best for the traveler: to wait, to pray on the plane, or to pray when he reaches the airport?
The Shaykh : It is not possible to perform the obligatory acts of prayer on a plane. However, if it is a voluntary prayer, the matter is easy; one prays the voluntary prayer while lying on his bed, facing the direction the plane is heading. As for the obligatory prayer, he cannot perform it because he would be required to stand, bow, prostrate, and face the qiblah, and this is not available in most of the planes known to us.
Based on this, we say: if the time for prayer arrives and it is a prayer that can be combined with the one following it, and you are on the plane, then delay it until you reach the airport and get off, then combine them by delaying. If the prayer is one that cannot be combined with the one following it, such as the Fajr prayer, or the 'Asr prayer which is not combined with Maghrib, or the 'Isha' prayer which is not combined with Fajr, then in this case he does not pray until he gets off at the airport so that he can perform the obligatory acts. If it is not possible to reach the airport until after the time has passed, then he prays on the plane and faces the qiblah. That is, if the qiblah is in front of him, the matter is clear. If it is not in front of him, he must face the qiblah. In this case, we require him to stand; he prays standing, and standing is possible, so he stands up, for example, from his seat and faces the qiblah, then bows if he is able, or else he gestures, or else he bends his back as much as he can, then raises his head. At the time of prostration, he sits and prostrates if he is able, or else he gestures as much as he can.
This is if it is not possible to reach the airport before the time passes. But if he can reach the airport before the time passes, then he waits until he arrives. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is not possible to perform the obligatory acts of prayer on a plane. However, if it is a voluntary prayer, the matter is easy; one prays the voluntary prayer while lying on his bed, facing the direction the plane is heading. As for the obligatory prayer, he cannot perform it because he would be required to stand, bow, prostrate, and face the qiblah, and this is not available in most of the planes known to us.
Based on this, we say: if the time for prayer arrives and it is a prayer that can be combined with the one following it, and you are on the plane, then delay it until you reach the airport and get off, then combine them by delaying. If the prayer is one that cannot be combined with the one following it, such as the Fajr prayer, or the 'Asr prayer which is not combined with Maghrib, or the 'Isha' prayer which is not combined with Fajr, then in this case he does not pray until he gets off at the airport so that he can perform the obligatory acts. If it is not possible to reach the airport until after the time has passed, then he prays on the plane and faces the qiblah. That is, if the qiblah is in front of him, the matter is clear. If it is not in front of him, he must face the qiblah. In this case, we require him to stand; he prays standing, and standing is possible, so he stands up, for example, from his seat and faces the qiblah, then bows if he is able, or else he gestures, or else he bends his back as much as he can, then raises his head. At the time of prostration, he sits and prostrates if he is able, or else he gestures as much as he can.
This is if it is not possible to reach the airport before the time passes. But if he can reach the airport before the time passes, then he waits until he arrives. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.