Verses 101–104

Chapter 4: Al-Nisāʾ (The Women) · Printed edition: Volume 9, pp. 71–80

The verses ordain the prayer of fear and shortened prayer in journey, and they end on exhortation of the believers to pursue the polytheists; they are well-connected with the preceding verses which dealt with jihād and its various aspects.

وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا ۚ إِنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ كَانُوا لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُبِينًا ١٠١

(4:101) And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you that you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress; surely the unbelievers are your open enemy.

al-Junāh (sin, impediment, renunciation); al-qasr (shortening of prayer). [al-Tabrisī] has said in Majmaʾ al-bayān: “The root qasr when used for prayer comes in three stems: The base stem, qasara (which has been used in the Qur’an), qassara (the stem, tafʾīl) and aqsara (the stem, ifʾāl).”

Meaning: When you are in journey then there is no impediment or sin for you if you shorten the prayer. The phrase, “there is no blame on you”, apparently shows permission only, but the context points to obligation and incumbency; as is seen in the verse: Surely the Safā and the Marwah are among the signs of Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or performs ʿumrah thereof there is no blame on him to go round them both (); although al-Tawāf (to go round) is wājib (compulsory). The reason why this expression shows obligation is that the position here is that of legislation, and it is enough in this place just to disclose that a certain order has been laid down; there is no need to explain all its aspects and particulars in a comprehensive manner. To a certain extent the same is the position of the verse: and that you fast is better for you if you know ()

…if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress;…: al-Fitnah (translated here as causing distress) is used for numerous meanings; however when the Qur’an uses it in connection with disbelievers and polytheists, it refers to the atrocities, like murder, torture, etc., which they inflicted on the Muslims; and the context too points to this meaning, that is, if you fear that the enemies will attack you putting you to the sword.

This clause is a proviso, limiting the preceding order: there is no blame on you that you shorten the prayer. It shows that shortening of prayer was ordained when there was a fear of disbelievers’ mischief. As a second step the rule was extended to all cases of legal journey even if there was no fear. It means that the Qur’an explained one case where this law was to be applied, and the sunnah of the Prophet described all other situations and [these] cases will be seen in the Traditions.

وَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَىٰ لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْ ۗ وَدَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا لَوْ تَغْفُلُونَ عَنْ أَسْلِحَتِكُمْ وَأَمْتِعَتِكُمْ فَيَمِيلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ مَيْلَةً وَاحِدَةً ۚ وَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ إِنْ كَانَ بِكُمْ أَذًى مِنْ مَطَرٍ أَوْ كُنْتُمْ مَرْضَىٰ أَنْ تَضَعُوا أَسْلِحَتَكُمْ ۖ وَخُذُوا حِذْرَكُمْ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَعَدَّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ عَذَابًا مُهِينًا ١٠٢

(4:102) And when you (O Prophet!) are among them and establish the prayer for them, let a party of them stand up with you, and let them take their arms; then when they have prostrated themselves let them go to your rear, and let another party who have not prayed come forward and pray with you, and let them take their precaution and their arms; (for) those who disbelieve desire that you may be inattentive to your arms and your luggage, so that they may then turn upon you with a sudden united attack; and there is no blame on you, if you are troubled by rain or if you are sick, that you lay down your arms, and take your precaution; surely Allah has prepared a disgraceful chastisement for the unbelievers.

It explains how to perform prayer of fear. The verse is addressed to the Prophet supposing him to be the imām of that prayer; the order is thus explained through an example—it makes the rule clearer in a fewer words and beautiful style; “and establishing the prayer for them” refers to congregational prayer; “let a party of them stand up with you” points to their standing behind the Prophet following him in the prayer; and it is they who are required to take their arms with them; “when they have prostrated themselves… “ means, when they have prostrated and completed their prayers, they should go to the rear to take the place of those who have not prayed yet, enabling them to come forward and pray with you and this second group too should “take their precaution and their arms”.

The meaning then is as follows—and God knows better: When you, O Messenger of God! are among them, and the situation is fraught with danger, and you establish the prayer for them, that is, the congregational prayer with you as its leader, then the whole group should not join in the prayer together; only a party of them should stand behind you for prayer (taking their arms with them) and the other group should protect them and guard their possessions; when those who are praying behind you finish their sajdah and their prayer, they should go to the rear to relieve those who were until now protecting them and guarding their possessions. Now, this second group who have not prayed yet should come and join you in the prayer, and they too should take their precaution and their arms with them.

…another party who have not prayed…: al-Tāifah (party, group) is of feminine gender, but it refers here to those who are able to fight, that is, men; the feminine adjective ukhrā (another) agrees with the noun tāifah which it refers to, while the masculine pronouns in “have not prayed” etc., look at the people described.

