4:103 An-Nisaa (The Women)

أي: فإذا فرغتم من صلاتكم، صلاة الخوف وغيرها، فاذكروا الله في جميع أحوالكم وهيئاتكم، ولكن خصت صلاة الخوف بذلك لفوائد. منها: أن القلب صلاحه وفلاحه وسعادته بالإنابة إلى الله تعالى في المحبة وامتلاء القلب من ذكره والثناء عليه. وأعظم ما يحصل به هذا المقصود الصلاة، التي حقيقتها أنها صلة بين العبد وبين ربه. ومنها: أن فيها من حقائق الإيمان ومعارف الإيقان ما أوجب أن يفرضها الله على عباده كل يوم وليلة. ومن المعلوم أن صلاة الخوف لا تحصل فيها هذه المقاصد الحميدة بسبب اشتغال القلب والبدن والخوف فأمر بجبرها بالذكر بعدها. ومنها: أن الخوف يوجب من قلق القلب وخوفه ما هو مظنة لضعفه، وإذا ضعف القلب ضعف البدن عن مقاومة العدو، والذكر لله والإكثار منه من أعظم مقويات القلب. ومنها: أن الذكر لله تعالى مع الصبر والثبات سبب للفلاح والظفر بالأعداء، كما قال تعالى: { يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا لَقِيتُمْ فِئَةً فَاثْبُتُوا وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَثِيرًا لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ } فأمر بالإكثار منه في هذه الحال إلى غير ذلك من الحِكَم. وقوله: { فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنْتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاة } أي: إذا أمنتم من الخوف واطمأنت قلوبكم وأبدانكم فأتموا صلاتكم على الوجه الأكمل ظاهرا وباطنا، بأركانها وشروطها وخشوعها وسائر مكملاتها. { إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا } أي: مفروضا في وقته، فدل ذلك على فرضيتها، وأن لها وقتا لا تصح إلا به، وهو هذه الأوقات التي قد تقررت عند المسلمين صغيرهم وكبيرهم، عالمهم وجاهلهم، وأخذوا ذلك عن نبيهم محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم بقوله: \"صلوا كما رأيتموني أصلي\" ودل قوله: { عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ } على أن الصلاة ميزان الإيمان وعلى حسب إيمان العبد تكون صلاته وتتم وتكمل، ويدل ذلك على أن الكفار وإن كانوا ملتزمين لأحكام المسلمين كأهل الذمة - أنهم لا يخاطبون بفروع الدين كالصلاة، ولا يؤمرون بها، بل ولا تصح منهم ما داموا على كفرهم، وإن كانوا يعاقبون عليها وعلى سائر الأحكام في الآخرة.

يأمر الله تعالى بكثرة الذكر عقيب صلاة الخوف وإن كان مشروعا مرغبا فيه أيضا بعد غيرها ولكن هاهنا آكد لما وقع فيها من التخفيف في أركانها ومن الرخصة في الذهاب فيها والإياب وغير ذلك مما ليس يوجد في غيرها كما قال تعالى في الأشهر الحرم "فلا تظلموا فيهن أنفسكم" وإن كان هذا منهيا عنه في غيرها ولكن فيها آكد لشدة حرمتها وعظمها ولهذا قال تعالى "فإذا قضيتم الصلاة فاذكروا الله قياما وقعودا وعلى جنوبكم" أي في سائر أحوالكم ثم قال تعالى "فإذا اطمأننتم فأقيموا الصلاة" أي فإذا أمنتم وذهب الخوف وحصلت الطمأنينة "فأقيموا الصلاة" أي فأتموها وأقيموها كما أمرتم بحدودها وخشوعها وركوعها وسجودها وجميع شؤونها وقوله تعالى"إن الصلاة كانت على المؤمنين كتابا موقوتا" قال ابن عباس أي مفروضا وقال أيضا: أن للصلاة وقتا كوقت الحج وكذا روى عن مجاهد وسالم بن عبدالله وعلي بن الحسين ومحمد بن علي والحسن ومقاتل والسدي وعطية العوفي وقال عبدالرزاق عن معمر عن قتادة إن الصلاة كانت على المؤمنين كتابا موقوتا قال ابن مسعود: إن للصلاة وقتا كوقت الحج وقال زيد بن أسلم إن الصلاة كانت على المؤمنين كتابا موقوتا قال منجما كلما مضى نجم جاء نجم يعني كلما مضى وقت وجاء وقت.

