NAMÂZ DURING LONG–DISTANCE
JOURNEYS
If a Hanafî person goes to a place which is one hundred and
four kilometers or further, with intention to stay there less than
fifteen days, he becomes a musâfir.
Safarî or Musâfir means (a person) making a long-distance
journey. He performs two rak’ats of those prayers of fard namâz
that contain four rak’ats. If he follows a muqîm (settled, not safarî)
imâm, he performs them as four rak'ats. A settled person who
follows one who is travelling, stands up when the imâm makes the
salâm after the second rak’at, and performs two more rak’ats.
For three days plus three nights, a safarî person can make
masah on his mests. He can break his fast (before its time). If a
musâfir is comfortable enough, he should not break his fast. It is
not wâjib for him to perform the Qurbân. Friday prayer is not fard
for a safarî person.
He who sets out for a journey towards the end of the time of a
certain namâz, he performs that namâz in two rak’ats if he did not
perform it (before setting out). He who arrives at his home
towards the end of a prayer time performs four rak’ats, if he did
not perform it (during the journey).
It is stated in the book (Ni’mat-i Islâm): It is permissible to
perform the supererogatory prayers in the sitting posture even
without an excuse. When doing so, you bend for the rukû’ and
place your head on the ground for the sajda. However, if you
perform supererogatory prayers sitting, without an excuse, you
will be given only half of the thawâbs. The sunnats that are before
and after the five daily prayers of fard namâz and tarâwih prayers
are supererogatory. Anybody, whether settled or safarî, whether
with an excuse or not, may perform a supererogatory namâz while
sitting on the back of an animal as it walks as well as when it stands
still, as long as they are outside of a town or village. It is not
necessary to turn towards the qibla when beginning or while
performing namâz, it is not necessary to make rukû' or sajda. He
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performs the namâz by signs. That is, he bends for the rukû’ and
he bends more for the sajda. Even if there is a great deal of najâsat
on the animal, the namâz will be acceptable. Anyone who becomes
tired while performing a supererogatory namâz may perform it
leaning on a walking stick, another human or wall. It will not be
acceptable to perform namâz while he himself is walking; walking
nullifies namâz.
It is not permissible to perform a namâz that is fard or wâjib on
an animal, unless there is a darûrat. They can only perform it if
there is a good excuse. Examples of a darûrat that makes up a
good excuse are: hazard to one’s belongings, life, or animal,
likelihood that one’s animal or one’s belongings that one is
keeping on one’s animal or on oneself may be stolen in case one
dismounts the animal, perils such as wild animals and enemy
attacks, inconveniences such as mud on the ground and heavy rain,
illness that may worsen or linger on account of the physical toil of
dismounting and remounting the animal, an exposed position
wherein one will be left by one’s companions in case they should
not wait for one, and an apprehension of inability to remount the
animal without a helping hand if one should dismount it. When
performing a namâz that is fard or wâjib, it is necessary to get the
animal to turn towards the qibla. If one cannot manage it, one
must at least do one’s best. Performing namâz on the two chests
called Mahmil (litter) that are on an animal is like performing it on
the animal itself. If the legs of the mahmil are lowered down to the
ground, it serves as a divan. In that case it becomes permissible for
him to perform the fard standing on it. He must perform it
standing towards the Qibla. A person who is able to dismount,
cannot perform the fard namâz on a mahmil.
Rasûlullah 'alaihis-salâm taught Hadrat Ja'far Tayyâr how to
perform namâz on a ship, before he went to Abyssinia. That is: On
a sailing ship, one may perform a fard or wâjib namâz even if he
has no 'udhr. A namâz can be performed in a jamâ'at on a boat. It
is not permissible to perform a namâz with signs on a sailing ship.
He must make ruku' and sajda. He must turn towards the Qibla.
When he starts namâz, he stays towards the Qibla. While the boat
changes its direction, he also turns towards the Qibla. It is
necessary to purify oneself from substances which Islam prescribes
as unclean, for a person on a boat too. According to Imâm-i a’zam,
on a sailing ship, it is permissible to perform the fard namâz sitting
without a good excuse.
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A ship anchored at sea is like a sailing ship, if it is rolling badly
from the waves. If it is rolling slightly, like a ship alongside the
shore, it is not permissible to perform the fard namâz sitting. If a
ship has run aground, it is always permissible to perform namâz, by
standing. If the ship is not stranded, and it is possible to get off, it
is not permissible to perform the fard namâz on it. If his life or his
properties are in danger, or the ship may move and leave him on
land, it will be permissible for him to perform the namâz on the
ship, by standing.
