Al-Shāfiʿī and a number of scholars understood these “hours” to be the ordinary hours of the day, and thus they recommended setting out during the daytime. Mālik, however, held that they are segments of a single hour, both before and after the sun reaches its zenith. Another group maintained that they are portions of an hour before the zenith, and this is the stronger view, because the duty to proceed to the prayer arises after the zenith—except according to those who say that the time of obligation is itself a time of special merit.
Issue Four
As for their disagreement concerning buying and selling at the time of the call to prayer, one group ruled that any sale concluded once the adhān is made must be annulled, while another group said it remains valid. The cause of their difference is whether a prohibition of something originally lawful—when tied to a specific circumstance—renders the prohibited act void or not.
The etiquettes of Friday are three: applying fragrance, using the siwāk, and wearing one’s best clothes. There is no dispute about this, for the prophetic reports on the matter are well established.
Chapter Four
The Prayer of the Traveler
This chapter contains two sections:
- Shortening the prayer.
- Combining the prayers.
Section One
Shortening the prayer
Travel indisputably affects the shortening of the prayer, and—by difference of opinion—the combining of prayers.
Regarding shortening, the scholars concurred that it is permissible for the traveler, save for an anomalous view reported from ʿĀʾishah—may Allah be pleased with her—who maintained that shortening is permissible only in times of fear, citing the verse:
“If you fear that those who disbelieve may attack you.” (Q 4:101)
They likewise argued that the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—shortened only because he was afraid.
On this basis they disagreed in five areas:
- The ruling of shortening itself;
- The distance at which shortening becomes due;
- The kind of journey that necessitates shortening;
- The point from which the traveler begins to shorten;
- The length of time a traveler who halts in a place may continue to shorten his prayer.
Concerning the ruling of shortening, they adopted four positions:
• Some held that shortening is the traveler’s specific obligation.
• Others considered shortening and offering the full prayer to be alternative obligations, like the options in expiation.
• Others deemed shortening a Sunnah.
• Yet others viewed it as a concession, while performing the complete prayer