The Order for Ample Remembrance After the Fear Prayer

Allah commands Dhikr after finishing the Fear prayer, in particular, even though such Dhikr is encouraged after finishing other types of prayer in general. In the case of Fear prayer, Dhikr is encouraged even more because the pillars of the prayer are diminished since they move about while performing it, etc., unlike other prayers. Allah said about the Sacred Months,

فَلاَ تَظْلِمُواْ فِيهِنَّ أَنفُسَكُمْ

(so wrong not yourselves therein), even though injustice is prohibited all year long. However, injustice is particularly outlawed during the Sacred Months due to their sanctity and honor. So Allah's statement,

فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلَوةَ فَاذْكُرُواْ اللَّهَ قِيَـماً وَقُعُوداً وَعَلَى جُنُوبِكُمْ

(When you have finished Salah, remember Allah standing, sitting down, and on your sides,) means, in all conditions,

فَإِذَا اطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلَوةَ

(But when you are free from danger perform the Salah.) when you are safe, tranquil and fear subsides,

فَأَقِيمُواْ الصَّلَوةَ

(perform the Salah) by performing it as you were commanded; fulfilling its obligations, with humbleness, completing the bowing and prostration positions etc. Allah's statement,

إِنَّ الصَّلَوةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَـباً مَّوْقُوتاً

(Verily, the Salah is Kitaban on the believers at fixed hours.) means, enjoined, as Ibn `Abbas stated. Ibn `Abbas also said, "The prayer has a fixed time, just as the case with Hajj." Similar is reported from Mujahid, Salim bin `Abdullah, `Ali bin Al-Husayn, Muhammad bin `Ali, Al-Hasan, Muqatil. As-Suddi and `Atiyah Al-`Awfi.

The Encouragement to Pursue the Enemy Despite Injuries

Allah's statement,

وَلاَ تَهِنُواْ فِى ابْتِغَآءِ الْقَوْمِ

(And don't be weak in the pursuit of the enemy;) means, do not weaken your resolve in pursuit of your enemy. Rather, pursue them vigorously, fight them and be wary of them.

إِن تَكُونُواْ تَأْلَمُونَ فَإِنَّهُمْ يَأْلَمُونَ كَمَا تَأْلَمونَ

(if you are suffering then surely they are suffering as you are suffering,) meaning, just as you suffer from injuries and death, the same happens to the enemy. In another Ayah, Allah said,

إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ

(If you suffer a harm, be sure a similar harm has struck the others). Allah then said,

وَتَرْجُونَ مِنَ اللَّهِ مَا لاَ يَرْجُونَ

(but you have a hope from Allah that for which they hope not;) meaning, you and they are equal regarding the injuries and pain that you suffer from. However, you hope for Allah's reward, victory and aid, just as He has promised you in His Book and by the words of his Messenger . Surely, Allah's promise is true. On the other hand, your enemies do not have hope for any of this. So, it is you, not they, who should be eager to fight so that you establish the Word of Allah and raise it high. i

وَكَانَ اللَّهُ عَلِيماً حَكِيماً

(And Allah is Ever All-Knowing, All-Wise.) means, He is most knowledgeable and wise in all what He decides, decrees, wills and acts on concerning various worldly and religious ordainments, and He is worthy of praise in all conditions.

When you have performed the prayer when you have completed it remember God by repeating ‘There is no god but God’ tahlīl and ‘Glory be to God’ tasbīh standing and sitting and on your sides lying down in other words in all states. Then when you are reassured when you are secure observe the prayer perform it with its proper due surely the prayer is for believers a prescription enjoined that is an obligation at specific times that is its appointed times are set and so it should not be postponed from these times.

The concessions given in travel

(In Islamic legal terminology, Safar means journey or travel; Qasr refers to the making of one's Salah short while in that status. Thus, four obligatory Raka’ at of Zuhr, 'Asr and 'Isha are reduced in number and confined to two Raka'at only.)

