The prayer of the traveller and the sick

Prayer is never removed, but Allah lightens it when the situation requires: "Be mindful of Allah as much as you are able" (meaning of part of verse 64:16).

The traveller: shortening (al-qaṣr) "When you travel through the land, there is no blame on you for shortening the prayer" (meaning of part of verse 4:101). Listen to the verse in the recitation block. 'Umar was surprised that people still shortened when there was no longer any danger; the Prophet ﷺ answered: "It is a charity that Allah has given you: accept His charity" (Muslim 686). • Only the 4-rak'a prayers are shortened: Dhuhr, 'Asr and 'Ishaa' are prayed as 2 rak'as. Fajr (2) and Maghrib (3) do not change. • Shortening is an obligation for the Hanafis, an emphasised sunna or a permission for the other schools [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • The distance from which one shortens (about 80 km for the majority, depending on the calculation) and the length of stay after which one prays in full again (more than four days for the majority, fifteen days for the Hanafis) [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • Shortening begins once you have left your town. Behind a resident imam, pray in full as he does (Muslim 688) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro] [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche].

The traveller: combining (al-jam') When travelling, the Prophet ﷺ combined Dhuhr with 'Asr, and Maghrib with 'Ishaa', either at the time of the first or at the time of the second (Bukhari 1106, 1111; Muslim 703, 704). Fajr is never combined, nor 'Asr with Maghrib. • Combining is permitted when travelling for the majority; the Hanafis accept it only at 'Arafa and Muzdalifa, during the pilgrimage [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • Combining for a real need outside travel (heavy rain, illness, an exceptional situation) has been reported (Muslim 705); the conditions [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • Sunnas while travelling: the Prophet ﷺ kept the two rak'as before Fajr and witr, and generally left the others.

The sick 'Imraan ibn Ḥuṣayn, who suffered from haemorrhoids, asked the Prophet ﷺ, who told him: "Pray standing; if you cannot, sitting; if you cannot, on your side" (Bukhari 1117). • Someone who cannot stand prays sitting, on the floor or on a chair, and makes the bow and prostration by leaning forward, the prostration lower than the bow. • Someone who cannot sit prays lying down, on the right side facing the qibla, or on the back with the feet towards the qibla, making signs with the head [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • As long as the mind is present, the prayer remains due, even through simple signs; someone who loses consciousness for a long time: [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • If water causes harm, make tayammum (lesson 5). If you cannot face the qibla or wash yourself, pray as you can. • The sick may combine prayers if praying each one at its time is very hard for them, according to several schools [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche]. • Praying on a chair without a real reason, when you can stand or prostrate, is not valid for the obligatory prayer.

Exercise: before your next journey, note on your phone: which prayers are shortened, which can be combined, and how to find the qibla and the times where you are going.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation These concessions show that prayer goes with the believer everywhere: on a journey, in hospital, in bed. Allah says: "Allah wants ease for you, He does not want hardship for you" (meaning of part of verse 2:185). Taking these concessions is not "doing less": it is following the Sunna. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah loves that His concessions be taken, just as He hates that His prohibitions be committed" (Ahmad 5866) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. Ease does have limits, however: only the 4-rak'a prayers are shortened, only two specific pairs are combined, and one prays sitting only if standing is truly difficult. The precise rules (distances, durations, conditions) vary between the schools: this is the area where the imam's view is most useful. For the sick, it also helps to talk with your doctor: what is dangerous for health (water, effort, fasting) justifies the concession. Common mistakes: not praying while travelling "because it is complicated"; shortening Maghrib or Fajr; continuing to shorten months after settling somewhere; thinking that a bedridden patient is exempt from all prayer. Points where the schools differ: the status of shortening; the distance of travel; the length of stay; combining outside the pilgrimage (rejected by the Hanafis); combining for rain or illness; the position of a sick person praying lying down; the prayers of someone who lost consciousness; a traveller behind a resident imam [À VÉRIFIER : les écoles diffèrent, l'imam tranche].

Lessons to draw from it • When travelling: shorten the 4-rak'a prayers, combine if needed, but always pray. • When travelling, keep the two rak'as before Fajr and witr. • When ill: pray according to your ability, standing, sitting or lying down. • Ask the imam which distances and durations the centre follows.

Key points to remember • Qaṣr: Dhuhr, 'Asr and 'Ishaa' as 2 rak'as; Fajr and Maghrib unchanged (4:101; Muslim 686). • Jam': Dhuhr with 'Asr, Maghrib with 'Ishaa' (Bukhari 1106; Muslim 703). • The sick: standing, otherwise sitting, otherwise on the side (Bukhari 1117). • "Be mindful of Allah as much as you are able" (64:16).

The main message Whether on the road or in bed, prayer remains the daily link with Allah: He made it lighter so that we would never leave it.