Al-Azhar Clarifies Rules for Making Up Missed Prayers While Traveling

The Global Electronic Fatwa Center of Al-Azhar in Egypt has clarified the rules for making up missed prayers (qadha) for Muslims who are traveling (safar).

In response to a question about performing missed prayers after returning home, the Fatwa Committee explained that Muslims are obligated to pray on time unless there is a valid religious concession or excuse. Islamic law provides travelers with specific allowances, such as shortening four-rak'ah prayers to two (qasar) and combining prayers (jamak), to ease the difficulties of travel.

However, a divergence of opinion exists among scholars regarding a missed four-rak'ah prayer performed during a journey. The core issue is whether such a prayer, if made up after the traveler has returned home, should be performed in its full four-rak'ah form or shortened to two rak'ahs. This depends on whether the prayer is considered based on the traveler's status at the time it became obligatory or their status upon returning home.

According to the Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought, a prayer missed while traveling and subsequently made up after returning home should still be performed in its shortened, two-rak'ah form. Their reasoning is based on the principle that the concession applies to the state of travel itself, as evidenced by hadith narrated by Anas bin Malik RA.

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This concession is given as a form of ease and to remove hardship during travel.