Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamalaikum, I travel a lot locally within 30miles from my house (which is not qasr, I think?) and would like to know that during this travel if it is time for salat can I do it in the car? I live in the USA and I am not sure of how the parking lots are in terms of being clean from impurities. I make sure that when I leave I have wudu and a lot of times I run into the problem that there is no place for me to offer my salat and I either have to perform a qaza or perform it in the car and I have been performing it in my car till recently someone told me that I cannot do that. Please help for I don`t want to be missing the salat. Also, how far from your house does one have to be to perform qasr, I was told that it is 30 miles, please let me know your opinion on this. Thank you very much. May allah bless you all. Thank you.

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Answer:

Qasr shorten prayers in vehicle

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: I travel a lot locally within 30miles from my house (which is not qasr, I think?)

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisa verse 101:

When you go on a journey, there is no harm, if you shorten your salaat, (especially) when you fear that the disbelievers might harass you, for the disbelievers are openly bent upon enmity against you.

When one is on a journey, Allah Subhanah in His Mercy has allowed the believers to offer the ‘qasr’ or shortened prayers. If one is moving locally within 30 miles of one’s city of residence, that would not constitute permissibility for a ‘qasr’ or shortened prayer.

Q-2: and would like to know that during this travel if it is time for salat can I do it in the car?

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.393 Narrated by Jabir

Allah's Messenger (saws) used to pray (optional, non-obligatory prayer) while riding on his mount (Rahila) wherever it turned, and whenever he wanted to pray the obligatory prayer, he (saws) dismounted and prayed facing the Qibla.

Dear and beloved brother, it is permissible in Islam to offer one’s voluntary (Sunnah or Nafl) prayers whilst moving on a mount or in a vehicle, but when one wishes to offer one’s obligatory prayers and has the physical ability to do so, one must dismount from their vehicle and offer their prayers.

If one is traveling in a vehicle or car and one fears one would not reach their destination before the prayer time elapses, one should stop their vehicle, get down, and offer their prayers facing the Qibla.

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.67

Allah the Exalted has conferred a special blessing upon this Muslim Ummah - that is, the whole earth has been declared a mosque for it. Therefore, when the time for prayer comes, a Muslim may pray wherever he may be. Abu Dharr al-Ghaffari reports that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Wherever you may be, at the time of salah, you may pray for it [the earth] is all a mosque."

Related by Bukhari and Muslim.

Q-3: I live in the USA and I am not sure of how the parking lots are in terms of being clean from impurities.

Beloved brother, the system of Islam is based on conviction rather than suspicion…thus unless and until you are absolutely convinced a place has been polluted by impurities, it will be considered pure.

Besides, if you are constantly on the move, it would be prudent to carry a small prayer mat, and when the time of salah is due offer your prayers on the prayer mat at any parking lot or by the road.

Q-4: I make sure that when I leave I have wudu and a lot of times I run into the problem that there is no place for me to offer my salat and I either have to perform a qaza or perform it in the car and I have been performing it in my car till recently someone told me that I cannot do that.

It is indeed accurate that one cannot perform their obligatory prayers while moving on a mount or vehicle, but it would be permissible for one to offer their voluntary (Sunnah or Nafl) prayers while moving in their vehicle, regardless of which direction their vehicle is moving in.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:

Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

A man came to the Prophet (saws) and said “ O Prophet of Allah (saws), what is the act or deed most loved by Allah?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “To pray ones prayers on time.”

The man asked further: “What (deed or act most loved by Allah) next?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “Obedience to ones parents.”

The man asked further: “What (deed or act most loved by Allah) next?”

The Prophet (saws) replied: “Jihaad in the Way of Allah.”

Related by Bukhari.

Dear and beloved brother, bear in mind that intentionally missing one’s obligatory prayers on-time and offering them ‘qada’ is not a lawful option. If you are traveling in a car and fear that you might not reach your destination before the prayer time elapses, you must stop or park your car at a parking lot or on the side of the road and offer your obligatory prayer on time.

Q-5: Also, how far from your house does one have to be to perform qasr, I was told that it is 30 miles, please let me know your opinion on this.

The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that it is permissible to shorten one’s salaah when one leaves one’s city of residence and is traveling outside one’s city limits. Some of the scholars are also of the opinion that the minimum distance must be 89 kilometers, and the evidence they give is that some of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saws) used to pray shortened prayers only if the distance they were traveling was the distance of a camel travel for 3-days and 3-nights, and that has been calculated to approximately 89 kilometers.

The scholars are unanimous in their opinion that whether one is traveling out of one’s city limits or whether the distance one intends to travel is above the stipulated distance, what is of significance is that one should be in the state or condition of ‘travel’ or ‘journey’ for them to be eligible to offer the ‘qasr’ or shortened prayers. In this day and age of mega-cities, moving 30-50 miles within a city is a normal commute and would neither constitute a ‘journey’ nor a permissibility for shortening their prayers.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan