Qaṣr
[shortening Ṣalāh] is Wājib
It is Wājib for a traveller to do
Qaṣr in Ṣalāh [offer shortened Ṣalāh]. That is, the four Rak'āt Farḍ Ṣalāh
[like Ẓuhr, 'Aṣr and 'Ishā] must be reduced to two Rak'āt. For a traveller,
these two Rak'āt are complete Ṣalāh. If he offered four Rak'āt intentionally
and sat for Qa'dah after the second Rak'at, then his Farḍ would get offered and
the last two Rak'āt would be considered as Nafl but he would be a sinner,
deserving hellfire because a Wājib would get missed. Therefore, he must repent
of it.
If he did not sit for Qa'dah after
the second Rak'at, then his Farḍ would not get offered and all four Rak'āt
would be deemed as Nafl. However, if he made the intention of residing [for the
next fifteen days] before he performed the Sajdaĥ of the third Rak'at, his Farḍ
would be valid, but he would have to repeat the Qiyām and Rukū' of the third
Rak'at. And if he made this intention during the Sajdaĥ of the third Rak'at,
then his Farḍ would become invalid. Similarly, if he did not do Qirā`at in any
of or both the first two Rak'āt, his Ṣalāh would be invalid.
(Bahār-e-Sharī'at,
vol. 1, pp. 743; 'Ālamgīrī, vol. 1, pp. 139)
Rulings
on Ṣalāh started with intention of four Rak'āt instead of Qaṣr
If a traveller made the intention of
offering four Rak'āt Farḍ Ṣalāh [Instead of Qaṣr [shortened Ṣalāh] by mistake
but realized it during the Ṣalāh and offered Salām after two Rak'at, his Ṣalāh
would be valid. Similarly, if a resident made the intention of offering two
Rak'āt of Farḍ instead of four but completed four Rak'āt and offered Salām
afterwards, his Ṣalāh would be valid.
The honourable scholars of Islamic
jurisprudence رَحِمَهُمُ اللّٰہُ تَعَالٰی
have stated: It is not necessary to specify the number of Rak'āt when making
the intention of offering Ṣalāh as it is implicit. Hence, a mistake in the
specification of the number of Rak'āt during the intention does not affect
Ṣalāh.
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol.
2, pp. 120)
Travelling
Imām and resident Muqtadī (follower)
[When offering Ṣalāh with Jamā'at]
it is also an essential requirement for the follower to know whether the Imām
is a traveller or a resident so that his act of following the Imām in Ṣalāh can
be valid. It does not matter whether the follower knows it at the time of the
commencement of Ṣalāh or afterwards. Therefore, the Imām should announce that
he is a traveller before he starts leading the Ṣalāh. If he did not make the
announcement at the beginning of Ṣalāh, he should do afterwards in these words:
'I am a traveller. All resident Islamic brothers should complete their Ṣalāh'
[i.e. offer complete four Rak'āt].
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol.
2, pp. 735)
If he has already announced at the
beginning, even then he should announce that he is a traveller after the Ṣalāh
so that those who were not present at the beginning of Ṣalāh will also come to
know about it. If it is obvious that the Imām is a traveller then post-Ṣalāh
announcement is only Mustaḥab.
(Bahār-e-Sharī'at,
vol. 1, pp. 749)
Resident
follower and remaining two Rak'āt
When completing their remaining
Ṣalāh after the Imām who is a traveller has offered the Salām of shortened
Ṣalāh, the followers should stand silent in the third and fourth Rak'at of Farḍ
for as long as it normally takes to recite Sūraĥ Al-Fātiḥaĥ instead of reciting
it.
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol.
2, pp. 735; Derived from: Bahār-e-Sharī'at, part 1, pp. 748)
Are
travellers exempted from offering Sunnaĥ Ṣalāh?
During the journey, Sunnaĥ Ṣalāh are
not shortened but rather will be offered completely. If the traveller is in the
state of fear or anxiety, he is exempted from offering Sunnaĥ Ṣalāh but he is
required to offer it when in peace.
('Ālamgīrī, vol. 1,
pp. 139)
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰہ
تَعَالٰی عَلٰی مُحَمَّد
In
connection with five letters of 'Ṣalāĥ', five Madanī pearls about offering Nafl
Ṣalāĥ on a moving conveyance
1. [For a traveller who has travelled]
outside the city, ('outside the city' refers to the place from where Qaṣr
becomes Wājib for a traveller), one can offer Nafl Ṣalāĥ while riding a
conveyance (e.g. a moving car, bus, or van). In this condition, facing the
direction of Qiblaĥ is not a pre-condition) and the traveller must face the
direction towards which the conveyance is moving. If he does not face this
direction, then the Ṣalāĥ will not be permissible. Facing the Qiblaĥ is not a
condition even at the time of the beginning of Ṣalāĥ. He is required to face
the direction towards which the conveyance is moving, and to perform Rukū' and
Sujūd by gestures. (It is also necessary that the motion for Sajdaĥ should be
lower than that of the Rukū' (i.e. one has to bend more for Sajdaĥ than for
Rukū').
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, Rad-dul-Muḥtār,
vol. 2, pp. 588; Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 671 )
2. If there is enough space on a
conveyance like a moving train etc., then one will have to offer Nafl Ṣalāĥ
while facing the Qiblaĥ as usual.
3. After a villager has been out of his
village, he can offer Nafl Ṣalāĥ on the conveyance.
(Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol.
2, pp. 588)
4. If one began Ṣalāĥ outside the city,
in a conveyance, but entered the city while still offering Ṣalāĥ, he could
complete his Ṣalāĥ until he reaches his house.
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol.
2, pp. 589)
5. In a moving vehicle, without a
Shar'ī exemption, one cannot offer any Farḍ, Sunnaĥ of Fajr, and Wājib Ṣalāĥ
and cannot also perform the Sajdaĥ of recitation provided the verse of Sajdaĥ
was recited on the ground. The Wājib Ṣalāĥ includes the Witr, the vowed [Nażr]
Ṣalāĥ, or the Nafl Ṣalāĥ that was invalidated after being started. If there is
a Shar'ī exemption then it is a condition that all the above-mentioned should
be offered while standing and facing the Qiblaĥ, if possible, otherwise [i.e.
if it is impossible then] in any possible manner.
(Bahār-e-Sharī'at,
vol. 1, pp. 673 )
صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبِ ۞ صَلَّى اللّٰہ
تَعَالٰی عَلٰی مُحَمَّد
