The Book of Shortening the Prayer When Traveling

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: ‘Abdullah ibn Idris informed us; he said: Ibn Jurayj informed us, from Ibn Abi ‘Ammar, from ‘Abdullah ibn Babayh, from Ya‘la ibn Umayyah, who said: I said to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab: “‘There is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve may harm you’—yet people are now safe.” ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “I was just as surprised as you. So I asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) about it, and he said: ‘It is a charity that Allah has given you, so accept His charity.’”

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: al-Layth narrated to us, from Ibn Shihab, from ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman, from Umayyah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Khalid, who said to ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar: “We find the prayer at home and the prayer in fear in the Quran, but we do not find the travel prayer in the Quran.” Ibn ‘Umar said to him: “Nephew, Allah, Mighty and Majestic, sent Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to us when we knew nothing. We simply do as we saw Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) do.”

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: Hushaym narrated to us, from Mansur ibn Zadhan, from Ibn Sirin, from Ibn ‘Abbas, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) left Makkah for Madinah, fearing none but the Lord of all worlds, and prayed two rak‘ahs.

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la informed us; he said: Khalid narrated to us; he said: Ibn ‘Awn narrated to us, from Muhammad, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: We traveled with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) between Makkah and Madinah, fearing none but Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and we prayed two rak‘ahs.

Ishaq ibn Ibrahim informed us; he said: al-Nadr ibn Shumayl narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Yazid ibn Khumayr, who said: I heard Habib ibn ‘Ubayd relate from Jubayr ibn Nufayr, from Ibn al-Simt, who said: I saw ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab pray two rak‘ahs at Dhu al-Hulayfah. I asked him about that, and he said: “I am only doing as I saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) do.”

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: Abu ‘Awanah narrated to us, from Yahya ibn Abi Ishaq, from Anas, who said: I set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) from Madinah to Makkah. He continued shortening the prayers until he returned and stayed there for ten days.

Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Shaqiq informed us; he said: My father informed us; he said: Abu Hamzah—namely, al-Sukkari—informed us, from Mansur, from Ibrahim, from ‘Alqamah, from ‘Abdullah, who said: I prayed two rak‘ahs while traveling with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and two rak‘ahs with Abu Bakr and two with ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both).

Humayd ibn Mas‘adah narrated to us, from Sufyan—namely, Ibn Habib—from Shu‘bah, from Zubayd, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Layla, from ‘Umar, who said: “The Friday prayer is two rak‘ahs; the Eid al-Fitr prayer is two rak‘ahs; the Eid al-Adha prayer is two rak‘ahs; and the travel prayer is two rak‘ahs—complete, not shortened—according to the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).”

Muhammad ibn Wahb informed me; he said: Muhammad ibn Salamah narrated to me; he said: Abu ‘Abd al-Rahim narrated to me; he said: Zayd narrated to me, from Ayyub—namely, Ibn ‘A’idh—from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas, from Mujahid Abu al-Hajjaj, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: “The prayers when at home were prescribed, through the words of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as four rak‘ahs; the travel prayer as two rak‘ahs; and the prayer in fear as one rak‘ah.”

Ya‘qub ibn Mahan informed us; he said: al-Qasim ibn Malik narrated to us, from Ayyub ibn ‘A’idh, from Bukayr ibn al-Akhnas, from Mujahid, from Ibn ‘Abbas, who said: “Allah, Mighty and Majestic, prescribed the prayer through the words of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): four rak‘ahs when at home, two rak‘ahs when traveling, and one rak‘ah in fear.”

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-A‘la narrated to us—in his narration from Khalid ibn al-Harith. He said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Qatadah, who said: I heard Musa—namely, Ibn Salamah—say: I asked Ibn ‘Abbas, “How should I pray in Makkah if I do not pray in congregation?” He said: “Two rak‘ahs, the practice of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him).”

Isma‘il ibn Mas‘ud informed us; he said: Yazid ibn Zuray‘ narrated to us; he said: Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: Qatadah narrated to us that Musa ibn Salamah told them: I asked Ibn ‘Abbas, “I miss the congregational prayer while I am at al-Bathha. What do you think I should pray?” He said: “Two rak‘ahs, the practice of Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him).”

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: Abu al-Ahwas narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq, from Harithah ibn Wahb al-Khuza‘i, who said: I prayed two rak‘ahs with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at Mina, when the people were at their safest and most numerous.

‘Amr ibn ‘Ali informed us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: Shu‘bah narrated to us, from Abu Ishaq. And ‘Amr ibn ‘Ali informed us; he said: Yahya ibn Sa‘id narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us; he said: Abu Ishaq informed me, from Harithah ibn Wahb, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rak‘ahs with us at Mina, when the people were at their most numerous and safest.

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: al-Layth narrated to us, from Bukayr, from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Abi Sulaym, from Anas ibn Malik, who said: I prayed two rak‘ahs at Mina with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and with Abu Bakr and ‘Umar. I prayed two rak‘ahs with ‘Uthman at the beginning of his rule.

Qutaybah narrated to us; he said: ‘Abd al-Wahid narrated to us, from al-A‘mash. Ibrahim said: I heard ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid. And Mahmud ibn Ghaylan informed us; he said: Yahya ibn Adam narrated to us; he said: Sufyan narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Ibrahim, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, from ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I prayed two rak‘ahs at Mina with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).

‘Ali ibn Khashram informed us; he said: ‘Isa narrated to us, from al-A‘mash, from Ibrahim, from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, who said: ‘Uthman prayed four rak‘ahs at Mina. When news of this reached ‘Abdullah, he said: “I prayed two rak‘ahs with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).”

‘Ubaydullah ibn Sa‘id informed us; he said: Yahya informed us, from ‘Ubaydullah, from Nafi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: I prayed two rak‘ahs at Mina with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), two rak‘ahs with Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and two rak‘ahs with ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).

Muhammad ibn Salamah informed us; he said: Ibn Wahb narrated to us, from Yunus, from Ibn Shihab, who said: ‘Ubaydullah ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar informed me, from his father, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed two rak‘ahs at Mina. Abu Bakr prayed them as two rak‘ahs, ‘Umar prayed them as two rak‘ahs, and ‘Uthman prayed them as two rak‘ahs at the beginning of his caliphate.