Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Qasr (Traveller) Prayers and related issues

http://nlightmentz.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/qasr.jpg

There are over so many opinions on Qasr Salaah and  indeed many of us get confused on this Issue, so Alhumdulillah below are some to know off and that which one can follow Insha'Allah... The rest Allah knows best indeed.

RULING ON WHEN WE CAN PRAY QASR:

First:
If you are going travelling distance (79km) and staying for over 15 days AND you know exactly when you are returning then you can only combine and shorten the prayers for 3 days.

If however you don't know when you are coming back then you can join and shorten for the whole period you are away (with a maximum of up to 1 year).
 

(On the other hand if you were theoretically going for less than 15 days you could combine and shorten for the full 15 days.)

The reason for the above is the narration:
Reported on the authority of Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas (ra) that they said if you arrive at a land and in yourself you intend to stay 15 days complete your salaat. [Reported by tahhaawee]

In another Hadith reported by Ibn Abbas (r.a) in Bukhari where he (pbuh) said "the Prophet stayed 19 days shortening and when we travelled 19 days we would shorten." 


In short: "As long as you are a traveller and if you know it's more than 1/2 a moon then join for three days"

The fuqaha differ here if you don't know how long you will stay: Hanafis say 15 days and others up to 1 year. However if you are travelling only within 15 days all the scholars agree that you will combine for the full period.


Ibn Taymiyya however holds the opinion, like his opinion about the distance of the travel, that there exists no explicit and specific time frame which converts a traveller (musafir) into a resident (muqeem).  Therefore, he felt that a traveller would remain a traveller even if he stayed at a specific location for a longer period of time, as long as his lifestyle was that of a ‘traveller’. Ibn Taymiyya also pointed out that there are authentic narrations that indicate the Prophet (saws) would pray qaṣr for more than fifteen days. There is the Hadith of Jabir that the Prophet (saws) camped at Tabuk praying qaṣr for twenty days (Abu Dawud). Another is the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās in which he reported that the Prophet (saws) stayed in Makkah nineteen days, praying qaṣr. [al-Bukhārī]

Second:
Scholars differ in over 20 opinions in this matter.... because there is no set proof on the number.

The summary was what Ibn Taymiyyah and others chose that as long as one is not a resident he can combine and shorten... even if it over 4 days
because the proofs are general b/c the Prophet (saws) shortened for over 20 days. In the year of conquor of Makkah he combined in Makkah for over 19 days someone asked Ibn Abbas that we go to kharasan and we stay there long... he said combine even if u stay there 20 years even though your not a resident.


Here are Arabic Hujjah provided by an A'lim:
 ما اختاره شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية وهو اختيار ابن القيم والشيخ عبد الله بن محمد بن عبد الوهاب ، والشيخ عبد الرحمن السعدي ، والشيخ محمد رشيد رضا ، وشيخنا ، وهو أنهم مسافرون ، ما لم ينووا الاستيطان أو الإقامة المطلقة ، واستدلوا على لك بما يلي : 1- إطلاق الأدلة كقوله تعالى { وإذا ضربتم في الأرض } وهذا عام يشمل جميع الضاربين من أطال من هم ومن قصر .2- أن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أقام في تبوك عشرين يوما يقصر الصلاة [ حم 13726 ، د 1235 ، حب 4 / 184 ، هق 3 / 152 ، قال أبو داود غير معمر لا يسنده ، ورده النووي في الخلاصة كما نقله الزيلعي في نصب الراية 2 / 186:" هو حديث صحيح الإسناد على شرط البخاري ومسلم ، لا يقدح فيه تفرد معمر فإنه ثقة حافظ فزيادته مقبولة " وقال الحافظ في التلخيص 2 / 45 :" ... ورواه ابن حبان والبيهقي من حديث معمر ، وصححه ابن حزم والنووي ..... " ، والحديث صححه الألباني ] قال شيخ الإسلام في الفتاوى [ 24 / 136 ] :" ومعلوم بالعادة أن مما يفعل بمكة وتبوك لم يكن ينقضي في ثلاثة أيام ولا اربعة ، حتى إنه كان يقول : اليوم أسافر ، غدا أسافر " 3- أقام النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بمكة عام الفتح تسعة عشر يوما يقصر الصلاة [ خ 1080 ، 4298 ] 4- عن أبي جمرة نصر بن عمران قال : قلت لابن عباس : إنا نطيل المقام بخراسان فكيف ترى ؟ قال :" صل ركعتين وإن أقمت عشر سنين " رواه ابن أبي شيبة .5- أقام ابن عمر بأذربيجان ستة أشهر يقصر الصلاة وقد حال الثلج بينه وبين الدخول [ هق 3 / 152 ، وأخرجه عبد الرزاق 2 / 533 ، والأثر صححه ابن الملقن ، وقال ابن حجر في الدراية 1 / 212 :" إسناده صحيح " ، وقال النووي معلقا على سند البيهقي : وهذا سند على شرط الشيخين ، انظر التلخيص الحبير 2 / 47 ، نصب الراية 2 / 185 ] 6- وروى البيهقي [ 3 / 152 ] أن أنسا أقام بالشام يقصر سنتين .7- وروى البيهقي كذلك عن أنس أن أصحاب رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أقاموا برامهرمز تسعة أشهر يقصرون الصلاة .

RULING ON, CAN WE PRAY IN/ON A MOVING TRANSPORT:

Performing prayers at the right time is a trust and an obligation, because Allah says:
"Verily, al-Salaat (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours." [al-Nisaa' 4:103]

Delaying the prayer past its appointed time is a grave major sin, as Allah says:
"So woe unto those performers of salaat (prayers) (hypocrites), who delay their salaat from their stated fixed times." [al-Maa'oon 107:4-5]

Some scholars state that the person who deliberately misses one prayer and leaves it until the appointed time is over, with no excuse, is a kaafir. Claiming that one cannot find a place to pray is not a valid excuse, because either one is living on the face of the earth or not, and if one is living on the face of the earth, the Prophet (pbuh) said: "The (whole) earth has been made a mosque (or a place of prayer) and a means of purification for me, so wherever a man of my ummah may be when the time for prayer comes, let him pray." [Bukhari]

Also he (pbuh) said: "The (whole) earth has been made good for me, a means of purification and a mosque (or place of prayer); so wherever a man may be when the time for prayer comes, let him pray wherever he is." [Muslim]

As far as praying on board means of transportation is concerned, then it is possible to pray there so long as the necessary conditions of prayer are fulfilled, or else one can wait until one gets out of the vehicle. If waiting means that the time for the prayer will pass, then you should pray in the best way that you can. Let us assume, for example, that you are in a car or train where there is no place to pray, you cannot stop and pray at the side of the road, and the time for that prayer is running out. In such a situation, the Muslim should pray in the best way that he can, even if he is sitting in his seat and even if he is not facing the qiblah, because Allah says: "So keep your duty to Allah and fear Him as much as you can…" [al-Taghaabun 64:16], and because the Prophet (pbuh) said: "If I have commanded you to do something, do as much of it as you can." [al-Bukhari]

 
An exception to be above is naafil prayers offered when riding a camel, which is permissible even if one cannot get down or if one is not facing the qiblah. This is known from the report of Ibn 'Umar (r.a) who said: "The Prophet (pbuh) used to pray when travelling on his camel, no matter which direction it was facing, and he would gesture with his head to indicate the movements of the night prayer, apart from the obligatory prayers, and he would pray witr on his camel too." [Bukhari]

Ibn 'Umar (r.a) said: "The Prophet (pbuh) used to pray voluntary prayers when riding on his camel, no matter what direction it was facing, when he came from Makkah to Madeenah." Then Ibn 'Umar recited this ayah: "And to Allah belong the east and the west, so wherever you turn yourselves or your faces, there is the Face of Allah (and He is High above, over His Throne)…" [al-Baqarah 2:115]
Ibn 'Umar said (r.a): "It was concerning this that this ayah was revealed." [al-Tirmidhi, 2883]

RULING ON METHOD OF QASR PRAYER:

The ‘fajr’ and the ‘magrib’ obligatory prayers are to be prayed in full; the only prayers which are shortened when one is eligible to offer them ‘qasr’ or shortened are the obligatory ‘dhuhr’, ‘asr’, and the ‘isha’ prayers which are normally prayed as four-rakahs, but during ‘qasr’ they are to be offered  as only two-rakah prayers. Witr can be prayed as 1, 3, 5, etc.

Basically there are two methods to offer one’s ‘qasr’:

Offer the ‘qasr’ individually at their appointed five times of the day or night; or,
Combine the ‘dhuhr’ and ‘asr’ prayers, and combine the ‘magrib’ and ‘isha’ prayers.

DALEEL:
Narrated Ayesha (r.a): Two Rakaat were obligated in Makkah, however when Allah's Apostle (pbuh) migrated to Madinah two (additional) Rakaat were added to it except for Maghrib as it is Wit’r of the day and Morning prayer because it has a long recitation (in it), but whenever Allah's Apostle (pbuh) travelled he prayed the earlier prayers (i.e. Two Rakaat as the obligation was during Makkah). [Ahmed]
Narrated Ibn 'Umar (r.a): I accompanied Allah's Apostle (pbuh) and he never offered more than two Rakat during the journey. Abu Bakr (r.a), 'Umar (r.a) and 'Uthman (r.a) used to do the same. [Bukhari]

If one has to combine due to reason of not being able to pray on their appointed time during travel then one can combine in following way:

‘Dhuhr’/’Asr’: One may offer these combined ‘qasr’ prayers anytime between the beginning of ‘dhuhr’ and the end of ‘asr’ timings…..ie: just after the sun has moved a little west from its zenith or meridian at mid-day until the sun begins to set on the horizon.

‘Magrib’ / ‘Isha’:  One may offer these combined ‘qasr’ prayers anytime between the beginning of ‘magrib’ and the end of ‘Isha’ timings…..ie: just after the sun has completely set until midnight.

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