Will one pray Qasr if they have 2 homes or if their homeland changes?

http://seekershub.org/ans-blog/2010/12/29/when-is-a-person-considered-a-traveler-who-can-shorten-their-prayers/

Question: As-salamu Alaykum. I pray you’re in the best of health!

I’m a student at Uni and my question is regarding shortening prayers. First of all what is the distance that causes one to shorten his prayers? (I’m not certain of the ‘exact’ figure according to the Hanafi Madhab)

Also do I fall into the category of a traveller if I stay at university for less than a week (considering I’m renting a flat at Uni) and go home weekly (provided the distance causes me to be a traveller)?

Or will I be a traveller the few days I go home and not a traveller at the University accommodation?

I just need to clarify this because I was told (by someone who talked to a scholar) that I’m a traveller every time I’m at uni as I stay for less than 15 days and fulfill the distance, so I’ve been praying Qasr. However someone else said that I’m a traveller when I travel home because I’m spending the majority of my time at University(though less than a week at a time, the sum total is greater than the time I spend at home). I pray you can clarify these points

JazaakAllahu Khair! Ma’asalam

Answer: Wa alaikum assalaam wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh Sidi,

I hope you are in the best of health and spirits insha’Allah.

[1] According to the Hanafi school, the traveling distance is: 48 miles.

[2] If one stays at university for less than 15 days and one is beyond the traveling distance, one would legally be considered a traveler and would shorten one’s prayers.

[3] When one goes “home”, one is returning to one’s long-term/permanent residence; therefore it remains one’s “home” (watan al-asli) and one does not shorten.
[Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah/Ibn Abidin, Radd ul-Muhtar]

And Allah knows best.

http://askimam.org/public/question_detail/28368

I am currently commuting to a university that is 62 miles away from my home. I leave monday morning and return friday afternoon. I stay at an apartment with a friend and help him with the rent. My question is Am I concidered a traveler and can i shorten and or combine my prayers when i am at school?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principle, if a person travels 78 kilometres he is considered a traveller (musafir). [1] In your case, you have travel 62 miles (100 kilometres) and stay for less than fifteen days at the university, you will be a musafir. You will make qasar i.e required to shorten your prayers (perform two rakats) in Zohar, Asr, and Esha salahs. [2]

In the Hanafi mazhab, it is no permissible to combine two salahs by performing both of them in the time of one salah.[3]However, if one experiencing some hardship he may delay Zohar right until its end time and perform Asr at its start time and he may do the same with Maghrib and Esha. [4]

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Ismail Dawoodjee

Student Darul Iftaa
Zambia

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.

http://www.askimam.org/public/question_detail/19580

I belong to a business family in Kashmir. We have our own houses and business in Kashmir as well as dehli.  If I am travelling from Kashmir to Dehli for less than 15 days and stay at my place in Dehli, will I be in safar or not?  Will I have to perform the sunnah or just fardh?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh. 

When a person leaves his hometown intending to travel for 48 miles/77 Kilometres then the rules of a musāfir (traveller) will apply.  As soon as he exits his city, he will have concession to perform qasr (shortened prayers).  If he intends to stay at his destination for less than 15 days, he will continue to shorten his prayers.  If he intends to stay for 15 days or more, he will have to perform the normal complete prayer at the destination.[i]  

If your wife and family live in Kashmir, then Kashmir is your al-watan al-aslī(primary residence).  Al-watan al-asli is the hometown where one can never be a musāfir unless he migrates from there with all his belongings and family.  Whenever a person enters al-watan al-aslī, he will no longer be deemed a musāfir (traveller).    

