except regarding what he judges to be sound. Al-Hāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar also cited the report in al-Talkhīṣ, stating, “Its transmitters are the transmitters of the Ṣaḥīḥ.” It has a corroborating narration in Muslim (687) from Ibn ʿAbbās who said, “Through the tongue of your Prophet Allah ordained the prayer: four rakʿahs when resident, two while travelling, and one in time of fear.” A number of the early generations adopted this view, among them al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, Isḥāq, ʿAṭāʾ, Ṭāwūs, Mujāhid, Qatādah, and al-Thawrī, and among the Companions: Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū Hurayrah, and Ḥudhayfah.

According to this mode of the prayer of fear, each contingent prays a single rakʿah while the imam completes two. The majority of scholars, including the four Imams, did not permit this format; they hold it invalid, arguing that fear does not reduce the number of rakʿahs. Their interpretations of the hadiths describing this form, however, are weak and far-fetched.

4 – Hadith no. 392 clarifies hadith no. 391, for it states explicitly that the prayer of fear is one rakʿah, to be performed in whatever manner circumstances require. This applies only when the danger is extreme.

Al-Khaṭṭābī remarked: “The Prophet ﷺ performed it on different occasions in varied patterns, always choosing what best safeguarded the prayer and most effectively protected the fighters. Though its outward forms differ, the underlying purpose is one.”

5 – Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr preferred the method reported in the hadith of Ibn ʿUmar, owing to the strength of its chain and because it accords with the principle that the follower does not finish before the imam.

Benefits
First: The prayer of fear is established in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. The Companions unanimously practiced it, and the Muslims unanimously agree on its permissibility. It therefore remains legislated for all time; Ibn Hubayrah related a consensus on this point.

Second: The prayer of fear may be performed according to any of its authenticated forms. The Shaykh said: This is the view