When Should I Shorten My Prayers?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

If I am going for work from Peshawar to Nowshera then back to Mardan and then Takht Bhai the total distance is more than 100km but the distance between Takht Bhai and our home is 70 to 74 miles on the map.

Should I shorten my prayers?

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,

In determining the travel distance when there are multiple stops on a journey, we look to the distance of the final destination from the starting point. Assuming that your itinerary is as stated in the question, Takht Bhai, the place mentioned as the final stop, is indeed a travelling distance away from your home, namely, Peshawar. Accordingly, you would begin to shorten your prayers after leaving Peshawar. Straight line distances between two cities or towns are of no consideration.

[Haskafi, al-Durr al-Mukhtar (1.527)]

Please also see this answer.

And Allah Most High knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.