15th June 2022
السلام عليكم و رحمة الله و بركاته
Question: I hope that this email finds you well. I will be going on vacation with my husband in July for two weeks, exactly 14 days. For the second half of the trip, I will be on my menses. However, for the first half of the trip, I will not be on my menses and therefore I must pray. I heard when on vacation one is allowed to combine and shorten prayers for a certain amount of time? What is the allowable time set for this? I heard some say 4 days, some say 14 days and some say 19 days, based on hadith/ Quran, what would you think the allowable days would be?
In the name of Allāh, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
There are two parts to your query:
The first part is regarding Qasr Salahe shortening fardh prayers from four rak’aahs to two rak’aahs. If a person intends and thereafter travels the distance of more than 48 miles and intends to stay there for less than 15 days then one would perform Qasr Salāh. If the distance travelled is less than 48 miles or more but the duration of stay is more than 15 days then one must pray the full Salāh. [1]
In your case where you will be travelling for 14 days, you have not mentioned the distance you will be travelling, therefore depending on the distance of your journey, you will either pray read Qasr or full Salāh.
The second part to the query is regarding combining prayers in travel- There are two methods to combine prayers:
- The first way is known as Jama al Haqīqi– Meaning actual combine of the two prayers in one of the prayer times, for example praying Zuhr and Asr in Zuhr time or praying Maghrib and Isha in Isha According to the Hanafi school of thought this type of combining of prayers is not allowed whilst travelling, whilst other legal schools do allow it with strict conditions. Our evidence is that the only time this is allowed in is Hajj in Muzdalifa and Arafah,[2] because it has been reported in a hadith that the Messenger of Allāh sallallahu alayhi wasallam would offer his prayers at their fixed times except in Muzdalifah and ʿArafah.”[3]
- The second way is known as Jama al Suri – Apparently combining though not literally. This is done by delaying one prayer and praying it at the end of it’s prescribed time thereafter praying the next prayer at the beginning of it’s prescribed time. In this way both prayers are prayed one after each other though in their own prescribed times. According to the Hanafi school of thought this way of combining prayers is allowed.[4]
In your case, actual combining would not be allowed but apparent combining would be allowed.
[Allāh Knows Best]
Written by: Apa Sajeda Reviewed by: Mufti Abdul Waheed
Attested by: Shaykh Mufti Saiful Islam
JKN Fatawa Department
[1] Fatawa Hindiyya, Kitabus Salah, vol 1, p 139
الباب الخامس عشر في صلاة المسافر) أقل مسافة تتغير فيها الأحكام مسيرة ثلاثة أيام، كذا في التبيين، هو الصحيح، كذا في جواهر الأخلاطي الأحكام التي تتغير بالسفر هي قصر الصلاة واباحة الفطر وامتداده مدة المسح إلى ثلاثة أيام وسقوط وجوب الجمعة والعيدين والأضحية وحرمة الخروج على الحرة بغير محرم، كذا في العتابية…..
وفرض المسافر في الرباعية ركعتان، كذا في الهداية، والقصر واجب عندنا، ….
وَلَا يَزَالُ عَلَى حُكْمِ السَّفَرِ حَتَّى يَنْوِيَ الْإِقَامَةَ فِي بَلْدَةٍ أَوْ قَرْيَةٍ خَمْسَةَ عَشَرَ يَوْمًا أَوْ أَكْثَرَ،
Mabsoot Al Sarakhsi, Kitab al salah, vol 1, Pg 236
فإذا قصد مسيرة ثلاثة أيام قصر الصلاة حين تخلف عمران المصر؛ لأنه مادام في المصر فهو ناوي السفر لا مسافر
[2] Fatawa Hindiyya, Kitabus Salah, vol. 1, Pg 52
ولا يجمع بين الصلاتين في وقت واحد لا في السفر ولا في الحضر بعذر ما عدا عرفة والمزدلفة. كذا في المحيط
Fatawa Mahmoodiya, vol 5, Pg 358
Muwatta Imam Muhammad, vol 1, Pg 82
عُنْ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ , أَنَّهُ «كَتَبَ فِي الآفَاقِ، يَنْهَاهُمْ أَنْ يَجْمَعُوا بَيْنَ الصَّلاتَيْنِ، وَيُخْبِرُهُمْ أَنَّ الْجَمْعَ بَيْنَ الصَّلاتَيْنِ فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ كَبِيرَةٌ مِنَ الْكَبَائِرِ
[3] Sunnan Nasa’i, Kitabul Manasik, Babul jam’ee bayn zuhr wal alasr bi arafah, Hadeeth No. 3013
أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْمَاعِيل بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ عَنْ خَالِدٍ، عَنْ شُعْبَةَ، عَنْ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ عُمَارَةَ بْنِ عُمَيْرٍ، عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ يَزِيدَ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، قَالَ: كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُصَلِّي الصَّلَاةَ لِوَقْتِهَا، إِلَّا بِجَمْعٍ وَعَرَفَاتٍ رَفْعُ الْيَدَيْنِ فِي الدُّعَاءِ بِعَرَفَةَ
Sunan Nas’ee bi Sharhil Hafidh Jalaludeen Alsuyooti wa Hashiyatul Imam Al Sindhi, Kitabul Manasik. Vol 5, p. 213
[4]Ibn Ābideen, Shāmi, Kitāb Salah, vol 1 p. 54
ولا جمع بين فرضين في وقت بعذر) سفر ومطر خلافا للشافعي، وما رواه
محمول على الجمع فعلا، لا وقتا (فإن جمع فسد لو قدم) الفرض على وقته (وحرم لو عكس) أي أخره عنه (وإن صح) بطريق القضاء (إلا لحاج بعرفة ومزدلفة) كما سيجئ.