Regulations of Shortening Prayer
Shortening Salah (prayer) is considered a strongly recommended practice for travelers. It is discouraged for a traveler to complete the full prayer without a valid reason; he is to perform the four-unit prayers as two units. While the Shafi’i and Hanbali schools allow for the continuation of prayer, the Hanafi school views shortening as obligatory rather than optional. In their perspective, this obligation ranks below obligatory prayers but is equivalent to confirmed Sunnah practices. Thus, completing the prayer in full is discouraged. However, if he does perform the full prayer, it is considered valid. It is important for the traveler not to skip the first sitting, as it is obligatory for him. The Maliki school asserts that shortening is a strongly recommended practice and even more significant than congregational prayer. While neglecting to shorten does not incur sin, the individual misses out on the reward for the Sunnah. Thus, shortening is viewed either as an allowable concession—according to the majority of Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali scholars—or as a required practice in the case of the Hanafi school, which deems full completion impermissible.
Conditions for Shortening Prayer
The prayers that may be shortened are limited to the four-unit prayers: Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha. There is no shortening for the two-unit Fajr and Maghrib prayers. Several conditions apply to the practice of shortening prayer:
- The distance of travel that allows for shortening: Islamic law permits the shortening of prayers while traveling without specifying a set distance. However, opinions among scholars vary regarding what constitutes an adequate distance for shortening. Since travel typically implies hardship, and hardship is not usually associated with short travel, some jurists argue that this should be a journey of two days or more, equating to approximately eighty kilometers. This view reflects the consensus of the Maliki, Shafi’i, and Hanbali schools. Others suggest a three-day journey, while some scholars believe there should be no defined limit, instead relying on customary usage; any journey that is recognized as such in common parlance qualifies for the allowance of shortening.
- The travel must be permissible: Shortening is not allowed for travel aimed at committing sins, as this could imply aiding or promoting wrongdoing. Both Maliki and Shafi’i schools permit shortening in disliked travel, while the Hanbali school forbids it.
- The traveler must leave their village: According to the verse, “And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer.” A person is not considered to be traveling until they engage in the journey, as exemplified by the actions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) reported by Anas ibn Malik, who stated: “I prayed Dhuhr with the Prophet in Medina as four units and at Dhi al-Hulayfah as two.” Urban areas are defined by the connected houses of the village, and the traveler must surpass this point in the direction of travel. There is no requirement to be out of sight of these homes. For a desert-dweller, surpassing the tents of their tribe suffices, while for a mountain resident, moving beyond their locality applies. In the case of sea travel, shortening can start once the vessel sets sail.
- The individual must not be in attendance for a scheduled prayer at their place of residence. If a prayer occurs while he is in residence and he misses it while traveling, he must complete the prayer.
- A traveler may not follow an individual at their place of residence; if one follows a resident during travel, they must complete their prayer.
- The duration of stay must permit shortening, which will be detailed later by scholars.
- The traveler must have a specific destination or intention for the journey.
- One must exercise independent judgment; a traveler who is dependent on others, such as a spouse or soldier, and is unaware of their destination cannot shorten prayers.
- The intention to shorten must exist at the time of commencing prayer; this is a condition according to Shafi’i and Hanbali schools, while the Hanafi school accepts the intention to travel prior to prayer.
- Reaching maturity is a condition in the Hanafi school, in contrast to the majority who assert that children can shorten prayers.
- The journey must persist from the time the prayer begins until its conclusion, which is a stipulation of the Shafi’i school.
Duration for Shortening Prayer While Traveling
Scholars have varying opinions regarding the duration for which a traveler is allowed to shorten their prayers. The outlined views include:
- Opinion of the Maliki and Shafi’i schools: They state that a traveler can shorten prayers if they intend to stay four days or less during their journey. If the intention is to stay longer, they must perform the full prayer from the first day onward.
- Opinion of the Hanafi school: They allow shortening for a traveler who stays in one location for fifteen days or less. If the traveler intends to stay longer, they must complete their prayers. They justify this limit by comparing it to a woman’s period of purification, as both durations return one to their original state. Even if one does not know the duration of their journey, they may continue to shorten their prayers indefinitely, even stretching into years, in contrast to the Shafi’i school, which limits this to eighteen days, not including the days of entering and exiting.
- Opinion of the Hanbali school: They assert that a traveler must complete their prayers if they intend to stay for four days.
- View of Ibn Taymiyyah: He posits that a traveler may continue to shorten their prayers as long as they are away from home until their return.
Situations Where Shortening is Prohibited
There are several scenarios in which shortening prayers is not permitted for travelers based on various scholarly interpretations:
- Hanafi view: A traveler may not shorten prayers if they intend to stay for half a month in one location and return home, if they are following a resident, if they do not have independent judgment, or if they merely have the intention to return, even if they do not.
- Maliki perspective: Entering back into the territory from which they desire to return—even if it is not their place of residence—or returning to their original homeland or passing through their homeland with the intention of going elsewhere, and intending to stay four days.
- Shafi’i opinion: Shortening is forbidden if one follows a resident, if they are uncertain about their travel status, if there is no specific destination, if the travel is for sinful purposes, if the travel is interrupted during prayer time, or if they lack the intention of shortening at the time of entering the state of prayer.
- Hanbali view: Traveling near home, residing in a place where they have a spouse, or a place where they were married, or if someone initiates prayer as a resident before traveling, or if time for prayer arrives while they are in residence, or if they initiated prayer while traveling but then stayed, or if they seek to make up a prayer forgotten while in residence, or follow a resident in prayer, or someone whose travel status is uncertain. Additionally, if they initiate prayer and then interrupt it for a valid reason while having intended to complete it after following a resident, they must redo the prayer fully. If they do not intend to shorten their prayer from the outset, or if they intentionally neglect their prayer in travel after its time has expired, then they must complete it as well. Moreover, if they change their intentions from righteousness to sin during travel, or repent during their journey—transitioning from intended sinful travel to righteous travel—or if they planned to complete the prayer initially, or if they intend to remain indefinitely in the destination they are traveling to.