Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam, it is a very important of the faith. The Holy Quran repeatedly commands the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental character of a believer. The benefits of salat are countless.
Salat strengthens man's spiritual faculties. It is the best way to form a relationship with one's Creator. It purifies one's spirit, and through it protects a muslim from evil.
God created man to worship Him and salat is the most excellent kind of worship.
The Holy Quran says:
"Recite that which has been revealed to thee of the Book, and observe Prayer. Surely, Prayer restrains one from indecency and manifest evil, and remembrance of Allah indeed is the greatest virtue. And Allah knows what you do." (29:46)
Abu Hurairah ( may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he heard the Holy Prophet ( peace and blessings be on him) say:
"Tell me, if one of you had a stream running at his door and he took a bath in it five times a day, would any dirt be left upon him? He was answered: No dirt would be left on him. The Holy Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) observed: This is the case of the five prayers. Allah wipes out all faults in because of them." (Bukhari)
Jabir ( may Allah be pleased with him) relates that he heard the Holy Prophet ( peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:
"Giving up prayer is equal to disbelief and associating partners with Allah." (Muslim)
Five Daily Prayers
Salat, the obligatory Muslim prayer, is said at appointed times fixed in relation to the sun's position. The time of Fajr, the morning prayer begins at dawn and ends just before sunrise. The time of Zuhr, the midday prayer, begins after the sun has crossed the zenith point and has begun to decline. The Asr prayer is said when the sun has further advanced in decline, in the late afternoon. The time of the Maghrib prayer begins immediately after sunset. It lasts till dusk. The Isha prayer can be said after dusk has finally disappeared, giving way to darkness of the night.
QASR PRAYER
The Shari'ah defines a traveller (Musafir) as a person who leaves his
village or area with an intention of travelling for a distance of three
days. (Note: On dry ground the measurement is taken as miles and the total
amount of miles are fifty seven and a half {57.5} [Fatawa-e-Razvia,
Bahar-e-Shariat].)
Distance of Travel and the application of Qasr (shortening)
Rule: A clear route on dry ground for a distance of 57.5 miles is covered in
a car or train in less than an hour but according to Shari'ah it is still
regarded as a journey and the rules of Qasr and other journey rules will
apply [Radd-ul-Mohtar].
Rule: Not only is an intention of travelling sufficient, but one has to
leave the area. If it is a city then to leave the city; if it is a town, to
leave the town and if it is a city then not only the city but it’s
associated landmarks after which the journey has begun [Durr-e-Mukhtar,
Radd-ul-Mohtar].
Rule: If the station is outside the area, then the journey will begin on
reaching the station as long the intention to travel for a ‘journey’ has
been made.
Rule: It is also necessary for a traveller to make the intention of a
distance of more than three days (57.5 miles) from where he starts and if he
makes the intention to travel for a distance of two days and then from there
he made the intention of travelling another two days distance he will not be
a traveller even though he may travel the whole world in this
manner[Durr-e-Mukhtar].
Rule: It is also necessary for a person to make the intention of travelling
for a continuous distance of three days, meaning that if a person made the
intention of travelling two days and then stopping and doing some work and
then travelled for another day this would not be counted as a journey
[Fatawa-e-Razvia, Bahar-e-Shariat].
ORDERS FOR A TRAVELLER
The meaning of Qasr
It is necessary (Wajib) for a traveller to perform Qasr for Salaah, meaning
for a four rak'at Fard he should pray two rak'ats.
Rule: There is no Qasr for Maghrib and Fajr, but only for the Fard Salaah of
Dhuhr, ‘Asr and ‘Isha is there Qasr.
Rule: If a traveller does not perform Qasr then he will be a sinner. There
is no Qasr for Sunnats
Rule: There is no Qasr in Sunnah and therefore should be prayed in full. In
fact due to fear or if in a hurry you can miss the Sunnats but you cannot
pray them as Qasr [Alamgiri].
Rule: If a traveller instead of praying Qasr he prays the full four rak'ats,
then if he has performed Qaidah (sitting) in the second cycle, then his
Salaah will count and if he does not perform Qaidah in the second cycle then
his Salaah will be void.
Rule: A person is a traveller until he returns to his area or makes the
intention of staying at the destination for more than fifteen days.
