Al-Qur'an Surah An-Nisa Verse 101

Mufti Taqi Usmani

When you travel on the earth, there is no sin on you in shortening your Salāh, if you fear that the disbelievers would put you in trouble. Surely, the disbelievers are an open enemy for you.

Dr. Mustafa Khattab, the Clear Quran

When you travel through the land, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer[[ Generally, it is permissible for Muslims who are travelling a distance of 85 km or more to shorten their prayers. A four-unit prayer is reduced to two. ]]—˹especially˺ if you fear an attack by the disbelievers. Indeed, the disbelievers are your sworn enemies.

Ruwwad Translation Center

When you are traveling through the land, there is no blame on you to shorten the prayer, if you fear that the disbelievers may harm you. Indeed, the disbelievers are your open enemy.

A. J. Arberry

And when you are journeying in the land there is no fault in you that you shorten the prayer, if you fear the unbelievers may afflict you; the unbelievers are for you a manifest foe.

Abdul Haleem

When you [believers] are travelling in the land, you will not be blamed for shortening your prayers, if you fear the disbelievers may harm you: they are your sworn enemies.

Abdul Majid Daryabadi

And when ye are journeying in the earth there shall be no fault in you that ye shorten the prayer if ye fear that those who disbelieve shall molest you, verily the infidels are ever unto you an avowed enemy.

Abdullah Yusuf Ali

When ye travel through the earth, there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers, for fear the Unbelievers May attack you; For the Unbelievers are unto you open enemies.

Abul Ala Maududi

When you go forth journeying in the land, there is no blame on you if you shorten the Prayer, (especially) if you fear that the unbelievers might cause you harm. Surely the unbelievers are your open enemies.

Ahmed Ali

When you travel in the land there is no sin if you curtail your service of prayer if you fear the unbelievers may harass you, for indeed your open enemies are the infidels.

Ahmed Raza Khan

And when you travel in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail some of your obligatory prayers; if you fear that disbelievers may cause you harm; undoubtedly the disbelievers are open enemies to you.

Ali Quli Qarai

When you journey in the land, there is no sin upon you in shortening the prayers, if you fear that the faithless may trouble you; indeed the faithless are your manifest enemies.

Ali Ünal

(O believers!) When you go forth on the earth, there is no blame on you that you shorten the (Prescribed) Prayers, if you fear that those who disbelieve might cause you harm (by attacking you). Assuredly, the unbelievers are a manifest enemy to you.

Amatul Rahman Omar

And when you are journeying in the land there is no blame on you that you shorten the Prayer, if you fear that those who disbelieve may give you trouble. Verily, the disbelievers are your open enemies.

English Literal

And if you (P) moved in the Earth/land, so offense/guilt is not on you, that you shorten/reduce from the prayers if you feared that those who disbelieved betray/torture you , that the disbelievers are/were to you an evident, an enemy. (NOTE: THE CONDITION FOR REDUCTION OR SHORTENING OF PRAYERS DURING TRAVEL IN THE PRECEDING VERSE)59

Faridul Haque

And when you travel in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail some of your obligatory prayers; if you fear that disbelievers may cause you harm; undoubtedly the disbelievers are open enemies to you.

Hamid S. Aziz

But when you have fulfiled your prayer, remember Allah standing and sitting and lying; and when you are in safety then be steadfast in prayer; verily, fixed times of prayer have been prescribed for the believers.

Hilali & Khan

And when you (Muslims) travel in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten your Salat (prayer) if you fear that the disbelievers may attack you, verily, the disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies.

Maulana Mohammad Ali

And whoever flees in Allah’s way, he will find in the earth many a place of escape and abundant resources. And whoever goes forth from his home fleeing to Allah and His Messenger, then death overtakes him, his reward is indeed with Allah. And Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful.

Mohammad Habib Shakir

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

Mohammed Marmaduke William Pickthall

And when ye go forth in the land, it is no sin for you to curtail (your) worship if ye fear that those who disbelieve may attack you. In truth the disbelievers are an open enemy to you.

Muhammad Sarwar

When you are on a journey, it is no sin to shorten your prayers if you are afraid of the mischief of the unbelievers. The unbelievers have always been your sworn enemies

Qaribullah & Darwish

And when you are journeying in the land, there is no fault in you that you shorten the prayer if you fear that those who disbelieve will afflict you. Indeed, the unbelievers are a clear enemy for you.

Safi-ur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri

And when you Darabtum in the land, there is no sin on you if you shorten the Salah if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial, verily, the disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies.

Wahiduddin Khan

When you [believers] are travelling in the land, you will not be blamed for shortening your prayers, if you fear the disbelievers may harm you. They are your avowed enemies.

