Waleed Basyouni – How to Perform Salah on an Airplane Prayer Timing, Direction & Guidelines

Waleed Basyouni
AI: Summary ©
The importance of praying in the planes is discussed, including the need for flexibility in approach and not missing important moments. It is emphasized that praying in the air is not something that is out of place, and even if one is unable to face the Qibla, they can combine their actions to avoid future problems. The importance of praying in the air to avoid dangerous behavior is also emphasized.
AI: Transcript ©
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As-Salaam-Alaikum Shaykh.

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Wa-Alaikum As-Salaam.

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You've been traveling a lot, right?

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Yes.

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So, this is a very relevant question to

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people who travel a lot, especially if they

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travel overseas.

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He's asking, how could he pray on the

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airplane?

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Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

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That's a very good question, and it has

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many aspects.

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So, traveling on an airplane, how can I

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pray?

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Let's start with the timing of prayer.

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So, if you travel, the time of the

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prayer has nothing to do with the destination

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or where you start your flight from.

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So, let's say you leave from Houston going

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to, let's say, Istanbul.

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Dhuhr does not enter based on the Dhuhr

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time in Houston or Dhuhr time in Istanbul.

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It's based on where you're at in the

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journey.

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At that time.

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At that time.

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Right.

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So, if you left Houston 11 o'clock,

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for example, you know, it's not Dhuhr time

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in Houston, and most likely it's not Dhuhr

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time in Istanbul as well.

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So, what I do in this case, you

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wait until, you know, it is for sure,

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let's say, you are now in DC area

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or the East Coast, and it's Dhuhr there,

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and even there is some app will calculate

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where you're at exactly, and will give you

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the time of the salah in the airplane

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where you are traveling.

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Some Muslim airlines will tell you, like Turkish

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Airlines, for example, some other airlines, I saw

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Turkish Airlines, they tell you this is Dhuhr

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time entered right now, or Asr.

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So, they will let you know.

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But let's say you don't, you couldn't figure

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that out.

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You wait until you see it's about Asr,

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and you pray Dhuhr and Asr together.

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When it became dark, you pray Maghrib and

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Isha together.

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Right.

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When it is basically, you see the light

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coming up, that's Fajr, you pray Fajr.

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You might pray the five daily prayers in

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less than 24 hours.

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That's fine.

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And it becomes shorter or longer.

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Right.

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That's fine also.

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Going east, it will.

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It will.

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Coming west, you might have the whole entire

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day only for two salah.

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Right.

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You know, that's fine as well.

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So, that's number one.

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Number two, when it comes to prayer in

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the airplane, you're allowed to combine between prayer

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and shortening the prayer.

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Right.

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Because you are traveling.

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The third point, when it comes to praying

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in the airplane, is facing the Qibla.

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Okay.

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One thing can help you a lot.

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The Prophet said to the Sahaba, the Sahaba

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one night pray in the night.

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So, the Qibla in Medina is to Mecca

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is what?

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South.

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Right.

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So, the Prophet said from east to west

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is Qibla.

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Because some of them prayed southeast, some of

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them southwest.

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Right.

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So, like this.

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So, the Prophet said from east to west,

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Qibla, as long as you're facing what?

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South.

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South, yeah.

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So, The majority of your body is facing

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south, right?

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Yes.

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So, now you're traveling to Mecca from America

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or flying east.

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Your Qibla from north to south.

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So, if you go this way, this way,

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this way, this way, this way, because sometimes

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the airplane you cannot have it 100%

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towards the Qibla.

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But even if it's a little bit like

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20 degree here, 20 degree there, left or

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right, it's fine.

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You know?

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You can just move yourself a little bit

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if you have to.

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Sometimes you can.

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Let's assume or it's hard for you to

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do that where it's not comfortable, not safe,

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whatever it is.

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You know?

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So, I'm just giving you the option to

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know that there is flexibility in the issue.

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But what's not allowed is for you, for

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example, to going to California and you say

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Allah Akbar facing California while, you know, Mecca

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behind your back.

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That will not be visible.

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Exactly.

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Unless, unless, there is no way for you

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to face the Qibla.

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I can't.

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It's not.

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Let's say everybody, there is a turbulence and

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you have to anchor down and you cannot

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turn in your seat or stand up or

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anything like that.

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You're not allowed.

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Or you worry if you stand up or

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you do something like that, that might cause,

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you know, how sensitivity in airplane these days.

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Right, exactly.

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It can cause a problem for you.

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You don't want to go into that.

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So, also, I'm not going to arrive California

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before the time get out.

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And what I mean by the time, the

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time of the combining prayers.

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So, let's say I'm leaving here, but I

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will arrive California at night.

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Okay.

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That means you will have to pray in

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the airplane.

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Right.

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But if I arrive there before Maghrib.

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Then you pray there.

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I wait until I arrive there.

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I pray Maghrib and Asr together because I

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can't face the Qibla.

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Right.

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But if you can't face the Qibla, you

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can combine.

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But I'm talking about in a case where

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you cannot face the Qibla.

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Okay.

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Also, what about if you can't and you're

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going to arrive there after Maghrib.

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In this case, we said, Allah subhanahu wa

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ta'ala said, فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ Fear

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Allah according to your ability.

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Happen a lot when you come from, for

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example, from the east.

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Coming from Pakistan, coming from Egypt, coming from

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Istanbul, coming to America.

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The Qibla is behind you.

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Behind you, yes.

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So, you can't really face it and it's

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not possible to do that.

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In this case, when you're going to arrive

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in the night.

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So, you don't want to miss Dhuhr and

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Asr.

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When you land, you pray them.

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No, you pray them in the airplane.

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If you can, just look and say, اللَّهُ

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أَكْبَرُ Anything you can do from the obligation,

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it's good.

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Even if it's just, اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ Then after

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that, you go.

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If that's the best you can do, it's

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fine.

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If you can't do anything of that, you

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just say, اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ

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Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala said, Fear Allah,

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do whatever you can do.

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As for standing, No doubt, النبي صلى الله

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عليه وسلم صَلِّ قَائِمًا فَإِلَّا مِن تَسْتَطَعْ فَجَالِسًا

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Pray standing, if you can, sitting.

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And here is, Can you stand up in

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the airplane?

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In my opinion, no.

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Why?

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Because it's not safe.

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Anytime the flight can disturb and happen, you

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can fall, you can harm yourself or other

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people.

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Also, in many places, this can be a

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little bit suspicious activity and people are very

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sensitive towards this and the people doesn't want

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to take the risk.

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So for me, I have no problem.

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It's like النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم give

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a permission to people in the سفينة, in

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the boat.

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And علم رحمه الله talk about people in

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the boat allowed to pray sitting, because it's

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not stable.

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This is a very good example.

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Yeah, so if that's the case in the

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boat, it's the same thing in the airplane.

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So for that, I would say, you are

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allowed to pray while you're sitting.

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And when you pray, you basically, when it

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comes to the ركوع, you go a little

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bit farther.

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In the سجود, you go a little bit

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farther.

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You don't need to go all the way

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in the bottom of the table and to

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make an actual سجود.

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You just look, you go a little bit

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farther.

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Just like praying on a chair.

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Yeah, and you go like this for the

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سجود and with تشهد and you say السلام

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عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.

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So this is basically the way to pray

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in the airplane in regard to the timing,

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regarding to the way you pray, how to

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perform the prayer, the issue of قبلة and

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the issue of standing versus sitting.

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And Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala knows best.

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صلى الله عليه وسلم عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

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JazakAllah khair, Shaykh.

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That was very informative.

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Thank you.

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