SALAT OF A PERSON ON JOURNEY

SALAT OF A PERSON ON JOURNEY

Q.   For how long great a distance must one have intended for travel to quality for the definition of a person “person on journey”?

  According to Shariah a “person on journey” is one who intends to travel as far as takes three days to walk (on foot). It does not mean three days continuous walking but traveling from morning till the decline of the sun. Walk means walk on ordinary pace and the day for the purpose is to be the shortest day.

Q.   What do we mean by walk on ordinary pace and three days journey means how many miles?

   

             i.     Walk on ordinary pace means walk of a man travelling on foot.

           ii.     Three days walk may, for the sake of convenience, be taken to mean forty eighty miles or eighty kilometers.

Q.   What does the Shariah say about a person who covers the distance (walkable in three days) by train, bus or chaise drawn by the horses?

  He is to be rested as “on journey” howsoever speedily he covers the distance.

Q.   In what respect is the Salat of a person on-journey different from the normal prayer?

  A person on-journey offers two Rak'ahs instead of four for Dhuhr, ‘Asr and ‘Isha. There is, however no change in the prayers for Fajr, Maghrib and for Witr.

Q.   What is the technical name given to this act of shortening the Salat from four Rak'ahs to two?

  It is called Qasr (shortening).

Q.   When should a person on-journey start availing himself of the Qasr (shortening) provision?

  He should start doing Qasr from the time he gets out of the bounds of his locality.

Q.   How long should he avail himself of the provision for Qasr?

  He can avail it as long as he is on-journey and does not make the intention to stay in any one city, town or village for a minimum of fifteen days. But the moment he makes up his mind to stay at any one place for a period of fifteen days or more, he should start saying unabridged (full) Salat.

Q.   What is the injunction about a  person who had the intention to stay for three four days, but the stay to be prolonged for another term of three four days as the job in hand could not be finished and again the process was repeated in like manner until the stay went beyond the stipulated period of fifteen days?

  As long as he does not make an intention to stay for full fifteen days at a time, he should offer shortened prayers. The provision will hold even if the total period of stay exceeds fifteen days.

Q.   What is the stipulation for one who by mistake says, full four Rak'ahs of the Salat?

  If he has done the sitting after the second Rak'ah, one remedial prostration at the end will set the Salat right. Deliberate flouting the stipulation will amount to sin. But there is no blame if it is a genuine lapse. In this case two of the Rak'ahs will be counted towards Fard while the other two will be Nafl prayers.

In case no sitting was done after the second Rak'ah, the commanded prayer will not be deemed to have been consummated. The whole exercise will turn Nafl. Fard will have to be said once again.

Q.   What is the injunction about a person on journey saying his Salat behind an on-station Imam?

  The person on journey following an on-station Imam also becomes under obligation to say full four Rak'ahs.

Q.   What is the injunction about a person on journey leading the prayers of those who are on-station?

  In this case the on-journey head of the prayer will turn his face in Salam after two Rak'ahs and ask his on-station followers to go ahead with the remaining part of their Salat without him. Others in congregation will stand on their legs without turning their faces in Salam and complete their remaining two Rak'ahs. They should neither recite Surahs after Al-Fatihah in these two Rak'ahs nor will they execute the remedial prostration in case of a lapse in Salat.

Q.   Is Salat permissible on board a running train, aeroplane or ship?

  Yes, Salat is permissible to be said on a running train, aeroplane or ship. If it is possible to stand and say the Salat without fear of feeling giddy and falling down we must do it in the standing posture. If it is not possible we are allowed to sit and say it. If, during the prayer the train, the aeroplane or the ship changes its direction so that the worshipping no longer faces the Qiblah, let him also adjust himself so that the Qiblah remains before him.