Can I Pray on a Plane?

What Justifies Praying Seated on a Plane or Train?


Hanafi Fiqh

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question 

What constitutes a valid excuse for performing the prayer sitting when riding a public mode of transportation such as trains and planes?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

If performing your prayer standing will cause the violation of the rights of others, the harming of people, or put others in hardship, you are permitted to pray sitting. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] 

If the excuse was a mere cause of circumstance and did not stem from the actions of any human, you are not required to repeat the prayer. If, however, you were stopped due to the action of a person, the pray must be repeated thereafter. [Ibid.]

As an example of the above, consider that the prayer time is near to exiting, however, the plane stewardesses are serving the food thus you are unable to perform the prayer; or consider that the prayer time is almost exiting and you need to perform the wudu, however, there is turbulence and the seat belt signs are lit — in both cases circumstances prevented you from performing the prayer properly. Thus you perform the prayer sitting and are not required to repeat them.

Note that the sitting permitted above requires that the prostration still be made on the ground. If this is not possible, one prays with head gestures and repeats the prayer, regardless of the type of prevention. [Ibid.]

Hope this helps

Allah knows best

[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

(قَوْلُهُ ثُمَّ إنْ نَشَأَ الْخَوْفُ إلَخْ) اعْلَمْ أَنَّ الْمَانِعَ مِنْ الْوُضُوءِ إنْ كَانَ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْعِبَادِ: كَأَسِيرٍ مَنَعَهُ الْكُفَّارُ مِنْ الْوُضُوءِ، وَمَحْبُوسٍ فِي السِّجْنِ، وَمَنْ قِيلَ لَهُ إنْ تَوَضَّأْت قَتَلْتُك جَازَ لَهُ التَّيَمُّمُ وَيُعِيدُ الصَّلَاةَ إذَا زَالَ الْمَانِعُ كَذَا فِي الدُّرَرِ وَالْوِقَايَةِ: أَيْ وَأَمَّا إذَا كَانَ مِنْ قِبَلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى كَالْمَرَضِ فَلَا يُعِيدُ. وَوَقَعَ فِي الْخُلَاصَةِ وَغَيْرِهَا: أَسِيرٌ مَنَعَهُ الْعَدُوُّ مِنْ الْوُضُوءِ وَالصَّلَاةِ يَتَيَمَّمُ وَيُصَلِّي بِالْإِيمَاءِ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُ، فَقَيَّدَ بِالْإِيمَاءِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ مُنِعَ مِنْ الصَّلَاةِ أَيْضًا: فَلَوْ مُنِعَ مِنْ الْوُضُوءِ فَقَطْ صَلَّى بِرُكُوعٍ وَسُجُودٍ كَمَا هُوَ ظَاهِرُ الدُّرَرِ، أَفَادَهُ نُوحٌ أَفَنْدِي.ثُمَّ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ اُخْتُلِفَ فِي الْخَوْفِ مِنْ الْعَدُوِّ هَلْ هُوَ مِنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى فَلَا إعَادَةَ، أَوْ مِنْ الْعَبْدِ فَتَجِبُ؟ ذَهَبَ فِي الْمِعْرَاجِ إلَى الْأَوَّلِ، وَفِي النِّهَايَةِ إلَى الثَّانِي، وَوَفَّقَ فِي الْبَحْرِ بِحَمْلِ الثَّانِي عَلَى مَا إذَا حَصَلَ وَعِيدٌ مِنْ الْعَبْدِ نَشَأَ مِنْهُ الْخَوْفُ فَكَانَ مِنْ قِبَلِ الْعِبَادِ، وَحَمَلَ الْأَوَّلَ عَلَى مَا إذَا لَمْ يَحْصُلْ ذَلِكَ أَصْلًا بَلْ حَصَلَ خَوْفٌ مِنْهُ فَكَانَ مِنْ قِبَلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لِتَجَرُّدِهِ عَنْ مُبَاشَرَةِ السَّبَبِ وَإِنْ كَانَ الْكُلُّ مِنْهُ تَعَالَى خَلْقًا وَإِرَادَةً.
 قَالَ: ثُمَّ رَأَيْت فِي الْحِلْيَةِ صَرَّحَ بِمَا فَهِمْته وَأَقَرَّهُ فِي النَّهْرِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَهَذَا مَا أَشَارَ إلَيْهِ الشَّارِحُ – رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -، وَقَدَّمَ الشَّارِحُ فِي الْغُسْلِ أَنَّ الْمَرْأَةَ بَيْنَ رِجَالٍ تَتَيَمَّمُ، وَقَدَّمْنَا أَنَّ الرَّجُلَ كَذَلِكَ، وَأَنَّ الظَّاهِرَ أَنَّهُ لَا إعَادَةَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا عَلَيْهَا؛ لِأَنَّ الْمَانِعَ شَرْعِيٌّ وَهُوَ كَشْفُ الْعَوْرَةِ عِنْدَ مَنْ لَا يَحِلُّ لَهُ رُؤْيَتُهَا وَالْمَانِعُ مِنْهُ الْحَيَاءُ وَخَوْفُ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَهُمَا مِنْ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى لَا مِنْ قِبَلِ الْعِبَادِ. [فَرْعٌ] فِي الْبَحْرِ عَنْ الْمُبْتَغَى بِالْغَيْنِ الْمُعْجَمَةِ: أَجِيرٌ لَا يَجِدُ الْمَاءَ إلَّا فِي نِصْفِ مِيلٍ لَا يُعْذَرُ فِي التَّيَمُّمِ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَأْذَنْ لَهُ الْمُسْتَأْجِرُ تَيَمَّمَ وَأَعَادَ، وَلَوْ صَلَّى صَلَاةً أُخْرَى وَهُوَ يَذْكُرُ هَذِهِ تَفْسُدُ
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ص235 – كتاب الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين رد المحتار – سنن التيمم – المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York, where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and several texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.