Fatwa ID: 07502
Answered by: Maulana Sheik Abdel Ahaad Imrit
Question:
In India, the environment is very Islamophobic and to be honest I don’t even have the courage to read my prayer on trains and planes by standing, facing the qibla while doing ruku, etc. So I just read my prayer by sitting on the seat with gestures and later on I repeat it after reaching the destination. Will I be sinful for doing these? Moreover, there are a lot of anti-Muslim incidents happening in the country which gives me fear and prevents me from reading prayers on trains and planes. Please I just want to know if I will be sinful for my current act or if it will be permissible for me until I get enough courage. Please guide me. Should I leave the whole prayer in these situations or just read in my seat (what I am currently doing)? I can’t read by standing (no matter how much I try).
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
One should perform Salah while standing with proper Ruku and Sajdah, facing the Qiblah.
Alternatively, If one has a valid excuse, Salah can be performed sitting on the floor with correct Ruku and Sajdah, facing the Qiblah.
If facing the Qiblah is not possible in these two above scenarios, there is a need to repeat the Salah, unless the individual initially attempted to ascertain the Qiblah and later realized the mistake, in which case the Salah is deemed valid.
If even these options are challenging due to valid excuses, Salah may be performed while sitting on the seat facing the Qiblah. However, if facing the Qiblah is medically unfeasible without support, the Salah remains valid.
A valid excuse in your case would require a genuine and well-founded fear that your life is in immediate and significant danger, not merely a suspicion or vague concern about the possibility of harm or assault.
This fear must be based on concrete evidence or a clear threat, demonstrating that the risk to your life is real and imminent, rather than hypothetical or based on unfounded worries. It should also be a situation where no reasonable alternatives are available to mitigate the risk, making your fear both justifiable and urgent in nature.
A legal maxim supports this: “There is no consideration for mere suspicion,” meaning that legal verdicts cannot be based on highly unlikely possibilities (Qawaid Al Fiqhiyyah, p. 25).
If the choice to perform Salah on the seat is due to personal circumstances, the Salah must be repeated later on.
«الأصل» لمحمد بن الحسن (1/ 269 ت بوينوكالن):
«وقال أبو يوسف ومحمد: لا يجزيهم إذا كانوا يستطيعون القيام أن يصلوا قعوداً»
«المبسوط» للسرخسي (2/ 3):
«وَفِي السَّفِينَةِ يَلْزَمُهُ التَّوَجُّهُ إلَى الْقِبْلَةِ عِنْدَ افْتِتَاحِ الصَّلَاةِ وَكَذَلِكَ كُلَّمَا دَارَتْ السَّفِينَةُ يَتَوَجَّهُ إلَيْهَا لِأَنَّهَا فِي حَقِّهِ كَالْبَيْتِ فَيَلْزَمُهُ التَّوَجُّهُ إلَى الْقِبْلَةِ لِأَدَاءِ الصَّلَاةِ فِيهَا»
«البناية شرح الهداية» (2/ 647):
«م: (وقالا: لا يجزئه إلا من عذر) ش: وبه قال الشافعي ومالك وأحمد م: (لان القيام مقدور عليه فلا يترك إلا لعلة) ش: كما لو كان على الأرض بحيث لا يجوز له ترك القيام مع القدرة عليه.»
«تحفة الفقهاء» (1/ 156):
«وَلَو صلى فِي السَّفِينَة قَائِما بركوع وَسُجُود مُتَوَجها إِلَى الْقبْلَة حَيْثُمَا دارت السَّفِينَة فَإِنَّهُ يجوز لِأَن السَّفِينَة بِمَنْزِلَة الأَرْض
أما إِذا صلى قَاعِدا بركوع وَسُجُود فَإِن كَانَ عَاجِزا عَن الْقيام يجوز بالِاتِّفَاقِ
وَإِن كَانَ قَادِرًا على الْقعُود بركوع وَسُجُود فصلى بِالْإِيمَاءِ لَا يجوز بالِاتِّفَاقِ
أما إِذا كَانَ قَادِرًا على الْقيام فصلى قَاعِدا بركوع وَسُجُود فَإِنَّهُ يجوز عِنْد أبي حنيفَة وَقد أَسَاءَ
وعَلى قَوْلهمَا لَا يجوز لِأَن الْقيام ركن فَلَا يسْقط من غير عذر
وَقَول أبي حنيفَة أرْفق بِالنَّاسِ لِأَن الْغَالِب فِي السَّفِينَة دوران الرَّأْس فَالْحق بالمتحقق تيسيرا»
القواعد الفقهية مع الشرح الموجز – دار الترميذيp25
لا عبرة للتوهم.
[See Jawahirul fiqh Vol3 Pg83, Fatawa Uthmani Vol1 Pg104, Ahsanul Fatawa Vol4 Pg88]
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Sheik Abdel Ahaad Imrit
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