Talal Itani

When you travel in the land, there is no blame on you for shortening the prayers, if you fear that the disbelievers may harm you. The disbelievers are your manifest enemies.

Tafsir jalalayn

And when you are going forth, travelling, in the land you would not be at fault if you shorten the prayer, by making it two [genuflexions] instead of four, if you fear that you may be afflicted by those who do not believe, that is, [if you fear] that you may be harmed [by them]; this [fear of affliction at the hands of the disbelievers] is [just intended as] an explication of the reality [of the situation] at that time and the point no longer applies. In the Sunna, it is pointed out that `travel' (safar) means long-distance [travel], which is [approximately] 50 miles. God's words `you would not be at fault' should be understood as [denoting] a dispensation and not a requirement, and this is the opinion of al-Shfi`; the disbelievers are a manifest foe to you, their enmity being evident.

Tafseer Ibn Kathir

Salat Al-Qasr, Shortening the Prayer

Allah said,

وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الَارْضِ

And when you Darabtum in the land,

meaning if you travel in the land.

In another Ayah, Allah said,

أَن سَيَكُونُ مِنكُمْ مَّرْضَى وَءَاخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِى الاٌّرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِن فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وَءَاخَرُونَ

He knows that there will be some among you sick, others Yadribuna (traveling) through the land, seeking of Allah's bounty...). (73;20)

Allah's statement,

فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُواْ مِنَ الصَّلَةِ

there is no sin on you if you shorten the Salah (prayer),

by reducing (the units of the prayer) from four to two.

Allah's statement,

إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ

if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial (attack you),

refers to the typical type of fear prevalent when this Ayah was revealed.

In the beginning of Islam, and after the Hijrah, Muslims used to experience fear during most of their travels. Rather, they restricted their movements to large or short military expeditions. During that era, most areas were areas of combatant enemies of Islam and its people. But when the prevalent circumstances cease, or a new situation is prevalent, decrees of this nature may not be understood, as Allah said;

وَلَا تُكْرِهُواْ فَتَيَـتِكُمْ عَلَى الْبِغَأءِ إِنْ أَرَدْنَ تَحَصُّناً

And force not your slave girls to prostitution, if they desire chastity. (24;33)

And His saying;

وَرَبَايِبُكُمُ اللَّتِي فِي حُجُورِكُم مِّن نِّسَأيِكُمُ

(And your stepdaughters, under your guardianship, born of your wives whom you have gone into) (24;23)

Imam Ahmad recorded that Ya`la bin Umayyah said,

"I asked `Umar bin Al-Khattab about the verse;
فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُواْ مِنَ الصَّلَةِ

إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
(there is no sin on you if you shorten the prayer. If you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial), `Allah granted Muslims safety now.'

Umar said to me, `I wondered about the same thing and asked the Messenger of Allah about it and he said,

صَدَقَــةٌ تَصَدَّقَ اللهُ بِهَا عَلَيْكُمْ فَاقْبَلُوا صَدَقَتَه

A gift that Allah has bestowed on you, so accept His gift."

Muslim and the collectors of Sunan recorded this Hadith.

At-Tirmidhi said, "Hasan Sahih".

Ali bin Al-Madini said, "This Hadith is Hasan Sahih from the narration of Umar, and it is not preserved by any other route besides this one, and its narrators are all known."

Abu Bakr Ibn Abi Shaybah recorded that Abu Hanzalah Al-Hadha' said,

"I asked Ibn Umar about the Qasr prayer and he said,

`It consists of two Rak`ahs.'

I said, what about Allah's statement,
إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَن يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ
(if you fear that the disbelievers may put you in trial (attack you), `We are safe now.'

He said, `This is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah."'

Al-Bukhari recorded that Anas said,

"We went out with the Messenger of Allah from Al-Madinah to Makkah; he used to pray two Rak`ahs until we went back to Al-Madinah."

When he was asked how long they remained in Makkah, he said, "We remained in Makkah for ten days."

This was recorded by the Group.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Harithah bin Wahb Al-Khuza`i said,

"I prayed behind the Prophet for the Zuhr and `Asr prayers in Mina, when the people were numerous and very safe, and he prayed two Rak`ahs."

This was recorded by the Group, with the exception of Ibn Majah.

Al-Bukhari's narration of this Hadith reads,

"The Prophet led us in the prayer at Mina during the peace period by offering two Rak`ahs."

Allah's statement,

إِنَّ الْكَافِرِينَ كَانُواْ لَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا



verily, the disbelievers are ever unto you open enemies