Understanding the Islamic Ruling on Praying in a Vehicle
Question: A person lives in a non-Muslim country and owns a car. When he travels far from home and it is time for prayer, he stops at a gas station, performs ablution, and prays inside his car. He says that the surrounding ground does not seem clean, so he does not pray outside and does not feel it is correct to pray standing anywhere. Since Allah has given him a car, he prays comfortably inside it. Is his prayer inside the car valid?
Answer: A person who prays inside their car will not have their prayer accepted for two reasons:
1. Except in cases of necessity, it is not permissible to perform obligatory prayers on a vehicle.
2. Allah has made the entire earth a place of prayer for Muhammad (peace be upon him), so a Muslim can pray on any part of the earth where prayer time occurs, except in a graveyard or a bathroom.
Abu Sa’id (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"The entire earth has been made a place of prayer except for the bathroom and the graveyard" (Sahih Abi Dawood: 492).
Therefore, the prayer of a person who prays while sitting in their car is not valid. They must stand on the ground and prostrate on the ground so that the seven parts of the body touch the ground. This person should be informed of the correct practice so that they can correct themselves and worship on the ground as the Prophet (peace be upon him) demonstrated.
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi (may Allah preserve him)
❪Jeddah Dawah Center, Hayy al-Salamah – Saudi Arabia❫
Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi (may Allah preserve him)