Mālik, and it is the well-established position of his school and that of his companions, as reflected in their respective rulings. For they neither gave the traveller a choice between shortening the prayer and offering it in full, nor required him to repeat it without any time limit if he offered it in full. Rather, they recommended repeating it within its prescribed time so that he might attain the merit of observing the sunnah. If, however, he had prayed in congregation, he was not to repeat it, since he had attained the merit of congregational prayer—even though Mālik regarded the merit of observing the sunnah as greater than that of praying in congregation. For he did not consider it appropriate for a traveller to join a congregation and forgo shortening until the prayer began where he happened to be, whether in a mosque or elsewhere; refusing to join then would be discourteous and expose him to suspicion. Ibn Habīb held that he should repeat the prayer within its prescribed time even if he had prayed in congregation, unless that congregational prayer had been in the congregational mosque. This reflected the greater weight he attached to the merit of observing the sunnah.

Those who adopted this interpretation, but did not regard it as established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened the prayer during travel when safe, held that the Quran gave the traveller a choice between shortening the prayer and offering it in full. This position—namely, allowing a choice between shortening and offering the prayer in full—might also be held by someone who regarded the Prophet’s shortening of the prayer during travel when safe as established, if he understood the shortening for which Allah absolved His servants of blame to mean reducing the prayer from four rak‘ahs to two in circumstances of fear. He would then regard the Prophet’s shortening of the prayer when safe merely as further clarification of what is in the Quran, rather than as an established sunnah.

Those who held this view and considered shortening preferable cited the report that Allah loves His concessions to be taken just as He loves His strict requirements to be observed, together with the Prophet’s words (peace and blessings be upon him): “It is a charity Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity.” Those who held this view but considered offering the prayer in full preferable regarded it as an additional act of worship and drew an analogy with fasting during travel. Those who considered the evidence evenly balanced preferred neither option over the other.

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There has been considerable disagreement over the minimum distance of travel that permits shortening the prayer, ranging from three miles, the position of the literalists, to three days’ journey, the position of Abū Hanīfah and his companions. Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) held that the prayer may not be shortened on a journey of less than a full day’s travel. Scholars differed over the distance this represented: some said forty-eight miles, while others said forty-five