The Traveler Prayer

The Conditions of Shortening the Prayer¹

The traveler must shorten the prayer which is made up of four bows, and thus it turns to be made up of two bows instead of four bows under the following conditions:

1- Distance: The religious distance is about 45 km all as going or 22.5 km as going and 22.5 as coming.

2- Intention to Cover the Distance: One must intend before going out to cover the distance. In case one does not have a specific determination or doesn’t know how far he is going to reach, like the one looking for something, must not shorten his prayer even if he covers the religious distance.

3-The Continuity of the Intention: in case one changes his destination while traveling, there are two cases:

* First Case: The remaining distance to which he turned in addition to the already covered distance is equal to 45 km as going by whole or 22.5 km as going and 22.5 as coming. Then he must shorten his prayer.

* Second Case: The remaining distance to which he turns in addition to the already covered distance is less than the religious distance. Then, he must perform his prayer completely.

4- The Permissibility of the Travel: The one traveling to perform a forbidden deed, like killing a believer, must perform his prayer completely.

5- The Travel Not Being a Work: The captains of the plane, the ship navigators, the drivers of the cars and trucks, and others must perform their prayers completely. In case one has newly started his work, he must shorten his prayer in the first travel, and then he must perform his prayers completely after that.²

6- Not Breaking the Travel with the Intention of Ten Days Residence or with Passing by One’s Hometown: In case one travels with the intention of residing for ten days after having covered 22.5 km for instance or in case he passes by his hometown, then he must perform his prayer completely.³

The Travel Breakers
1- Reaching or Passing by the hometown⁴
2- Intending to reside for ten days in a specific place⁵
3- Frequenting for thirty days to a certain place⁶

To Be Noted Judgments
- In case one’s work demands traveling and he frequents to it everyday or once every ten days, he must perform his prayer completely and must fast in his work place.⁷ In case he breaks this frequency through residing for ten days there, he must shorten his prayer in the first travel after the break of the frequency.

- In case he intends to reside in a certain place, and then he changes his mind, there are several possibilities:⁸
First: He has performed a prayer made up of four bows; then he must continue to perform the prayer completely.

Second: He has not yet performed a prayer made up of four bows; then he must shorten his prayer.

Third: He, having forgotten his intention of residence, has performed a prayer made up of four bows completely; then he must shorten his prayer.

- In case the religiously responsible person remains in a certain place hesitating between residing there and leaving, and in case this hesitation remains for thirty days, then he must perform his prayer completely starting with the thirty first day.⁹

1- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations]/ Part One/ Page 181/ Question 639
2- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations] / Part One/ Page 821/ Question 641
3- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Part One/ Page 181/ Question 639
4- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Part One/ Page 189/ Question 657
5- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Part One/ Page 184/ Question 647
6- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Part One/ Page 193/ Question 672
7- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at/ Part One/ Page 182/ Question 640
8- Tahreer Al-Waseela [Editing the Means] / Part One/ Page 259/ Question 9
9- Ajweebat Al-Istifta’at [The Answers to the Consultations] / Part One/ Page 194/ Question 673