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Is it permissible to pray sitting in a car to avoid security problems when praying on the street in America?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Standing, bowing, and prostrating are pillars of prayer. If someone prays a fard (obligatory) prayer while sitting, despite being able to stand, their prayer is invalid and must be repeated. Prayer in a car is not permissible due to the inability to perform these pillars. Your presence in a disbelieving country is not an excuse for this, and Muslims pray in public places. People's mockery is not an excuse that permits abandoning the pillars. You can delay the prayer until you return home, or go to a mosque, or pray in parks while observing hijab. If none of these are possible, pray in the manner you can and repeat it later to resolve any dispute. It is not permissible for a woman to reside in disbelieving countries if she fears for her religion or her honor.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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