The words, “take their precaution and their arms” contain an interesting metaphor, as it treats “precaution” as a sort of arms for defence, using the verb ‘take’ for both.

…(for) those who disbelieve desire that you may be inattentive to your arms and your luggage, so that they may turn upon you with a sudden united attack…: It gives the reason for the above law; its meaning is clear.

…and there is no blame on you… a disgraceful chastisement for the unbelievers: The rule is further relaxed for those who are troubled by rain or are sick, that they may lay down their arms; however it is very much emphasized that they should take their precaution, and not be inattentive to the unbelievers, because they are on the look out for the weak points of the Muslims.

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَاةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنْتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا١٠٣

(4:103) Then when you have finished the prayer remember Allah standing and sitting and reclining; but when you are secure, keep up prayer; surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers.

Qiyāman (standing) and quʾūdan (sitting) are either plurals or verbal nouns, and in either case they are circumstantial clauses; the same applies to ‘reclining’. These words emphasize that the believers should continuously remember God, in all conditions and in every place.

…but when you are secure, keep up prayer…: As the context shows, the clause, “when you are secure”, is in opposition to: when you journey in the earth, and thus obviously means, when you return to your homes. Accordingly, “keep up prayer” would mean to pray full four rakaʾāt; because the prayer of fear and danger was called “shortened prayer”

…surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers: al-Kitābah (writing, translated here as ordinance) implies obligatoriness and imperativeness, as God says:… fasting is prescribed (lit.: written) for you as it was prescribed for those before you (Qur’an, ). al-Mawqūt (timed), shows that prayer is an obligation prescribed for fixed times to be established at known intervals.

Apparently, timeliness of prayer implies its permanence and imperativeness—it mentions a requirement (of time) to imply the obligatory (prayer). When it says that prayer is a timed ordinance, it means that it is an obligation, confirmed and permanent, not subject to any change; it cannot be avoided or waived at any time. The adjective, ‘timed’, if taken in its literal meaning has no relevance to the context, because the preceding statements have no connection with prayer being a timed ordinance; while this sentence is meant to explain the reason for the preceding one, that is, when you are secure keep up prayer. Thus apparently, ‘timed’ means a firm obligation which can never be waived; it is unalterable and can never be replaced by any alternative, unlike the fast which some times is changed to redemption.

وَلَا تَهِنُوا فِي ابْتِغَاءِ الْقَوْمِ ۖ إِنْ تَكُونُوا تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمُونَ ۖ وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لَا يَرْجُونَ ۗ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا ١٠٤

(4:104) And be not weak-hearted in pursuit of the enemy; if you suffer pain, then surely they (too) suffer pain as you suffer pain, while you hope from Allah what they do not hope; and Allah is Knowing, Wise

al-Wahn (weakness); al-ibtighāʾ (pursuit), al-alam (pain, to suffer pain); the clause: while you hope from Allah what they do not hope, is a circumstantial one. You and your enemies both equally suffer pain, so you are not in a worse position than your enemies; rather you are in a more pleasant and comfortable condition, inasmuch as you expect victory over them and hope for forgiveness from your Lord who is your guardian; as for your enemies, they have no guardian, nor do they entertain any hope to cheer themselves or which could incite them to work energetically and push them towards their goal. And God knows what is beneficial to His servants; He is Wise in His orders and prohibitions.

Examining Narrations

1. According to Tafsīr of al-Qummī, the verse (prescribing the prayer of fear) was revealed when the Messenger of God was proceeding towards Hudaybiyyah, en route to Mecca. When the Quraysh heard the news, they sent Khālid b. al-Walīd with two hundred horses to encounter the Messenger of God. He hindered the (progress of the) Messenger of God on the mountains. Somewhere on the way, the time of zuhr prayer came, Bilāl said the adhān, and the Messenger of God led the people in the prayer. Khālid b. al-Walīd then said: “If we had attacked them when they were praying, we would have got them, because they do not break their prayer. However, now the time of another prayer is approaching which they love more than their eyesight; and when they start that prayer we shall raid them. Then Jibrīl (Gabriel) brought to the Messenger of God the (verses of) prayer of fear: And when you are among them…
2. Majmaʾ al-bayān says about the verse, and there is no blame on you, if you are troubled by rain…, that it was revealed when the Prophet was at ʿUsfān and the polytheists at Dajnān; both parties stopped there; and the Prophet prayed zuhr with the Muslims with perfect rukūʾ and sujūd; then the polytheists wanted to attack them; and some of them said: “[Although we missed this chance] they will pray another prayer [that is, ʿasr] which is dearer to them from this one.” Then God revealed to the Prophet this verse, and he prayed the ʿasr with them as the prayer of fear. And this was the reason why Khālid b. al-Walīd accepted Islam.
3. Abū Hamzah [al-Thumālī] has written in his Tafsīr that the Prophet went to fight Banū Anmār, and God vanquished them and the Muslims captured the enemy’s children and property. Then the Messenger of God and the Muslims alighted; not a single enemy was in sight; so they laid down their arms; the Messenger of God went away to relieve himself (and he too had laid down his arms), and he went so far that a [dry] valley sheltered him from his companions. By the time he was finished the river-bed was flowing copiously and the rain was coming down; the flowing valley came between him and his companions. He sat down under a tree. Then al-Ghawrath b. al-Hārith al Muhāribī saw him, and his companions said to him: “O Ghawrath! (Look,) here is Muhammad, separated from his companions.” He said: “May God kill me if I don’t kill him.” He came down the hill with a sword; and the Messenger of God did not notice him until he stood over him with his unsheathed sword in hand. He said: “O Muhammad! Who will now protect you from me?” The Messenger said: “God.” [All of a sudden] the enemy of God fell down on his face. Now, the Messenger of God stood up and took his sword, and said: “O Ghawrath! Now, who will save you from me?” He said: “No one.” The Messenger of God said: “Do you bear witness that there is no god but God, and that I am the servant of God and His Messenger?” He said: “No. But I promise that I’ll never fight you nor will ever help any enemy against you.” Then the Messenger of God gave his sword back to him. [Seeing this magnanimity,] Ghawrath said to him: “By God! you are certainly better than me.” He said: “I am more entitled to it,”

Then Ghawrath went back to his companions. They said: “O Ghawrath! We saw you standing over his head with sword, then what prevented you from [killing] him?” He said: “God. I inclined towards him with the sword to kill him; then I don’t know who it was that pushed me between my shoulders, and I fell down on my face; my sword fell down and Muhammad took it before I could reach it.” Then the valley calmed down and the Messenger of God went to his companions and told them what had happened; and recited before them: and there is no blame on you if you are troubled by rain… (ibid.)

4. al-Sadūq has narrated through his chains from ʿAbdu al- Rahmān b. Abī ʿAbdillāh from al-Ṣādiq that he said: The Prophet prayed with his companions in the battle of Dhāt al-Riqāʾ; and he divided them in two groups; he told one group to stand before the enemy and the other stood [praying] behind him; so he said takbīratu al-ihrām, and they said too, and he recited and they listened, then he did rukūʾ and they did, and he did sajdah and they did; thereafter, the Messenger of God continued in his prayer standing [in the second rakʾah] while the companions prayed their second rakʾah individually and said salām. Then they rushed to their companions and stood before the enemy, and their companions came and stood behind the Messenger of God and he said takbīr and they said too, and he recited and they listened, and he did rukūʾ and they did, and he did sajdah and they did; then the Messenger of God sat down and recited tashahhud and salām; and they stood up and completed the [second] rakʾah by themselves and then recited [tashahhud and] salām. And God had said to his Prophet: And when you are among them and establish the prayer for them… surely prayer is a timed ordinance for the believers. And this is the prayer of fear about which God had ordered His Prophet.

He also said: One who leads (his) people in maghrib in prayer of fear, will pray one rakʾah with the first group and two rakaʾāt with the second one (Man lā yahduruh al-faqīh)

