The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 254
CH. 4 R. 15. AN-NISA' PT. 5 وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ And when you journey in. 102 the land, it shall be no sin on عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلوة you to shorten the Prayer, if you اِن خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اِنَّ الْكَفِرِيْنَ كَانُوْالَكُمْ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا fear that those who disbelieve may give you trouble. Verily, the disbelievers are an open enemy to you. 570 "2:240. migrated, and his migration will not be considered as having been performed in the cause of God" (Bukhārī, ch. on Bad'ul Wahy). 570. Commentary: The subject how Prayers are to be performed when one is on a journey or when there is fear of an attack from the enemy has been incidentally introduced here in connection with the subject of migration dealt with in the previous verses. At the conclusion of this subject, which has been incidentally brought in, the Quran will again refer to the main theme dealing with hypocrites and the weak of faith. The subject of Prayers in time of fear has been dealt with in the Quran in three separate verses viz. (1) in 2:240 which deals with Prayers performed in times of extreme fear when no formal prayer is possible; (2) in 4:102, i. e. the present verse which deals with Prayers performed individually in times of ordinary fear; and (3) in 4:103, i. e. the following verse which deals with Prayers performed in congregation. 694 The "shortening of Prayer" as mentioned in the present verse, which relates to the saying of Prayers individually, does not here signify the lessening of the number of Rak'ats which has from the very beginning been fixed at two in a state of journey. It signifies the saying of the prescribed Prayers quickly and hurriedly when there is danger of an attack from the enemy. Ordinarily, a Muslim is enjoined to say his Prayers slowly and attentively, but he may say them quickly and hurriedly when an attack from the enemy is apprehended. The number of Rak'ats to be said when a man is on a journey has ever been two, in the case of those Prayers which are ordinarily performed in four Rak'ats; but in time of danger when one has to say one's Prayers individually, even these two Rak'ats may be gone through quickly. This is what is meant by the "shortening of Prayer" in the verse under comment. Ibn Kathir says: "Some of the learned theologians hold that by the "shortening of Prayer" here is meant not the shortening of the quantity, i. e. the