How should we arrange the times of prayers when we travel overseas by plane? Is it permissible to perform prayers by sitting when there is no appropriate place to perform them by standing on a plane?

How should we arrange the times of prayers when we travel overseas by plane? Is it permissible to perform prayers by sitting when there is no appropriate place to perform them by standing on a plane?

Dear Brother / Sister,

A person travelling by plane needs to turn toward the qiblah if he can and perform prayers by standing or sitting. He needs to turn toward the qiblah as the plane turns. If a person cannot perform prayers like this, he can sit toward the direction the plane is flying and perform prayers by making gestures.  

Making gestures means to make signs by the head instead of bowing down (ruku') and prostrating (sajdah). A person who performs prayers by gestures needs to start the prayer by uttering takbir while sitting; he needs to bow his head a bit for ruku' and a bit more for sajdah. He needs to complete his prayer by saluting at the end of the prayer.   

During a flight, the prayer times of the cities the plane flies over are taken into consideration if it is possible; and prayers are performed according to these times. In addition, it is possible for a Hanafi person to combine the noon and afternoon prayers and the evening and night prayers by imitating the Shafii madhhab if it is necessary.

Prayers can be performed in combination as follows:

It is permissible to perform the noon (zuhr) and afternoon (asr) prayers, and the evening (maghrib) and night (isha) prayers by both taqdim (by performing the afternoon prayer during the time of the noon prayer after the fard of the noon prayer or by performing the night prayer during the time of the evening prayer after the fard of the evening prayer) and takhir (by performing the noon prayer during the time of the afternoon prayer in the form of first the noon prayer then the afternoon or by performing the evening prayer during the time of the night prayer before the fard of the night prayer).

A person who wants to perform prayers in combination needs to perform them one after the other without performing the sunnah prayers between two fard prayers.

After the explanations above, we can state the following according to the information you gave us:

1. During some long distance flights, information prayer times and the direction of the qiblah is given. In that case, you can perform prayers at their prescribed times and by turning toward the qiblah if it is possible. 

2. If such information is not given during the flight, you can estimate the prayer times and the local times of the places you will fly over acting upon the departure time and perform the noon and the afternoon prayers at a certain time and the evening and night prayers after a certain time by combining them. You have to perform the morning prayer (fajr) before the sun rises in the place where you are.   

(Presidency or Religious Affairs)

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