[Alamgiri, Durr-e-Mukhtar].
Conditions of intention when reaching destination
For the intention of reaching destination to be correct there are six
conditions, meaning when all six conditions have been fulfilled then he will
have finished his full journey, otherwise not.
1. When you stop walking, if you make the intention whilst walking then you
haven’t finished your journey.
2. Wherever you have stopped and it is fit for stopping, meaning a boat in a
river or ship at sea does not end the journey.
3. The intention is to stay for fifteen days, if the intention is for less
then you will not have finished your journey.
4. This intention is for one place, if it is for two separate places, i.e.
to stay in one place for ten days and the other for five days then you will
not have finished your journey.
5. Your intention is made by yourself and not under the influence of another
person who has authority over you and you have total control of your own
intention.
Rule: A traveller is walking and he has not yet reached his destination and
makes the intention then he is still a traveller and if he has reached his
destination and makes the intention then he has finished his journey even
though he may not have found a place to stay. [Alamgiri, Radd-ul-Mohtar].
6. Rule: For those who are under the guardianship of someone else then their
intention will count as that of the guardian. A husband’s intention will
count a wife’s will not. An officer of the army’s intention will count, the
soldier’s intention will not. Therefore, if the husband made the intention
of finishing the journey and the wife did not then both will have finished
the journey because the husband’s intention will count and the wife’s
intention will not and in the same way if the wife made the intention of
finishing the journey and the husband did not then they will not have
finished the journey.
When can a traveller and non traveller follow each other?
Rule: A resident (non traveller) can follow a traveller and when the Imam
(who is the traveller) performs Salaam after two rak'ats the resident who is
the follower (Muqtadee) will stand up and finish his two remaining cycles
but in Qayam (when standing) he must not pray anything and remain standing
for the length of time it takes to pray Surah Fatiha and then go into Ruku
and finish his Salaah off as normal [Durr-e-Mukhtar, etc.].
Rule: If the Imam is a traveller then he should state that he is a traveller
and when he performs Salaam he should say ‘all of you finish your Namaz, as
I am a traveller’.
Rule: If a traveller followed a resident (meaning the resident was the Imam)
then for the traveller the first Qaidah will become necessary (Wajib) and
will no longer be fardh and therefore if the Imam did not perform the first
Qaidah then the Salaah will not become void. If the traveller was Imam then
the first Qaidah will be Farz for the resident followers (Muqtadees)
[Durr-e-Mukhtar, Radd-ul-Mohtar].
Rule: Once a traveller reaches his proper home town then he has finished his
journey.
DEFINITION OF PROPER HOME TOWN
Rule: Watn-e-Asli (Proper town) is that place where you were born or where
people from your family live or you have settled there and the intention is
not to move from there. Watn-e-Iqamat (Place of stay) is that place where a
traveller has made the intention of staying for fifteen or more days
[Alamgiri, Bahar].
Rule: One Watn-e-Iqamat makes another Watn-e-Iqamat void, meaning you stayed
with the intention in one place for more than fifteen days and then went to
another place with the intention to stay there for fifteen or more days then
the first place is no longer a Watn-e-Iqamat even if the distance between
the two places is not as long as the distance of travel [Alamgiri, Bahar].
Rule: If you reached from Watn-e-Iqamat to the Watn-e-Asli or traveled from
Watn-e-Iqamat for a distance of travel (57.5 miles) then the Watn-e-Iqamat
is no longer Watn-e-Iqamat, meaning if you returned to that place and
decided to stay less than fifteen days then you will remain a traveller
[Alamgiri].
Rule: If a traveller gets married and even though his intention is not to
stay there for fifteen days he is no longer a traveller and if a person has
two wives then once he reaches their homes in two different places he is not
a traveller.
Rule: A woman marries and then goes to live at her husband’s place and lives
there permanently then her own home is no longer Watn-e-Asli, meaning if her
husband’s home is a distance of three days (or 57.5 miles) from her parent’s
home and she does not intend to stay there for fifteen days or more then she
must pray Qasr Salaah, and if she has not left her parent’s home
permanently then when she reaches her parent’s home her journey has finished
and she must pray the full Salaah [Bahar-e-Shariat].
