and wiping for three [days], and praying voluntary prayers on a riding beast are all permitted during obligatory, recommended, and permissible travel, such as trade travel and the like. This is the opinion of most scholars. It is narrated from 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, and Ibn 'Umar. Al-Awza'i, al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, the people of Medina, and the Hanafis (As-hab al-Ra'y) held this view. From Ibn Mas'ud: He does not shorten the prayer except for Hajj or Jihad; because an obligation is not abandoned except for an obligation. From 'Ata' is the same as the group's view. Also from him: He does not shorten the prayer except in a path [of the paths] of righteousness; because the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, only shortened the prayer during an obligatory or recommended journey. Our evidence is the saying of Allah the Exalted: 'And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer,' and His saying: 'But if you are ill or on a journey.' 'A'ishah said: 'When the prayer was first prescribed, it was two rak'ahs; therefore, the prayer of travel was maintained [as two], and the prayer of residence was completed [to four].' [The hadith is] agreed upon. From Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both, he said: 'Allah prescribed the prayer through the tongue of your Prophet: four [rak'ahs] in residence, two in travel, and one in fear.' Reported by Muslim. 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, said: 'The prayer of travel is two rak'ahs,'
(1) Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah, in: The chapter on one who said that the prayer is not to be shortened except in long-distance travel, from the Book of Prayer. Al-Musannaf 2/446. (2) Omitted from: The original manuscript. (3) The following text appears in the manuscripts after this: 'then a number of other days.' This is a conflation of two verses; the first is in Surah an-Nisa, verse 43, cited here, and its completion is '...or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and find no water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands [with it],' which is the relevant part for the evidence. The second is in Surah al-Baqarah, verse 185: '...and whoever is ill or on a journey, then [he should make up] an equal number of other days.' (4) Reported by al-Bukhari, in: The chapter on shortening [the prayer] when one leaves his location, from the Book of Shortening the Prayer. Sahih al-Bukhari 2/55. And Muslim, in: The chapter on the prayer of travelers and shortening it, from the Book of Travelers' Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/478. It was also reported by al-Nasa'i, in: The chapter on how the prayer was prescribed, from the Book of Prayer. Al-Mujtaba 1/183. And Imam Malik, in: The chapter on shortening the prayer during travel, from the Book of Shortening the Prayer. Al-Muwatta 1/146. (5) In: The chapter on the prayer of travelers and shortening it, from the Book of Travelers' Prayer. Sahih Muslim 1/479. It was also reported by Abu Dawud, in: The chapter on one who said: 'He leads each group for one rak'ah and they do not make up [the rest],' from the Book of Travel Prayer. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/287. And al-Nasa'i, in: The chapter on how the prayer was prescribed, from the Book of Prayer, and in: The beginning of the book of shortening the prayer during travel, from the Book of Shortening. Al-Mujtaba 1/183, 3/97. And Ibn Majah, in: The chapter on shortening =