Ibn Âbidîn says: (Since a two-wheeled cart cannot remain level
on the ground unless it is tied to an animal, it is like an animal both
when moving and when still. Any carriage with four wheels, which
can remain level, is like a divan, if it is not in motion. If the carriage
is moving, under the above mentioned conditions of good excuses,
it is permissible to perform the fard on it. One must stop it and
perform namâz by standing towards the qibla. If you cannot stop
it, you must perform namâz as if you were on a sailing ship.) He
who cannot turn toward the Qibla during the journey must imitate
Shâfi’î Madhhab as long as they travel, and perform the late
afternoon prayer together with the early afternoon prayer and the
night prayer together with the evening prayer, one immediately
after the other. If this also is impossible, he does not have to turn
towards the Qibla. It is not permissible for anyone to perform the
namâz by signs, while sitting on a divan or on a chair, with ones
legs hanging down. Performing a namâz on a bus or on an airplane
is like performing a namâz on a carriage.
One must not perform a namâz that is fard or wâjib on an
animal unless there is a darûrat. You must stop vehicles and
perform namâz standing towards the qibla. For this reason, one
must take necessary measures before getting on that vehicle.
A musâfir travelling on a ship or train must begin the fard
namâz standing towards the Qibla and put a compass somewhere
near the place he will prostrate. He must turn towards the Qibla as
the ship or train changes direction. If the chest turns away from the
qibla, the namâz becomes nullified. Since the fard namâz of those
who cannot turn toward the Qibla on buses, on trains, on ships
when the sea is rough will not be acceptable, they can imitate
Maliki or Shâfi’î Madhhab as long as they travel, and combine
their prayers by performing the late afternoon prayer immediately
after performing the early afternoon prayer (any time during those
two prayer times), and the night prayer together with the evening
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prayer (any time during those two prayer times). According to the
Maliki and Shâfi’î Madhhab, in a safar (long distance journey)
which is a distance of more than eighty kilometres, taqdîm, which
means to perform late afternoon prayer immediately after early
afternoon prayer in the time of the early afternoon prayer or to
perform night prayer immediately after evening prayer in the time
of the evening prayer, and ta’khîr, which means to postpone early
afternoon prayer till the time of the late afternoon prayer and
perform them together or to perform evening and night prayers
likewise, are permissible. Likewise, if a person in Hanafî Madhhab
will not be able to turn towards the Qibla on the way after starting
the journey, he must perform late afternoon prayer immediately
after performing early afternoon prayer at the time of the early
afternoon prayer when they stop somewhere for some time during
the day, and perform evening prayer and night prayer together at
the time of the night prayer when they stop somewhere during the
night, and when intending to start each of those four prayers he
must intend, that is, pass through his heart the thought: “I am
performing it by imitating Maliki or Shâfi’î Madhhab.” One must
not perform namâzes of two adjacent times together before or
after making a long distance journey.
NAMÂZ DURING ILLNESS
If something that breaks an ablution comes out of the body
constantly, this is called an ’udhr (excuse). Having an excuse
requires that something is breaking the ablution continuously. For
example, if one of the causes breaking an ablution exists
continuously, such as secretion of urine, incontinent wind-
breaking, diarrhea, nose bleeding, the issuing of blood and pus
from a wound, the oozing of tears from the eyes because of some
pain, the blood of istihâda (menstruation), if it lasts from the
beginning till the end of any prescribed prayer, one becomes a
person with an excuse. One must stop these by putting something
in the canals, by taking a medicine, by performing namâz sitting or
with signs. Those men who have difficulty with istibrâ (secretion of
urine) must put a cellulosic cotton wick as big as a barley seed into
the urinary hole. If it is only a little, the cotton will absorb the urine
oozing out, which will prevent the ablution from being broken.
While urinating, this cotton will go out automatically. If the urine
oozes a lot, most of it will pass through the cotton wick, in this case,
the ablution will be broken. The oozed urine must not make the
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underwear dirty. Every woman must always put kursuf (some
cotton or cloth) on her front. If they can not stop the oozing, they
must take an ablution in each prescribed prayer time and perform
the namâz. With this ablution, they perform as many fard, qadâ
and supererogatory prayers of namâz as they like. They can hold
the Qur’ân al-karîm. When the prescribed time of namâz is over,
their ablution is broken automatically. The continuous excuse of a
person does not break his ablution within a prayer time. However,
it will be broken by another cause. For example, one has
performed an ablution while blood came from one of the nostrils.
Then, his other nostril bleeds too. In this case, his ablution will be
nullified. Having an excuse requires that something is breaking the
ablution continuously over a prayer time. If it stops during a
period, sufficient to take an ablution and perform the namâz, that
person will not be with 'udhr. According to a second report in the
Mâlikî Madhhab, for having an ’udhr [excuse], it will suffice if the
involuntary emission, which is a result of some illness and which
breaks an ablution, occurs only once. If the excuse of a person who
has an excuse oozes once and only for a little while during the time
of each following prayer of namâz, his excuse will be considered to
be continuing. If it never oozes within the time of any namâz, that
is, if any time of namâz elapses without an excuse from the
beginning to the end, the person will no longer be in the state of
having an excuse. If it is expected that one dirham of blood or the
like, when washed, will not spread again until the namâz is
performed, it is wâjib to wash it.
