Shortened prayer by a traveller

Imam Khamenei

Q 1: Does the obligation of saying shortened prayer by a traveller apply to all obligatory prayers or is it limited to some of them?

A: The obligation of shortened specifically applies to some daily prayers, i.e., noon, afternoon and ‘ishā’. As for the morning and the maghrib ones, this rule does not apply.

Q 2: What are the conditions for the four-rak‘ah prayers to become obligatorily shortened on the traveller?

A: They are eight conditions:

1. The travelled distance should be at least eight continuous shar‘ī farsakhs, either going or returning, or altogether provided that the going distance is not less than four shar‘ī farsakhs.
2. The intent to travel the distance should exist from the time of departure. Hence if one does not intend to cover the distance, or intends a shorter one and then intends to travel to another place after reaching his destination, whose distance from the first destination is less than the shar‘ī distance, but more than the shar‘ī distance from his home, one will not pray shortened.
3. The continuation of intent until the distance is covered. Thus if one changes his mind before covering four shar‘ī farsakhs or hesitates, the rule of travel will not apply to him after that, but the shortened prayers he performed before changing his intention must be said again by obligatory caution.
4. That there be no intention to interrupt one’s journey while covering the distance by passing through one’s hometown, or by intending to stay ten days or more in another place.
5. That the journey be a lawful one according to Islamic law. Thus if the journey is a sinful or ḥarām one, whether it is such in itself like fleeing a holy war, or its purpose is ḥarām, such as traveling to commit highway robbery, for example, the rule of the traveller will not apply to it.
6. That the traveller is not one of those who live a migrant life, like some Bedouins who do not have a fixed location and wander through deserts and stay near water, grass and pastures.
7. That traveling should not be one’s job, such as a driver, a sailor, a person who hires out animals of burden, and so on. One whose job is done in traveling is also treated like the aforementioned.
8. Reaching the tarakhkhuṣ limit, namely the point from where one cannot hear the town’s adhān which is normal and said without a loudspeaker.

Q 3: A person travels as a preliminary to his job, should he perform his prayer complete, or does this rule apply only to someone whose job is traveling? What do marji‘s such as Imam Khomeini mean by the phrase “one whose job is traveling”. Is there anyone whose job is to travel? This is because the jobs of a shepherd, a driver, a sailor, etc. are to look after the sheep, or to drive, or to sail, respectively. Basically, there is no one whose job is traveling as such.

A: Whoever travels as a preliminary to his job and at least once every ten days goes back and forth between his home and place of work should perform his prayer complete and his fasting is valid. The phrase “one whose job is traveling” in the statements of mujtahids, may Allah be pleased with them, means someone whose job itself involves traveling, like the jobs mentioned in the question.

Ayatollah Sistani –  

If the eight conditions are fulfilled then a traveller must perform ẓuhr, ʿaṣr, and ʿishāʾ prayers in their shortened (qaṣr) form, i.e. he must perform them as two rakʿah prayers.

First condition: the journey must not be less than eight farsakhs (approximately forty-four kilometres) [which is equal to approximately twenty-seven and a half miles].

Ruling 1. If a person’s outward and return journey totals eight farsakhs – irrespective of whether or not the outward or the return journey on its own is less than four farsakhs – he must perform qaṣr prayers. Therefore, if his outward journey is three farsakhs and his return is five, or vice versa, he must perform qaṣr prayers, i.e. [he must perform the four rakʿah prayers] as two rakʿah prayers.

Ruling 2. If a person’s journey is a little short of eight farsakhs, or if he does not know whether or not his journey is eight farsakhs, he must not perform qaṣr prayers. In the event that he doubts whether or not his journey is eight farsakhs, it is not necessary for him to investigate, and he must perform tamām prayers.

Ruling 3. If a dutiful or reliable person informs a person that his journey is eight farsakhs, and if he attains confidence in what he says, he must perform qaṣr prayers.

Ruling 4. If someone who is certain that his journey is eight farsakhs performs qaṣr prayers and later realises that it was not eight farsakhs, he must perform them as four rakʿah prayers; and if the time has expired, he must make them up.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi –  

Issue No.1 – A traveller should reduce the Rak’ats in Zuhr, Asr and Isha prayers, that is, he should perform two Rak’ats instead of four, subject to the eight conditions.

Issue No. 2 – A person can get the distance between two places in various ways: First, he himself has measured the distance and made sure about it. Second, it is well-known among the people that the distance is of 8 farsakh. Third, a reliable person tells a traveller that the distance of his journey consists of 8 farsakh.

Issue No.3 – If a person frequents between two places which are less than 4 farsakh apart, he should offer complete prayers, even if the total distance covered by him may add up to 8 farsakh or more. However, if he is considered by custom (urf) to be a traveller, he should, as a measure of precaution, offer both complete as well as shortened prayers.

Issue No.4 – If two roads lead to a place, and one of them is less than 8 farsakh long, and the length of the other is 8 farsakh or more, the traveller should offer shortened prayers if he travels by the road which is 8 farsakh long and should offer complete prayers if he travels by the road which is less than 8 farsakh long.