5. al-Shaykh has narrated through his chains from Zurārah that he said: “I asked Abū Jaʾfar about the prayer of fear and the prayer of journey, will both of them be shortened? He said: ‘Yes; and the prayer of fear is more deserving to be shortened than the prayer of journey in which there is no fear.’” (Tahdhīb al-ahkām)
6. al-Sadūq narrates through his chains from Zurārah and Muhammad b. Muslim that they said: “We said to Abū Jaʾfar: ‘What do you say about prayer in journey? How is it? and how many [rakaʾāt]?’ He said: ‘Verily God, the Mighty, the Great, says: And when you journey in the earth, there is no blame on you that you shorten the prayer; accordingly, shortening of prayer during journey is compulsory, as is completing it when in presence [that is, when not in journey].’” They said: “But God only says; there is no blame on you; He did not say: ‘Do it’; how can it convey the connotation of obligation like that of praying full prayer in presence?” He said: “Has not God said: Surely the Safā and the Marwā are among the signs of Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or performs ʿUmrah thereof, there is no blame on him to go round them both []? Don’t you see that tawāf between the two is wājib? It is because God has mentioned it in His Book, and His Prophet had done it. Likewise, shortening of prayer during journey is a thing which the Prophet had done [and] God has mentioned it in His Book.” Then we said to him: “Then a person who prayed four (rakaʾāt) in journey, should he repeat (that) prayer or not?” (The Imām) said: “If the verse of shortening (of prayer) was read and explained to him, and yet he prayed four (rakaʾāt), he will repeat it [that is, will repeat praying two rakaʾāt]; and if the verse was not read before him and he did not know it, then there is no repetition. And all wājib prayers during journey are two rakaʾāt except maghrib, as it is three rakaʾāt, (and) there is no shortening in it; the Messenger of God left it three rakaʾāt in journey and in presence… “ (Man lā yahduruh al-faqīh)
7. al-Suyūtī writes: Ibn Abī Shaybah, ʿAbd b. Hamīd, Ahmad, Muslim, Abū Dawūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāī; Ibn Mājah, Ibn al-Jārūd, Ibn Khuzaymah, al-Tahāwī, Ibn Jarīr, Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abī Hātim, al-Nahhās (in his al-Nāsikh) and Ibn Hibbān have narrated from Yaʾlā b. Umayyah that he said: “I asked ʿUmar b. al-Khattāb about the verse: there is no blame on you that you shorten the prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve will cause you distress, [is it valid now when] the people are secured and safe? ‘ ʿUmar said to me: ‘I too was wondering about it as you do, so I asked the Messenger of God about it and he said: “It is a charity which God has bestowed upon you, so you should accept His charity.” ’ ” (al-Durr al-manthūr)
8. ʿAbd b. Hamīd, al-Nasāī, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Hibbān and al-Bayhaqī (in his al-Sunan) have narrated from Umayyah b. Khālid b. Asad that he asked Ibn ʿUmar: “Do you think that the prayer should be shortened in journey? Surely we do not find it in the Book of God; all that is mentioned therein is the prayer of fear.” Ibn ʿUmar said: “O my nephew: Surely God sent Muhammad and we did not know anything; so we do only as we saw the Messenger of God doing; and the shortening of prayer in journey is the system established by the Messenger of God.” (ibid.)
9. Ibn Abī Shaybah, al-Tirmidhī (who has said that it is correct) and al-Nasāī have narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās that he said: “We prayed with the Messenger of God between Mecca and Medina two rakaʾāt while we were safe and had no fear of anything.” (ibid.)
10. Ibn Abī Shaybah, Ahmad, al-Bukhārī, Muslim, Abū Dawūd, al- Tirmidhī and al-Nasāī have narrated from Hārithah b. Wahb al-Khuzāʾī that he said: “I prayed with the Prophet zuhr and ʿasr at Minā two rakaʾāt, with most numerous multitude of people and in most secured condition.” (ibid.)
11. al-Kulaynī narrates through his chain of narrators from Dawūd b. Farqad that he said: “I asked Abū ʿAbdillāh about the word of God, surely prayer is a timed ordinance. He said: ‘[It means] firm ordinance; however if you make haste a little or delay a little it will do you no harm, provided you do not neglect it altogether, because God, the Mighty, the Great, says:… neglected prayers and followed the sensual desires, so they will certainly meet perdition’” () (al-Kāfī)

Author’s comment: It is an indication that wājib prayers have some latitude so far as their timings are concerned, as other traditions show.

12. Muhammad b. Muslim narrates from the fifth or the sixth Imām that he said about the maghrib prayer in the journey: “Do not leave if you are delayed for some time; then you may pray it when you wish to pray the ʿishāʾ; and if you wish you may continue the journey for sometime until the reddish color [on the horizon] goes away. Surely, the Messenger of God had prayed zuhr and ʿasr together and maghrib and ʿishāʾ together, and he used to delay and advance. God, the High, has said: surely prayer is a timed ordinance, [and by this expression] He only meant that it was obligatory for the believers, He did not mean anything else. Otherwise, if it meant what they say, the Messenger of God would not have prayed like this, and he was most knowledgeable and had all the information; and he was as they say; and if it [that is, always praying separately] were good, the Messenger of God would certainly have ordered it.

And in the battle of Siffīn, people, including the Commander of the Believers, could not pray zuhr, ʿasr, maghrib and ʿishāʾ and ʿAlī, the Commander of the Believers ordered them and they said Allahu akbar, and lā ilāha illa ‘llāh, and subhāna ‘llāh on foot and horse, because God has said: But if you are in danger, then (say your prayer) on foot or on horse-back []. “So ʿAlī ordered them [to do so] and they did.” (al-Tafsīr, al-ʿAyyāshī)

Author’s comment: These traditions, as you see, agree with the preceding Commentary. There are very many traditions of this meaning, and especially from the Ahl al-bayt, but we have quoted only a few of them as example. Of course, there are some other traditions from the Sunnī sources which oppose it, but they themselves contradict each other. However, to review those traditions and have a look at all ahādīth describing the prayer of fear in particular and prayer during journey in general, is in the domain of Islamic Jurisprudence, not of tafsīr.

13. It is written in al-Tafsīr of al-Qummī that the word: And be not weak-hearted in pursuit of the enemy…, is in conjunction with the verse 139 of the chapter of “The Family of ʿImrān”: If a wound has afflicted you, a wound like it has also afflicted the (unbelieving) people… And we have explained there the reason why that verse was revealed.