If a Muslim knows, from his personal experiences or upon the
advice of a specialist Muslim doctor who does not openly and
publicly commit sins, that making a ghusl would exacerbate or
prolong his illness, then he is allowed to make a tayammum. This
fear must be confirmed by his own experience or by a diagnosis of
a judicious Muslim physician. If the physician is not known for
being fisq (departed from Islam) or committing sins, his word will
be accepted. If it is cold, and not being able to find
accommodations, or something to heat the water, or not having
money for a public bath, and can result in illness, then it is allowed
to make a tayammum. In the Hanafî Madhhab, one can perform
fard prayers as many as one wishes with one tayammum. However,
according to the Shâfi'î and Mâliki Madhhabs, he must make a
new tayammum for each fard namâz.
If more than half of all his limbs of ablution or three or all four
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of his limbs of ablution are wounded, he makes a tayammum. If
more than half of his limbs of ablution or two of his four limbs of
ablution are healthy, he makes an ablution and applies masah on
the wounded parts or limbs. If more than half of the surface of a
junub person’s body has a disease, such as a wound, small-pox or
scarlet fever, he makes a tayammum. If a major part of his skin is
healthy and if it is possible to wash himself without moistening the
diseased parts, he makes a ghusl with water and makes masah on
the diseased parts. If direct masah would be harmful, he makes
masah on the bandages (that he has put on the wounds). If this is
harmful also, he must omit the masah. If masah on one's head will
be harmful to him in an ablution or ghusl, he must not make masah
on his head. “If a persons skin is chapped, has eczema or some
other wound on one or both of his hands so that it is harmful to
moisten them, he makes tayammum by rubbing his arms and face
on some soil [earthen or stone] . If there is a wound on his face, he
performs namâz without an ablution in order not to miss namâz.
Anyone who is not able to perform an ablution by himself and who
can not find a helper to perform it, must make a tayammum. One's
children, slave or a servant that works for wages, have to help. He
can also ask for help from others. However, they do not have to
help him. Also, a wife or a husband, do not have to assist the other
to perform an ablution.
In cases where a person puts bandage [cotton, gauze, plaster,
ointment] on or in a wound, boil, or bone fractures, putting leeches
on the skin, blood drawing etc., and he cannot wash those affected
parts with cold or warm water and he cannot make masah on them,
either: It is acceptable to make masah on more than half of it in an
ablution and ghusl. If undressing the bandage will be harmful,
healthy parts under it are not washed. A masah will be made on
the healthy skin seen through the bandage. It is not necessary to
dress the bandage while one is with ablution. If the bandage is
changed after masah or a new bandage is dressed over it, it will not
be necessary to make masah on the new one.
Also, if an ill person who cannot stay upright or who has a
strong conviction that standing will delay his healing, he performs
namâz sitting. He sits upright, he bends his body a bit for the ruku',
he sits upright again, he bends his body a little further to make two
sajdas. Such people may sit on the floor in a manner that comes
easy to them; kneeling, cross legged, or knees drawn up with arms
folded round the legs or else wise. Pains in the head, knee, or eye
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are counted as illnesses. The fear of being seen by the enemy is
also an ’udhr. He whose ablution or fast is nullified by standing,
must perform his namâz sitting. An invalid person who can stand
upright only by leaning on something must perform his namâz
standing in this manner. If a person cannot stay upright long, he
must say the takbîr of iftitâh standing, and when his pain starts, he
may continue his namâz sitting.
He who cannot make a sajda on the ground says the required
amount of the Qur'ân al-karîm standing, then he sits down and
makes signs for the ruku' and sajda. In other words, performing
namâz sitting, he bends a little for the rukû’ and bends even more
for the sajda. He who cannot bend his body must bend his head
instead. It is not necessary for him to make sajda on something. If
he himself or someone else holds something up, and he makes the
sajda on it, his namâz will be sahîh, but it is tahrîmî makrûh. In fact,
if that thing is not lower than his bending for the rukû’, his namâz
will not be sahîh. It is not permissable to lay and perform namâz
by making signs, if one is able to sit even by leaning on something.
One day Rasûlullah ‘sall-Allâhu ’alaihi wa sallam’ visited an
invalid person. When he saw that the person lifted up a pillow and
made the sajda on it, he removed the pillow. This time the sick
person picked up a piece of wood and made the sajda on it.
