His Guidance in the Fear Prayer (Salah Al-Khawf)

[ابوالوليد المسلم]

His Guidance in the Fear Prayer (Salah Al-Khawf)

Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah


Allah permitted the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to shorten pillars of the prayer and likewise their number, if it was necessary due to a combination of fear and travel and to reduce the number only, when on a journey which is not accompanied by fear and to reduce the pillars only, if there is fear but no travel. From this the wisdom of limiting the shortening mentioned in the Qur'anic Verse[1] to traveling on the earth and fear may be seen.
If the enemy stood between him and the Qiblah, it was a part of his guidance during the fear prayer to arrange the Muslims in two rows behind him, then he would make Takbeer and they would all make Takbeer, then they would all bow and straighten up, then the first row behind him would prostrate alone, and the last row would stand up to face the enemy, then when the first row straighten up, the second row would prostrate twice, then they would stand up and advance to the place of the first row and the first row would retreat to take their place, so that both groups might attain the blessing of the first row and so that the second row might catch the two prostrations with him in the second Rak’ah and this is the ultimate in fairness. Then when he bowed (for a second time) the two parties would do what they did in the first Rak'ah, Then when he sat for the Tashahhud, the second row would perform its two prostrations and then they would join him in the Tashahhud and he would pronounce the Tasleem with them all together.[2]
If the enemy was not in the direction of the Qiblah, sometimes, he would split them into two groups: One facing the enemy and another praying with him; and one of the two groups would offer a Rak'ah with him, then they would go and complete their prayer in the place of the second group, and the latter would offer the second Rak'ah with him, then he would make Tasleem and each of the two groups would make up what they had missed after the Imam had made the Tasleem.[3] And sometimes, he would perform a single Rak'an with one of the two groups, then he would stand up and offer the second Rak'ah, while they would make up the second Rak'ah while he was standing and they would make the Tasleem before his Ruku'; then the second group would come and offer the second Rak'ah with him and when he sat in the Tashahhud, they would stand up and make up the Rak'ah they had missed, while waited for them in the Tashahhud, then when they had made the Tashahhud, he would make the Tasleem with them[4]
And sometimes, he would offer two Rak'ahs with one of the two groups and make the Tasleem with them, then the second group would come and he would offer two Rak'ahs with them and make the Tasleem with them.[5] At other times, he would offer one Rak'ah with one of the two groups, then they would go and they would not make up anything and the second group would come and he would offer a Rak'ah with them and they would not make up anything. So he would have offered two Rak'ahs and they would have offered one Rak'ab each.[6] It is permissible to offer the prayer in all of these ways.
Ahmad said: "Six or seven ways have been narrated regarding it (i.e. the fear prayer) and all of them are permissible." And it is apparent from this that he permitted each group to pray One Rak'ah and not to make up anything and this was the way of Jabir, Ibn 'Abbas, Tawus, Mujahid, Al-Hasan, Qatadah, Al-Hakim and Ishaq.
Other descriptions have been narrated, but all of them return to these. Some of them have mentioned that there are ten and Ibn Hazm mentioned fifteen descriptions, but the correct forms are those, which we have mentioned and whenever those people noted a difference among the narrators in a narrative, they would declare it to be a form practised by the Prophet (Peace be upon him).

[1] See Surah An-Nisa': 4:101

[2] Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i

[3] Narrated by Al-Bukhari, At-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud and An-Nasa'i,

[4] Narrated by Muslim, Abu Dawud and Malik in 'Al-Muwatta’.

[5] Narrated by An-Nasa’i and Ad-Daraqutni.

[6] Narrated by An-Nasa'i, Ahmad, At-Tahawi and Al-Hakim, who declared it authentic and Az-Zahabi confirmed this.