When Am I Considered a Traveler In Order To Shorten My Prayer?


Question: If I intend to stay at a place more than 80km away for 14 days then travel to another place, also more than 80km away for 7 days then return to the first place, am I considered a traveler in all the above-mentioned places?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate,

Yes. You are considered a traveler in both places for the following reasons.

If one is traveling, (i.e. they have left their hometown intending a distance of 48mi (77km) or more), they remain so unless they intend to remain in a specific place for 15 days or more without initiating another journey from that place. [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn ‘Abidin, [Radd al-Muhtar]

In the example you gave, you only intended to stay in the first place for only 14 days. Furthermore, you journeyed from that place to another place. For these reasons, you are considered a traveler during the entire period. [Ibid.]

I hope this helps,
Allah knows best.
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a graduate from Tarim; a student of Habib Umar and other luminaries; and authorized teachers of the Qur’an and the Islamic sciences