QUESTION:

What is the ruling for travellers Salah for instance if you are away from home and you pray the full prayer rather than shortening it are you sinful?

ANSWER:

وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ

“When you travel on the earth it is no fault on you if you shorten prayer.”

[Surah Nisa 4 : 101]

It is wājib according to the Hanafi school for a traveller to perform qasr (shorten his prayer). This is understood to mean that a traveller must perform two rak’āts fardh as opposed to four rak’āts.
If a traveller deliberately performs four rak’āt namāz (for example with the intention of achieving more reward) and sat for qa’dah after the second rak’āt then his fardh is fulfilled and the last two rak’āt are counted as nafl (supererogatory) but he will be a sinner and deserve punishment as he has forgone a wājib. It is necessary for such a person to repent.

In the event that the traveller did not sit for qad’ah after the second rak’āt then his fardh have not been fulfilled and all four rak’āt will be counted as nafl. The exception to this is:-

  • If he made intention for residing [for a period of the next fifteen days] before the sajdah [prostration] of the third rak’āt then his fard will not be voided but he will have to revert back to the standing position of qiyām and should repeat the ruku [bowing postion] for his third rak’āt. If however, his intention was made during the sajdah of the third rak’āt or after this, then his fardh are void and null. Similarly if he omitted recitation in any of his first two rak’āt his prayer will be void.

If a traveller made an intention to offer four rak’āt of fard instead of qasr [shorten prayer] and thereafter realised and offered salām after two rak’āt, his prayer has been accomplished. To make an error in specifying the number of rak’āt in the intention in not harmful and the prayer is still valid.

[Al Durr al Mukhtār]

Allāh knows best.

Answered by Shaykh Naveed Jameel ash-Shaami

Also see:

[Q-ID0070] Traveller scenario [1]: my journey exceeds 57.5 miles including the return, do I shorten my prayers?

[Q-ID0404] Traveller scenario [2]: I live in Manchester but study in London where do I shorten my prayers?

[Q-ID0660] Traveller scenario [3]: I am travelling to Pakistan, do I shorten my prayers?

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