Rasûlullah removed the piece of wood, too, and stated: (Make the
sajda on the floor if you can! If you cannot bend down to the floor
do not lift something up to your face to make sajda on it! Perform
the namâz by signs and for the sajda bend more than you do for
the rukû’!) According to the report written in the book (Bahru'r-
Râıq), in the one hundred ninety first âyat-i karîma of the sûra of
Âl-i Imrân, it is purported: (He who is able, performs the namâz
standing. He who is too ill to stand, performs namâz sitting. He
who is unable to do that, performs it lying.) When Imrân bin
Husayn became ill, Rasûlullah 'alaihis-salâm told him (Perform
your namâz standing! If you are not able to do that, perform it
sitting! If you are not able to do even this, perform your namâz
lying on your side or back!) Hence, an invalid person who cannot
stand performs his namâz sitting. He who can not sit performs his
namâz lying. Performing namaz sitting on a chair or seat is not
permissible. It is not in accordance with Islam, for an ill person or
a passenger in a bus or on an airplane to perform namâz sitting on
a chair or seat. Those who can not perform namâz standing in
congregation, must make his namâz standing in his home instead.
There are twenty acceptable excuses for not going to a mosque to
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It is better to go to and return from a mosque by walking,
rather than riding a vehicle. It is not permissible to sit on a chair or
seat in the mosque and perform namâz by making signs. It is
(bid'at) to make a worship in a manner not communicated by
Islam. It is written in fiqh books that committing a bid'at is a grave
sin.
An invalid person who cannot sit, even by leaning on
something, performs his namâz with his head (by moving, nodding
etc., his head) by lying down on his back, or if this is not possible
by lying down on his right side. If he cannot turn towards the qibla,
he must perform it towards a direction easy to him. A pillow must
be put under his head so that his face will be towards the qibla. It
is good for him to upright his knees. If an ill person cannot perform
the namâz even by making signs with his head, it will be
permissible for him to leave it to qadâ. If a person becomes ill in a
namâz and cannot perform it in its prescribed manner, he must
continue it as best he can. If a patient who performs namâz sitting
becomes healthy, he must continue the namâz standing. Those
who become unconscience do not perform namâz. If he recovers
before five times of namâz passes by, he must make qadâ of them.
If he recovers after six or more times of namâz passes by, he does
not have to make qadâ of them.
It is fard to urgently make qadâ of an unperformed namâz,
even if by making signs. If he is in his death bed before making
qadâ of his unperformed namâzes, it becomes wâjib for him to
enjoin in his will that fidya be given for the isqât of them from the
money he leaves behind. If he does not enjoin it in his will, some
savants said it will be permissible for his survivors or for a stranger
(by proxy from the survivors) to make isqât from their own
property.
OMITTED PRAYERS
Being an ’Ibâdat-i badaniyya (physical worship), namâz cannot
be performed on behalf of someone else. Everyone has to perform
it themselves. Performing any kind of namâz in its prescribed time
is called adâ. Performing any namâz for the second time is named
iâda. For example, a namâz performed as makrûh must be re-
performed before its due time lapses. If this is not possible, it must
be re-performed another time. This is wâjib. If a fard or wâjib
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namâz is not performed in its time, performing it after its
prescribed time is over is named qadâ.
When performing the fard part of the five daily prayers and the
namâz of Witr and when making qadâ of them, it is fard to observe
the tartîb. That is, when performing namâz it is necessary to
perform them in accordance with their usual sequence. Having
tartîb means not having any debt of more than five qadâ namâzes.
Also the fard of Friday prayer must be performed at the time of
the day’s early afternoon prayer. A person who cannot wake up
for morning prayer has to make qadâ of it as soon as he remembers
it, even if he remembers it during the khutba (of Friday prayer).
Unless a person performs a prayer or makes qadâ of it, it is not
permissible for him to perform the five prayers that follow it. A
hadîth-i sherîf declares: (If a person who has over-slept or
forgotten a prayer, remembers it while performing the following
prayer in jamâ’at, he must finish the prayer together with the
imâm and then make qadâ of the previous prayer! Then he must
again perform the one that he has performed with the imâm!)
It is fard to make qadâ of a fard. It is wâjib to make qadâ of a
wâjib. We are not commanded to make qadâ of a sunnat namâz
that we have failed to perform within its correct time. As the
savants of the Hanafî Madhhab unanimously declare, “Obligation
to perform prayers of namâz that are in the category of sunnat is
binding only within their dictated periods of time. Those sunnat
prayers not performed within the time allotted to them are not
debts that must be paid. So, we have not been commanded to
make qadâ of them. However, since the sunnat of morning prayer
verges on to wâjib, when it cannot be performed in time, it is
performed together with its fard before noon the same day. The
sunnat of the morning prayer cannot be made qadâ after noon
time passes, and the sunnats of other prayers can never be made