Whether one is traveling or not, it is obligatory to perform the prayer at its prescribed time. At each prayer time, it is necessary to disembark from the vehicle and pray. However, Islam has granted certain concessions to travelers in matters of worship. Some of these include not having to face the Qibla for Sunnah prayers, permission to combine two prayers, and the permission to shorten the four-unit (rak‘ah) prayers into two rak‘ahs for those traveling approximately 132 kilometers or more, as well as the allowance to skip fasting during times of hardship.
During long journeys, sometimes it may be impossible to disembark from the vehicle. In such circumstances, under certain conditions, it is permissible to combine (jam‘) and shorten (qasr) the prayers. These concessions are available only for permissible journeys.
Combining prayers (jam‘) refers to performing either the Dhuhr (noon prayer) and ‘Asr (afternoon prayer) together, or the Maghrib (sunset prayer) and ‘Isha’ (night prayer) together, at the time of either one of them.
Shortening prayers (qasr) refers to reducing the four-rak‘ah prayers — Dhuhr, ‘Asr, and ‘Isha’ — to two rak‘ahs. However, it is not permissible to combine or shorten the Fajr (dawn) prayer. Similarly, shortening is not allowed in the Maghrib prayer.
Forms of Performing Jam‘ and Qasr
1) Combining without Shortening:
The Dhuhr and ‘Asr, or Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers are prayed fully (without shortening) at the time of either one.
Example: A person traveling by train from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram prays the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers together during the Maghrib time: first, three rak‘ahs of Maghrib, followed by four rak‘ahs of ‘Isha’.
2) Shortening without Combining:
The four-rak‘ah prayers are prayed at their respective times but shortened to two rak‘ahs each.
Example: A person traveling by car from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram prays Dhuhr and ‘Asr each at their respective times, shortening them to two rak‘ahs.
3) Combining and Shortening Together:
The Dhuhr and ‘Asr, or Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers are combined at the time of either one and the four-rak‘ah prayers are shortened to two rak‘ahs.
Example: A person traveling from Kozhikode to Thiruvananthapuram performs both Dhuhr and ‘Asr during Dhuhr time, shortening each to two rak‘ahs.
To perform these concessions, the journey must be a permissible journey with a distance of at least 132 kilometers. Moreover, the traveler must have crossed the boundary of their hometown before beginning to combine (jam‘) and shorten (qasr) the prayers. When intending to shorten prayers, one must make the intention (niyyah) specifically for qasr.
When combining prayers during the earlier time (jam‘ taqdim), such as praying both Dhuhr and ‘Asr during Dhuhr time, one must either make the intention for both prayers at the beginning or at least mentally note before completing Dhuhr that they will perform ‘Asr immediately afterward. The prayer that comes earlier in sequence must be prayed first, and there should not be a long gap between the two prayers.If prayers are combined during the later time (jam‘ ta’khir), such as praying Maghrib and ‘Isha’ during ‘Isha’ time, one must mentally intend during Maghrib time itself that they are delaying Maghrib to be prayed with ‘Isha’. If this intention was not made, the prayer becomes invalid (qadha).
