Light on the Path-036b
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The questioner : The questioner says: I ask about shortening the prayer, when it is done, and in what circumstances. Is the shortened prayer a specific type, or is there a fixed number of days for shortening the prayer? This is because I have stayed for a period of more than a month but less than two months, or according to his statement, I shorten the prayer because I am a soldier in war. So, am I required to continue shortening the prayer, or must I complete it? And is it permissible for me to combine prayers at times?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. There is no specified duration for the journey in which the prayer is shortened, as reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, the concept of travel is stated generally in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.[An-Nisa 4:101] And in the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: Bulugh al-Maram 2:343 This is evidence that it is not limited to a specific distance or a specific time. Rather, the name "travel" is what counts. So whenever it is true that a man who has left his town is a traveler, he is a traveler. The journey, or the departure, may be considered travel if its duration is long, even if the distance is short.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it may be considered travel if the distance is far, even if the time is short. This is the correct opinion among the scholars, due to the lack of evidence for a specific limit. Likewise, regarding the duration of residence that ends the ruling of travel, there is no limit. It is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he limited it to four days, or five, or ten. Rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for various durations in which he shortened the prayer. He stayed for ten days during the Farewell Pilgrimage in the Noble Mecca, four of which were before departing to Mina. He stayed in Mecca in the Year of the Conquest for nineteen days, and he stayed in Tabuk for twenty days. In all these stays, he (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And he did not say to the people, "Whoever intends a specific number of days, let him shorten the prayer." He arrived for his pilgrimage on the fourth day of Dhu al-Hijjah and was shortening the prayer. He did not say to the pilgrims, "Whoever of you arrives before the fourth day must complete the prayer," although he (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that people arrive for Hajj before the fourth day and after it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So when he did not say that, it is known that there is no limit, and that the arrival of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) on the fourth day happened by coincidence, not by intention. And what happens by coincidence, not by intention, has no ruling attached to it. Based on this, we say to the brother: As long as you are on the front line as a traveler, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer, and this is what is prescribed for you. As for combining the two combined prayers, such as combining Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha, this is permissible and there is no harm in it. However, it is better to leave it alone unless there is some hardship in leaving it, or there is some benefit in doing it, i.e., in combining. If so, then combine, and there is no harm on you in that.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Regarding the debate that took place between the two Imams, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with them both), the sender, whose initials are M.A.S. from Shaqra, sent this message. He says: From Shaqra.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. There is no specified duration for the journey in which the prayer is shortened, as reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Rather, the concept of travel is stated generally in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.
And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer
وإذا ضربتم في الأرض فليس عليكم جناح أن تقصروا من الصلاةWhen Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out on a journey of three miles or three Farasikh, he (ﷺ) used to pray two Rak'at.
كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم إذا خرج ثلاثة أميال أو فراسخ صلى ركعتينThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it may be considered travel if the distance is far, even if the time is short. This is the correct opinion among the scholars, due to the lack of evidence for a specific limit. Likewise, regarding the duration of residence that ends the ruling of travel, there is no limit. It is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he limited it to four days, or five, or ten. Rather, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for various durations in which he shortened the prayer. He stayed for ten days during the Farewell Pilgrimage in the Noble Mecca, four of which were before departing to Mina. He stayed in Mecca in the Year of the Conquest for nineteen days, and he stayed in Tabuk for twenty days. In all these stays, he (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened the prayer.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And he did not say to the people, "Whoever intends a specific number of days, let him shorten the prayer." He arrived for his pilgrimage on the fourth day of Dhu al-Hijjah and was shortening the prayer. He did not say to the pilgrims, "Whoever of you arrives before the fourth day must complete the prayer," although he (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that people arrive for Hajj before the fourth day and after it.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So when he did not say that, it is known that there is no limit, and that the arrival of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) on the fourth day happened by coincidence, not by intention. And what happens by coincidence, not by intention, has no ruling attached to it. Based on this, we say to the brother: As long as you are on the front line as a traveler, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer, and this is what is prescribed for you. As for combining the two combined prayers, such as combining Dhuhr and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha, this is permissible and there is no harm in it. However, it is better to leave it alone unless there is some hardship in leaving it, or there is some benefit in doing it, i.e., in combining. If so, then combine, and there is no harm on you in that.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Regarding the debate that took place between the two Imams, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Shafi'i (may Allah be pleased with them both), the sender, whose initials are M.A.S. from Shaqra, sent this message. He says: From Shaqra.