The Holy Quran with Five Volume Commentary (Vol 2) — Page 257
CH. 4 فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ الصَّلوةَ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ قِيمًا have PT. 5 104. And when you AN-NISA' finished the Prayer, "remember Allah و قُعُودًا وَعَلَى جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا while standing, and اطْمَانَنْتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلوةَ إِنَّ الصَّلوةَ sitting, and lying on your sides كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتبًا مَّوْقُوتًا b And when you are secure from danger, then observe Prayer in the prescribed form; verily Prayer is enjoined on the believers to be performed at fixed hours. 572 "3:192. b2:240. Rak'ats while the Imām said four. Again, methods varied with the varying position of the army. If the enemy, for instance, was in front of the Imām, the congregation followed a method different from that which they followed on other occasions. To sum up, whereas Prayer in a state of simple journey consists of two Rak'ats in such Prayers as ordinarily consist of four Rak'ats, the Prayer in time of fear may assume different forms, the more important being: (a) Splitting up the worshippers into two parties, each party either saying one part of its Prayer with the Imām and then retiring, or saying one part of its Prayer with the Imām and the other part separately, the number of Rak'ats performed by the worshippers being either one or two as the case may be (the present verse); (b) Shortening the duration of Prayers only (the preceding verse); (c) Doing away with all form and repeating the words of Prayer while 697 walking, running or riding (2:240). The verse observes a difference between: a (arms) and (means of defence or simply precautions). Whereas the former may be put aside in moments of comparative security, the latter should always be adhered to and never neglected. See also 4:72. 572. Commentary: As in the midst of a battle, formal Prayers are either said in haste, or performed in the form of one Rak'at only. Muslims are enjoined in this verse, with a view to making up the deficiency, to continue remembering God and praying to Him in an informal manner after the obligatory service is over. This was to compensate, on the one hand, for the shortening of Prayer and, on the other, to serve as a means of drawing the special aid and help of God in a time of great danger. The expression, And when you are secure (from danger), then observe Prayer (in the prescribed form), very clearly brings out the difference