أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ الطِّهْرَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ فِي الطَّيَّارَةِ، فَقَالَ: اسْتَقْبِلِ الْقِبْلَةَ وَكَبِّرْ، ثُمَّ اسْتَقْبِلْ حَيْثُ تَسْتَقْبِلُ الطَّيَّارَةُ، وَلَا تُصَلِّ فِيهَا مَكْتُوبَةً إِلَّا وَأَنْتَ خَائِفٌ، قُلْتُ: أُصَلِّي فِيهَا جَالِسًا؟ قَالَ: تُصَلِّي قَائِمًا أَبَدًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَقَاعِدًا، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَعَلَى جَنْبِكَ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَبِالْإِيمَاءِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَسْتَطِعْ فَبِالنِّيَّةِ، وَهَذَا كَقَوْلِ الْحَدَّادِ لِفَتَاهُ: مُتْ وَأَنْتَ نَافِخٌ!
Translation of the saying:
Hasan ibn Qasim al-Tehrani informed us, saying: I asked Mansoor about performing prayer on an airplane, and he said: “Turn toward the Qiblah and say Takbir, then turn toward whichever direction the airplane turns, and do not perform an obligatory prayer in it unless you are in fear.” I said: “Do I perform prayer in it while sitting?” He said: “You always perform prayer while standing; if you cannot, then sitting; if you cannot, then on your side; if you cannot, then by gesture; if you cannot, then by intention. And this is like the saying of the blacksmith (in a well-known proverb) who said to his apprentice: ‘Die and blow!’”
Explanation of the saying:
What His Eminence (may Allah Almighty protect him) referred to regarding the blacksmith’s saying to his apprentice is a well-known Persian proverb; they say, «بمير و بدم»—“bemir o bedam,” which translates as “die and blow,” and by which they mean, “Do it however you can.” They have a story behind it, which there is no need to mention.
To read the explanation of the saying, refer to Q&A 72.
