Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer)

Musa ibn Isma‘il narrated to us; he said: Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us, from ‘Asim and Husayn, from ‘Ikrimah, from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed nineteen days, shortening the prayers. When we travelled for nineteen days, we shortened them; if we stayed longer, we completed them.

Abu Ma‘mar narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Warith narrated to us; he said: Yahya ibn Abi Ishaq narrated to us; he said: I heard Anas say: We went with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) from Madinah to Makkah, and he would pray two units at a time until we returned to Madinah. I asked: ‘Did you stay in Makkah for any time?’ He said: ‘We stayed there for ten days.’

Musaddad narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us, from ‘Ubayd Allah, who said: Nafi‘ informed me, from ‘Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I prayed two units at Mina with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar; and with ‘Uthman during the early part of his rule. Then he completed the prayers.

Abu al-Walid narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us; Abu Ishaq informed us; he said: I heard Harithah ibn Wahb say: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer at Mina in secure conditions, praying two units.

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Wahid narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, who said: Ibrahim narrated to us; he said: I heard ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid say: ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in a four-unit prayer at Mina. This was reported to ‘Abd Allah ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said, seeking refuge with Allah: ‘I prayed two units at Mina with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), two units with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and two units with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him). If only my share of the four units were two accepted units.’

Musa ibn Isma‘il narrated to us; he said: Wuhayb narrated to us; he said: Ayyub narrated to us, from Abu al-‘Aliyah al-Bara’, from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions arrived on the morning of the fourth, proclaiming the talbiyah for Hajj. He instructed them to make it an ‘umrah, except whoever had a sacrificial offering with him. ‘Ata’ also reported this from Jabir.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanzali said: I asked Abu Usamah: ‘Did ‘Ubayd Allah narrate to you, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “A woman should not travel for three days except with a mahram”?’

Musaddad narrated to us; he said: Yahya narrated to us, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘A woman should not travel for three days except with a mahram.’ Ahmad also corroborated it, from Ibn al-Mubarak, from ‘Ubayd Allah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

Adam narrated to us; he said: Ibn Abi Dhi’b narrated to us; he said: Sa‘id al-Maqburi narrated to us, from his father, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘It is not lawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel the distance of a day and a night without a mahram.’ Yahya ibn Abi Kathir, Suhayl, and Malik also corroborated it, from al-Maqburi, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him).

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I prayed the Zuhr prayer with the Prophet in Madinah, four rak‘ahs, and at Dhu al-Hulayfah, two rak‘ahs.

‘A’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: When prayer was first prescribed, it was two rak‘ahs. The prayer while travelling was retained as it was, and the prayer while resident was completed. Al-Zuhri said: I asked ‘Urwah, ‘Why does ‘A’ishah pray the full number?’ He replied, ‘She interpreted the matter as ‘Uthman interpreted it.’

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: I saw the Messenger of Allah, when travel hurried him on a journey, delay the Maghrib prayer until he combined it with the ‘Isha prayer. Salim said: ‘Abdullah used to do this when travel hurried him. Al-Layth added: Yunus told me, from Ibn Shihab, that Salim said: Ibn ‘Umar used to combine the Maghrib and ‘Isha prayers at Muzdalifah. Salim said: Ibn ‘Umar delayed the Maghrib prayer when an urgent summons came concerning his wife Safiyyah bint Abi ‘Ubayd. I said to him, ‘The prayer!’ He replied, ‘Go on.’ I said again, ‘The prayer!’ He replied, ‘Go on,’ until he had travelled two or three miles. Then he dismounted and prayed, and said, ‘This is how I saw the Prophet pray when travel hurried him.’ ‘Abdullah added: I saw the Prophet, when travel hurried him, delay the Maghrib prayer, pray three rak‘ahs, and say the salām. He would scarcely wait before the iqama for ‘Isha was given; then he would pray two rak‘ahs and say the salām. He would perform no voluntary prayer after ‘Isha until he rose in the middle of the night.

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amir reported from his father: I saw the Prophet praying on his riding mount in whatever direction it carried him.

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah reported that the Prophet used to perform voluntary prayers while riding, facing a direction other than the qiblah.

Nafi‘ said: Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to pray while riding his mount and perform the witr prayer on it. He reported that the Prophet used to do the same.

‘Abdullah ibn Dinar said: When travelling, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to pray on his mount, making gestures wherever it faced. He said that the Prophet used to do the same.

‘Amir ibn Rabi‘ah said: I saw the Messenger of Allah on his mount performing voluntary prayer, gesturing with his head in whatever direction he faced. The Messenger of Allah did not do this in the obligatory prayer.

Al-Layth said: Yunus told me, from Ibn Shihab, that Salim said: ‘Abdullah used to pray at night on his riding animal while travelling, without concern for which direction it faced. Ibn ‘Umar said: The Messenger of Allah used to perform voluntary prayers on his mount facing whichever direction it went, and he would pray witr on it; however, he did not perform the obligatory prayer on it.

Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah reported that the Prophet used to pray on his mount facing east. When he wanted to perform an obligatory prayer, he dismounted and faced the qiblah.