Can We Establish Fardh Or Nafl Prayers İn Transportation Vehicles?

Can we establish fardh or nafl prayers in transportation vehicles?

Although it is permissible to establish nafl prayer in transportation vehicles such as car, bus, plane, and train, it is not deemed appropriate to establish fardh prayers in them under normal circumstances. Because it is not possible to perform fardh acts of the prayer such as qiyam, ruku, sajdah, and istiqbal al-qibla when it is established in the said vehicles. For example, the Messenger of Allah (saw) used to establish nafl prayers while riding an animal no matter which direction it turned. When he wanted to establish a fardh prayer, he used to dismount and estalish it by turning to the qiblah (Bukhari, Salat, 31).

Yet, it is considered permissible to establish fardh prayers on mount in the events that people fear from a harm against their lives or property or under necessary conditions such as ground’s being muddy or failure to find an appropriate place to perform prayer (Kasani, Bada’i, I, 108).

There were no means of transportation similar to ours in the time of Prophet Muhammad (saw) and in the period of mujtahid scholars. Animals and ship were the only means of transportation back the n. People used to travel on their animals and they would give a break whenever they wished and would continue whenever they wished. For this reason, they did not have to establish prayer on the back of their animals. And those who travaled by ship would establish their prayers as if they were establishing it in a normal place by turning to the qiblah and performing ruku and sajdah when the ship did not move. When ship was moving, they would establish prayer by turning to the qiblah according to the movement of ship and, if possible, by performing ruku and sajdah normally; if they could not do it, then they would establish their prayers by performing ruku and sajdah by sitting (Samarqandi, Tuhfa, II, 156; Kasani, Bada’i, I, 109).

Today, as it is not possible for those who travel by bus, train, or plane to establish prayer by turning to the qiblah and on their feet generally, they may establish it by head movements while sitting. However, they may also establish their prayers by combining them before or after travel or in resting places. But it is advised to bus companies to arrange their resting times in a way to coincide with prayer times by paying attention to the religious sensitivity of their passengers.

Jam’ (combining prayers) can we applied for only between the dhuhr and ‘asr prayers and maghrib and ‘isha prayers. Dhuhr and ‘asr prayers may be combined by establishing ‘asr in dhuhr’s time after dhuhr prayer (jam al-taqdim) or establishing dhuhr in ‘asr’s time before ‘asr prayer (jam al-takhir). Maghrib and ‘isha prayers may be combined by establishing ‘isha in maghrib’s time after maghrib prayer (jam al-taqdim) or establishing maghrib in ‘isha’s time before ‘isha prayer (jam al-takhir).

The prayers to be combined are established one after another without interruption. Moreover, in the case of in jam al-taqdim, one should intend by heart to combine the prayers at the beginning of first prayer and in the case of jam al-takhir should intend to combine the prayers within the time of the first prayer.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA