Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Burhan Bhai,

Please can u answer the below mail which will be useful for several MUSLIM brothers

JAZAKALLAHU KHAIR

I have gone thru your EXPLAINATION & detailed  ruling on the above subject ,which is based on Mr.Aadil Salahi's ARAB NEWS ARTICLE.

But it falls shortoff to  say how long you can shorten your prayers while you are out of station or away from home ( town). What distance qualifies you to shorten the prayer, from your home town. For instance, I live in Alkhober, and work on site at Abu Hadriyah / Manifa / Juaymah and camp in Aby Hadriyah ,which is 170 KM away from Al'Khober Al'Khober. Foe example, I put up in camp for for 5-days & 2-days at home. Now the question asked by camp residents is,can we shorten our prayers for the 5-days & do full prayes while at home in the city. Some Saudi's believe that we can only shorten the prayers for 3-days only,and if we continue the 4th & 5th day at camp, we need to do full prayers prayers after the 3rd day. And also few say that Shafai's can still continue to shorthen their prayers after the 3rd day , but should pray alone & not in group.

Your clarification to the above queries will be highly

 JAZAH KALLA KHAIR.

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Shortening of prayers qasr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 101-102:

101 When ye travel through the earth there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers.

Respected brother in Islam, to make the observance of the deen easy, the Lord Most Merciful has permitted the believers, men and women, to shorten their prayers when they are on travel as stated in the above Verse of Surah Nisaa.

There are several authentic narrations that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would shorten his prayers whenever he (saws) was on what constituted a ‘journey’. According to authentic tradition the Prophet (saws) did not stay out of Madinah for a period longer than 20 days at any one stretch, where he (saws) did indeed shorten his prayers. The eminent scholars and jurists in Islam have differed on exactly how many days one may offer shortened prayers when one is on a journey, depending on which hadith they use as their evidence for their opinion.

Some of the scholars have said three/four days, while others have allowed ten, fourteen, nineteen or twenty days, while others have even said six months and others have said that regardless of the time, as long as one has no intention to settle down in that place, he may shorten his prayers as long as he does not return to his place of residence! Each of the eminent scholars have given their evidence from the Sunnah or tradition of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and of his noble companions, thus regardless of which school or thought one prefers over the other, as long as one has evidence from the Sunnah, it would be deemed acceptable in Shariah.

Aishah says: "One who does not put down his provision is to shorten the salah."

Ibn al-Mundhir states in his Ishraf: "The people of knowledge are in agreement that a traveler may perform ‘qasr’ (shortened) prayers as long as he does not intend to stay (permanently) in a place.’

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.112

Hafs ibn 'Ubaidullah says: "Hadrat Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) stayed in ash-Sham for two years and he prayed the salah of a traveler (Qasr).” Hadrat Anas (r.a.) relates: "The companions of the Prophet (saws) stayed in Ram Hurmuz for seven months and they shortened their salah." Al-Hassan reports: "I stayed with 'Abdurrahman ibn Samurah (r.a.) for two years in Kabul, and he shortened his salah but he did not combine the salah." Ibrahim says: "We resided in Rai for a year or more and in Sijistan for two years . . . [and we prayed qasr].’

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.110

Topic: The distance one must travel before shortening one's prayer

The conclusion from the Qur'anic verse is that any traveling, be it long or short, which falls within the linguistic definition of the word "travel" would suffice to shorten one's salah.

There are several reports in the authentic and established Sunnah that if the Messenger of Allah (saws) traveled a distance of only three miles, he (saws) would shorten his prayers; while other reports attributed to the Companions of the Prophet (saws) of the stature of Ibn Abbas (r.a.) and Ibn Umar (r.a.) are of the opinion that one is to shorten their prayers if their journey is beyond two or three camel days ride, or approximately 85-90 miles.

Yahya ibn Yazid said: "I asked Anas ibn Malik (r.a.) about shortening the prayer, and he said: 'The Messenger of Allah (saws) would pray two rakat (shortened prayer) if he (saws) had traveled a distance of one ‘farshakh’ (or appx three miles)."'

Related by Ahmad, Muslim, Abu Dawud, and al-Baihaqi.

Abu Sa'id al-Khudri (r.a.) said: "If the Prophet (r.a.) traveled a distance of one ‘farsakh’ (appx three miles), he (saws) would shorten his prayer."

Related by Sa'id ibn Mansur, and by al-Hafiz ibn Hajar.

Because the modes and forms of travel has evolved since the time of the Prophet (saws), the vast majority of the scholars today are of the opinion that one may shorten their prayers anytime one falls within the linguistic definition of the term ‘travel’ or ‘journey’, or where one intends to travel beyond the city or town one normally resides in.

We reiterate again that regardless of which school or thought one prefers over the other, as long as one has evidence for their act from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), their worship would be deemed acceptable to Allah Subhanah, Insha Allah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan