Part 3

Answer 26: It is not a condition that you are traveling in order to be permitted to combine your prayers. Rather there are many situations which the Shariah permits you to combine while you are not traveling.

• You may combine your prayers during heavy continuous rainfa ll that confine people in their houses while the streets are filled with thick, slippery and dangerous mud. In this case it is permissible to combine Thuhr and Asr also Maghrib and Ishaa.

• You may combine due to sickness in which one finds difficulty in performing wudu' for each prayer, difficulty in sitting and difficulty in performing the prayer. In this case it is permissible to combine Thuhr and Asr also Maghrib and Ishaa.

• You may combine your prayers if you are mustahaadah (having irregular continuous blow flood outside the time of menstruation) if it is difficult to make ghusl for each prayer. Although the scholars say that the combining for the mustahaadah is only in appearance. It appears to be combining, but it is not combining in its truest sense, because it is (really) to delay Thuhr until the last few minutes of the prayer are left and offer it, then immediately perform Asr prayer afterwards, after the first few minutes of it begin. The same applies for Maghrib and Ishaa prayers. (In essence you have not really combined the prayers because you have offered each prayer in its appointed time)

Question 27: A man is traveling to Makkah and he arrives during Thuhr time completely exhausted and fears that if he prays Thuhr and sleeps that he will oversleep Asr. Is it permissible for him to combine Thuhr and Asr so he may sleep until Maghrib?

13 he prayed them on the road. Especially since he is exhausted and worn out and fears that he will over sleep Asr prayer. So here, we would consider him as if he is still traveling. Some scholars have permitted the combining of the prayer for everyone who has the right to shorten their prayers.

Question 28: If the previous man combined while he was not tired and without necessity but rather he says "this is easier and more relieving", what is your opinion concerning this?

Answer 28 : If he is not tired then it is not permissible for him to combine. Rather he must make each prayer in its appointed time since that is not a hardship.

Question 29: When is it permissible to combine ones prayers when he is traveling? Is it dependant on whether there is hardship?

Answer 29: It is well-known that it is permitted for one who is traveling from - let's say - Damam (a city located on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia) to Makkah (located in close proximity to the west coast) while he is actually on the way, in route (traveling to his destination), on his way from his originating point to his destination, to combine. He may combine two prayers during the prayer time of the first prayer (Jama' Taqdeem) or combine the two prayers during the time of the latter prayer. (Jama' Ta'keer) So every traveler is allowed to combine if he fulfils the previously stated condition. (When on is actually in route to the traveling destination)

Question 30: A man is traveling from Makkah to Riyadh and before he arrives in Riyadh he stops and prays Thuhr and Asr together during Thuhr time. He reaches his house in Riyadh later on before Asr. Does he have to pray Asr again with the congregation when the athaan for Asr is called?

Answer 30: Yes he must answer the call to prayer for several reasons:

• He is a resident and he has reached his home. • He has prayed Asr before he was obligated to pray it. He is not obliged to pray Asr until the time begins. He prayed it before that time. • He prayed Asr shorten (two raka'ahs) and when it becomes obligatory he will be a resident.

So I'm of the opinion that he must answer the call to prayer and pray it with the congregation four raka'ahs. As for the first time he prayed Asr, that would be considered a naafilah prayer and it will not suffice him. As for what has been related about some Sahabah praying their prayers shortened while seeing Madinah, this does not contradict what I just

14 after a considerable long time unlike today.

Question : 31: A man traveling stopped at a city to pray Thuhr and caught the last two raka'ahs of the prayer with the Imam. Is it permissible for him to make tasleem and end the prayer or must he pray four raka'ahs?

Answer 31: He is not permitted to pray two raka'ahs rather if a traveler prays behind a resident he is obliged to pray the prayer complete. It was said to Ibn Abbas (May Allah be pleased with both of them): "What do you say about a man traveling who prays two raka'ahs when praying alone and prays four raka'ahs when praying with the congregation." He said: "This is the sunnah."

Question 32: You mentioned that it is permissible to pray a naafilah pray inside the car during a journey. Is it a condition that he faces the qiblah or starts the prayer facing the qiblah?

Answer 32: The correct opinion is that he is not required to face the qiblah at the beginning of the prayer or to make takbeer towards it. Rather, the evidences are general in that he prays a naafilah prayer according to the direction that he is faces on his riding beast. Leaving off faces the qiblah is a concession for the traveler. He bends slightly for the ruko and sujood while making the bending over for the sujood lower.

