Traveling on Friday: Disliked or Not?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question: My question is regarding traveling on Friday. Since congregational Friday prayer is obligatory upon men, is traveling a valid legal excuse from prayer in anafi fiqh. Also, is it disliked to travel on Friday?

Answer: Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

Traveling is a legal excuse from Friday prayer for men, though there remains reward in attending it for them. [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

In the Hanafi school, there isn’t dislike in traveling on Friday. [ibid.]

However:

(1) If the time for Friday prayer enters before one initiates the journey, then one must perform the Friday prayer–unless one would miss one’s mode of transport (such as a flight or train); [ibid.] and

(2) When possible, it is recommended to avoid initiating a journey on Friday after Fajr if it would mean missing the Friday prayer, to avoid the difference of opinion of those (such as the Shafi`is) who deemed this disliked or impermissible.

And Allah alone gives success.

Faraz Rabbani