Q466 :If my flight starts before dawn prayer is
called and continues till after sunrise, how do I pray Fajr.
A466 : In this case of travel, you offer your Fajr
prayer when it is due, while you are on board. Obviously, you cannot
find enough space to offer your prayer in the normal way, without
obstructing the passage of other passengers and the plane crew. Nor is
it possible for you to determine the direction of the Qiblah.
Therefore, you pray in the seat bending your head for bowing (i.e.
rukoo’) and bending a little more for prostration (i.e. sujood). For
standing up or seated positions, you remain seated. The Prophet offered
sunnah prayer when he was traveling, while he was on the back of his
camel. He did not change the direction the camel was going. Nor did he
try to rise and sit. He remained in the riding position, bending for
rukoo’ and sujood. What you have to be careful about is the time when
Fajr benetes due. The times in the air are different from those on
land. You will find that the sun rises much earlier and dawn falls
later than usual. Therefore, you should be alert to these time changes.
Perhaps it is wiser to have ablution before you board the plane. It is
very difficult and inconvenient to have ablution using the wash basin
in the toilet on the plane. However, if you cannot keep your ablution
until Fajr is due, you should use the facility of wiping over your
socks, as this is permissible if you have put them on after you had
ablution.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )