Prayer is one of the most important acts of worship in Islam as it comes on the second rank after the Testimony of faith. It’s the sign of the faith as denying it in total leads to disbelief. It’s divided into two types, obligatory prayers (fard) and supererogatory prayers (nafl).
Here we talk about one of the supererogatory prayers which is “Prayer of Fear” (Salat Al-Khawf). It’s offered during the time of fear or danger in the battlefield while the soldiers are in danger because of being attacked by their enemies.
It’s proved by the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) on a number of occasions. The Almighty Allah says:
When you (O Messenger) are among them, and lead them in Prayer, let one party of them stand up [in Salah] with you taking their arms with them; when they finish their prostrations, let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which have not yet prayed, and let them pray with you taking all the precautions and bearing arms. (An-Nisaa’ 4:102)
Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy upon him) said: “There are six or seven proven hadiths concerning the fear prayer; whichever of them a person does, it is permissible.”
In this series titled, The Prayer of Fear, Sheikh Haitham Al-Haddad elaborates in detail the etiquettes, rulings, and conditions of the prayer of fear in the light of the Qur’an and the Sunnah.