And when you are going forth travelling in the land you would not be at fault if you shorten the prayer by making it two genuflexions instead of four if you fear that you may be afflicted by those who do not believe that is if you fear that you may be harmed by them this fear of affliction at the hands of the disbelievers is just intended as an explication of the reality of the situation at that time and the point no longer applies. In the Sunna it is pointed out that ‘travel’ safar means long-distance travel which is approximately 50 miles. God’s words ‘you would not be at fault’ should be understood as denoting a dispensation and not a requirement and this is the opinion of al-Shāfi‘ī; the disbelievers are a manifest foe to you their enmity being evident.
