The format of prayer would move from one level to a lesser...

The format of prayer would move from one level to a lesser level based on my ability and the given circumstances; but the obligation of salat would not be waived from a Muslim under any circumstance. So when I reached this conclusion, I looked around the plane to find a place in which I could say the salat in a standing position. My eyes settled on a small area in one part of the plane that was sufficient for saying the salat.

I said to myself that the problem of the place has been resolved but now I have to find the direction of the qiblah as long as the plane is flying in one direction. I decided to seek the help of the airline crew to determine the direction of qiblah. An air steward passed for gathering the tea cups from the tables, I seized the opportunity and asked him in broken English as follows: Can I ask you a question? "Yes, go ahead." Can you help me in showing me the direction of the qiblah?

"I am sorry, I didn't understand your question." The direction of qiblah…the direction towards Holy Mecca? "Are you a Muslim?" Yes, and I would like to say my noon prayer. "Let me ask in the cockpit and I will be back." I realized that I should also have asked for something to put on the floor of the aircraft to pray on it. When he came back with the answer on the qiblah, I requested him to bring me something like a blanket or a newspaper that I could place on the floor of the aircraft.

He brought a blanket which I spread on the floor and prayed noon and afternoon salat, two (rak'at) each as qasr, facing the qiblah. Then I recited the tasbih of az-Zahra' (a.s.) by saying "Allahu abkar" 34 times, "al-hamdu lil lah" 33 times, and "subhan Allah" 33 times.

After the tasbih, I thanked Allah and returned to my seat while I was in a different and more content state of mind because I was afraid that saying the salat in the plane would be difficult and I might be drawing unnecessary attention from the other passengers. But my fears were unfounded. It became clear to me that the salat earned me a special respect and added esteem for me in the eyes of the non-Muslims, including the steward, who were on board the plane.

My thoughts were interrupted by the announcement that food will be served soon. The airhostesses started asking the passengers about their preference from the menu. One of them asked me if I would prefer fish or chicken.