Rulings:

1. Full Sarah is made in a journey which is less than 48 miles.

2. If, after reaching the destination at the end of the journey, one intends to stay there for less than fifteen days, rules relating to 'journey' will continue to apply to him, that is, the obligatory four Raka'at of Salah will be reduced to half. This is Qasr. Now, if one intends to stay at one place for fifteen days, or more, it will become his place or country of residence. Here too, Qasr will not be observed as it was not observed in his original home country, that is, full Sarah will be performed.

3. Qasr is done in the Fard (obligatory) Salah of Zuhr, 'Asr and 'Isha' only. There is no Qasr in Maghrib and Fajr, nor in Sunnah and Witr prayers.

5. If, there be no fear of possible danger during a journey, Qasr will still be observed in making Sarah.

6. Some people are troubled by apprehensions of sin when making their Sarah short (Qasr) in place of the regular full Sarah. This is not correct because Qasr is also a rule of the Shari'ah following which brings no -sin. On the contrary, it brings reward.

7. Verse 102 mentions a special way of offering Sarah in a state where, due to the fear of enemy, all the Muslims cannot pray in a single congregation. This special way is called 'Salatul-Khawf, the details of which are found in the books of Islamic Fiqh. Verse 102 says: وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلَاةَ ; (And when you { O prophet} are among them and arrange for them the Salah). Let this not be construed to mean that the injunction of the Salah of Fear (Salatul-Khawf) is no more imperative because the blessed person of the noble Prophet ﷺ is no more present among us. The reason is that this restriction has been mentioned here in terms of the situation at that particular time, for there can be no sans-excuse Imam of Salah in the presence of the Prophet ﷺ . After him, whoever is the Imam shall be deemed to be standing in his place and he will be the one to lead the Salatul-Khawf. All leading religious authorities agree that the injunction of Salatul-Khawf is operative even after him and has not been abrogated.

8. Just as making Salatul-Khawf is permissible when in fear of hostility from human beings, so it is when one is gripped with the fear of hurt from some beast like a lion or python and there is very little time left to make the Salah.

In this verse (102), mention has been made of both groups making one Raka'ah each, but the method of performing the second Raka'ah has appeared in Hadith which says: 'When the Holy Prophet ﷺ turned for Salim after the completion of his two Raka’ at, the two groups went on to complete their one Raka'ah each on their own'. More details can be seen there.

When you have completed the prayer, remember God, standing and sitting and on your sides. Know that the prayer is secret whispering between God and the servant. In this secret whisper- ing, there is both need and joy. Today there is need, tomorrow joy; today suffering, tomorrow the treasure; today a heavy burden, tomorrow repose and ease [56:89]; today toil and work, tomorrow pleasure and the bazaar; today bowing and prostrating, tomorrow finding and witnessing. Part of the eminence of the prayer is that the Exalted Lord has mentioned it 102 times in the Qur'an and given it thirteen names: prayer, devotion, Qur'an, glorification, book, remembrance, bowing, prostration, praise, asking forgiveness, declaring greatness, beautiful deeds, and subsistent things. MuṣṬafā said, “The prayer is the miʿrāj of the person of faith.” He said, “The prayer is God's banquet in the earth.” The ulama of the past have said, “The prayer is the throne of the desirers, the pleasure of the recognizers, the means of approach of the sinners, and the scented garden of the renunciants.” They have also said, “The person performing the prayer has received seven generous bestow- als: guidance, sufficiency, expiation, mercy, proximity, degree, and forgiveness.” The first step in associationism is not to say the prayers, for the Exalted Lord will say, “'What brought you into Saqar?' They will say, 'We were not of those who said the prayers'” [74:42-43]. And He placed the name faith in the prayer, where He says, “But God would never leave your faith,” that is, your prayer, “to waste” [2:143]. He promises daily provision with prayer, where He says, “And command thy folk to the prayer, and be thou patient therein. We ask thee for no provi- sion. We shall provide for thee” [20:132]. The number of obligatory prayers came as five in conformity with the roots of the Shari'ite rules. Concerning the roots of the Shari'ite rules MuṣṬafā said, “The submission is built on five.” The roots of the obligatory prayers are five prayers in one day and night. In other words, when the servant performs these five prayers with their stipulations and at their times, the Exalted Lord will give him the reward of all the roots of the Shari'ite rules. The guises of the prayer are four: standing, bowing, prostrating, and sitting.