[Q-ID0070] Traveller scenario [1]: my journey exceeds 57.5 miles including the return, do I shorten my prayers?
Question
If a traveller is going from hometown A to town B and back again on the same day, and the distance between these towns is less that the distance of qasr but more than half of qasr (such that a round-trip would amount to over the distance of qasr), would he be considered a musafir for the purpose of his salah?
Answer
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاة
“And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer…”
[Surah Nisa 4:101]
No. He would not be considered as a traveller as according to Islāmic Jurisprudence, an individual is considered to be a traveller who leaves point A with an intention to travel a distance of 57.5 miles to point B with the conditions that it is an uninterrupted journey along with being less than fifteen days. Since the journey from A to B is less than 57.5 miles it does not meet the conditions of Qasr.
Allāh knows best.
Answered by Shaykh Naveed Jameel ash-Shaami
Also see:
[Q-ID0035] What if I don’t shorten my prayer (qasr) as a traveller?
[Q-ID0660] Traveller scenario [3]: I am travelling to Pakistan, do I shorten my prayers?