Question 33: When does he say the supplication of the traveler? Is it as soon as he gets in his vehicle or after he begins to drive?

Answer 33: He says the supplication as soon as he gets in the vehicle, and the proof for that is:

In order that you may mount firmly on their backs, and then may remember the Favor of your Lord when you mount thereon, and say: "Glory to Him who has subjected this to us, and we could never have it (by our efforts)." {Az-zukhruf: 13}

This verse shows that by simply riding on the back of his riding animal or his vehicle he starts the supplication. There is no problem in him delaying it until he leaves his city. So he has some leeway, Alhamdulillah.

Question 34: Is it permitted for someone other than the traveler to pray a naafilah prayer in the car, such as someone traveling a long distance inside the city?

15 the five obligatory prayers, and he is afraid that he might miss his opportunity to pray it if he waits until he reaches his destination.

Question 35: A man traveled from Riyadh to Abha (a city in southern Saudi Arabia) and will spend two days there before returning. Does he have to answer the call to prayer and pray with the congregation during his stay?

Answer 35: If he reaches Abha - for example - to reside there for a few days and he has a hotel or an apartment or he is residing with a friend in a house in which he enjoys the comforts that a resident enjoys such as a bed, air conditioning, fan, cold water along with other things that brings comfort to a resident, then in this case he is considered a resident and fall under the rulings of a resident, so he must answer the call to prayer and he may not shorten his prayers.

This is what I hold as the strongest opinion concerning the one who travels, due to the absence of hardship in travel, which the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) described as a piece of torment due to hardships and departing ones love ones.

On the other hand, if he is not settled in and is moving from place to place, eating at restaurants or preparing his meals outside the city in the rural or a tent that he has pitched and he sleeps at a place that is not comfortable and relaxing like sleeping in his car, then we would consider him still a traveler and he would be permitted to pray in the place where he is staying and so on, even if this period was as long as many days or months.

With this, we understand the actions of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) during his stay in Quba, Al-Abtah (during the conquest of Makkah) and the farewell pilgrimage.

Question 36: Some Students of knowledge informed me that it is from the Sunnah to leave the naafilah prayers during travel except Witr and the Sunnah prayers before Fajr. Does this mean that we should not pray all other naafilah prayers such as the prayer of Duha and the naafilah prayers before and after the five obligatory prayers?

Answer 36: It is presumed that traveling will cause difficulties and the traveler usually faces hardships and challenges that require concessions to be made for him such as shortening the prayers that are four raka'ahs to two raka'ahs and being allowed not to fast during the days of Ramadan and other things.

So, due to this the one that is traveling is allowed to leave off the naafilah prayers. However, if the difficulties cease or lessen and he is able to endure, then I believe that in this case he should seek to increase his good deeds like the naafilah prayers, supererogatory fasting and multiply his good deeds in general that he was performing before he traveled. So he does not

16 long as he find no difficulty in performing them.

Question 37: What is the ruling on traveling on Friday before the athaan for Jumuah?

Answer 37: Some scholars said it is disliked by explicitly saying that traveling on Jumuah is disliked, even before the athaan for Jumuah, such as during the early morning hours, on account of it being a time in which traveling is assumed to be void or blessings and success.

However, perhaps you could understand this dislike being during their time since there were only a few Masjids and if one traveled he would miss Jumuah.

As for our time, the Masjids are plentiful and it is possible to pray at one of the masjids on the road. And if he did not find a Masjid to pray in on the way he prays Thuhr and this is fine.

Question 38: Sometimes I keep myself busy while I am driving by reciting the Quran. Occasionally I recite verses that require one to prostrate, so how can I prostrate.

Answer 38: Bend your head slightly while continuing to keep your eyes on the road ahead of you and do not make the sujood long.

As for a passenger, his situation is different from the driver. If he can prostrate on the floor or seat then he should do so, otherwise he should prostrate however he can while making supplication. It is not a necessity to have wudu' before making this sujood. Some scholars said it is more befitting if he perform tayammum but the correct opinion is that he is not require to do so whether he read these verses in his car or in his house as Ibn Taymiyyah mentioned. Sujood of recitation and sujood Ash-shukur (prostration made to gratitude) are acts of worships separate from the rulings of other acts of worship that require purity and facing the qiblah.

Question 39: If we are traveling by car and we make several stops to pray should we call the athaan every time or is it sufficient to call the Iqaamah?

Answer 39: The traveler is ordered to call the athaan every time he prays even if he is traveling alone.