Is Selectively Following the Shafi’i School Valid?

Answered by Shaykh Irshaad Sedick

Question

I follow the Shafi‘i madhhab when it comes to combining prayers, particularly based on Ibn Ziyad al-Yamani’s view regarding intention and the lack of a gap between prayers. However, I do not adhere to other Shafi‘i rulings on conditions like travel distance and wudu. Is it valid to combine prayers in this manner, or does this selective approach affect the validity of my prayer?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,

Thank you for your question.

Like other Schools, the Shafi‘i School is a well-established system of law, and following it properly means adhering to its rulings cohesively. When it comes to the issue of combining prayers during travel, the scholars of the Shafi’i School have laid out specific conditions, which should be followed for the act to be valid according to the School.

Conditions for Combining Prayers

According to the Shafi‘i School, combining prayers (jama‘a) is permitted under certain conditions, such as during travel, rain, or illness. It is essential also to consider the other foundational conditions of the School, including:

The Conditions for Shortening and Joining Prayers on Travel

1. The core intention of the journey should not be disobedience to Allah (Most High).
2. The destination should be more than 80 kilometers (50 miles) one way.
3. The journey commences when leaving the boundaries of one’s city.
4. The journey ends immediately upon reaching a location where one intends to stay for four days or more. [Nawawi, Minhaj]
5. That one performs prayers that become obligatory within the travel period.
6. That the person is aware of the permissibility of the dispensation to shorten and/or combine the prayers.
7. That the person does not follow an imam who prays the whole prayer.
8. That the person intended to shorten their prayers at the beginning of their prayer.
9. The person completed three things to allow for combining prayers during the first prayer: prayed in sequence, intended to combine prayers at some point during the first prayer, and prayed the second prayer after the first prayer without a long break between the two.
10. When delaying the earlier prayer to the time of the later prayer, one has the intention to delay the earlier prayer. [Nawawi, Al-Majmu‘]

For further details, please visit the Reliance of the Traveller by Shaykh Nuh Ha Mim Keller, and consider signing up for our current course: Ship of Salvation – Imam al-Hadrami’s Primer on Beginner Shafi‘i Fiqh.

Consistency in Following the Madhhab

It is not permissible to selectively follow rulings from within a School or from different scholars within a School, especially if this leads to the pursuit of convenience or traffic (“patchwork” or “piecemeal juristic amalgamation,” which is invalid). The scholars of the Shafi‘i School laid out rulings within the School’s framework, including minor and major rulings that should not be taken in isolation.

If you choose to follow the Shafi‘i School, it is essential to follow the conditions of combining prayers in their entirety, including travel distance and other prerequisites. If you find certain aspects difficult to follow, seeking guidance from a scholar who can explain them further or help address specific concerns may be beneficial.

May Allah (Most High) grant you ease and success in your worship.

[Shaykh] Irshaad Sedick
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Irshaad Sedick was raised in South Africa in a traditional Muslim family. He graduated from Dar al-Ulum al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah in Strand, Western Cape, under the guidance of the late world-renowned scholar Shaykh Taha Karaan.

Shaykh Irshaad received Ijaza from many luminaries of the Islamic world, including Shaykh Taha Karaan, Mawlana Yusuf Karaan, and Mawlana Abdul Hafeez Makki, among others.

He is the author of the text “The Musnad of Ahmad ibn Hanbal: A Hujjah or not?” He has served as the Director of the Discover Islam Centre and Al Jeem Foundation. For the last five years till present, he has served as the Khatib of Masjid Ar-Rashideen, Mowbray, Cape Town.

Shaykh Irshaad has thirteen years of teaching experience at some of the leading Islamic institutes in Cape Town). He is currently building an Islamic online learning and media platform called ‘Isnad Academy’ and has completed his Master’s degree in the study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg. He has a keen interest in healthy living and fitness.