Dehli is regarded as your al-watan al-iqāmah (temporary residence).  According to a number of scholars, if a person has a home and belongings at one place which he visits regularly and has stayed there once for at least for 15 days, then this abode will be regarded as al-watan al-iqāmah.  If the person travels away from this location, this city will still remain his al-watan al-iqāmah.  This means that whenever he visits this place, even if he is there less than 15 days, he will not be a musāfir whilst he is there.[ii]

Since you will not be a musāfir in Dehli, you will complete your fardh and sunnahprayers as normal.[iii] 

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mawlana Faraz Ibn Adam,
Student Darul Iftaa

UK

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Husain Kadodia.

http://askimam.org/public/question_detail/2108.html

My wife and I live over 100 miles away from both my parents and her parents homes. However, when we visit the homes of our parents each home has an assigned room where we keep our belongings and also stay overnight (these were our bedrooms when we were children living in these houses). When we visit these 2 houses, even though each is over 100 miles away, are we considered travelers or residents? Also if my son lives at a college dormitory (hundreds of miles away) and lives there during the week and comes home to stay (where he has his own bedroom) on the weekends. Will he shorten his prayers when he comes back to his parents home on the weekends, what about when he is at school. Finally what does he do if he makes a safr journey from the college dorm to some other locality, will he shorten after traveling 48 miles from the city of the dorm?

Answer

1. You and your wife will be regarded as Musaafirs in your parent's homes if

the period of stay there is lesser than 15 days.

2. If your son has the intention to stay with you after being qualified, he

will be regarded as a Muqeem when he comes home. He has to perform complete

Salaat. If he does not intend staying with you, he will be a Musaafir if he

stays lesser than 15 days.

3. If your son is a Musaafir at the college, then he will remain a Musaafir

if he travels further and stay lesser than fifteen days. If he is a Muqeem

there, he will become a Musaafir if he undertakes a journey of 48 miles or

more and if he does not stay there for at least 15 days.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

FATWA DEPT.

https://www.albalagh.net/qa/0036.shtml Q.) I've got a few questions regarding traveler's prayer: 1.) What do we mean by watan-e-asli? 2.) What is the distance and time for a traveler in Shariah? I understand that its more than 48 miles (approximately 77 kilometers) and less than a 15 days stay. Am I right? 3.) If a man lives in a city and his son and daughter in law live in another city which is more than 48 miles (the Shariah distance for becoming a traveler). Now the son along with his wife and sons goes to visit his parents for less than 15 days. I understand that for the son it will be watan-e-asli and he'll be offering full prayers of a muqeem. Am I right? and what will be the order for his wife and children? Will they be in the category of musafir and offer qasar prayer or they will be muqeem and offer full prayer? 4.) A lady is married and living with her husband at a place which is more than 48 miles (or the Shariah distance for becoming a traveler). Now when she visits her parents, will she be traveler or muqeem? 5.) On motorway we frequently come across a problem that the driver stops the coach at one place only. It mostly is the time of Asr according to the Shafii school. Can we offer Zuhr and Asr both prayers at that time because most probably once the coach started off, time for Zuhr was about to start or had just started and once it will stop after the end of journey, the time for Asr will be almost over? [Junaid Najmi]

---

A.) 1. Watan-e-Asli (domicile) is that town where a person was born or got married and lives there.

2. A person becomes a Musafir (traveler) for provisions of Islamc law, if he travels for 88 kms or more and has intention to stay for less than 15 days at that place.

3. A person can have two Watan-e-Aslis simultaneously, but he must have dependants in both towns and in both places, should have his own house to live in and should hold each of the two places as his permanent residence, living in each of them alternatively. In your case, your parent's town will not be your Watan-e-Asliy. You and your wife will have to make Qasr.

4. When a lady gets married, her Watan changes to her husband's. If she visits her parents 48 miles away from her husband's town, she will be a Musafir.

5. Joining between 2 Salats at a time is not allowed in the Hanafi Madhab. You should offer your Zuhr salat and may be offer Asr at the end of the journey. If you are sure you will miss Asr, you could offer Asr after Zuhr, but make Qadha of Asr later.

And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best




http://seekershub.org/ans-blog/2016/02/01/12911/

Question: Assalam alaikum,

I study in Canada. I am visiting my parents for 2 weeks in Saudi Arabia and then will go back to Canada. Should I shorten my prayers during my visit back home? 

Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

The basis is that you have one place of permanent residency (watn asli). [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah]

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to shorten his prayers when he returned to Makkah after the migration (hijra) despite it being his hometown.

It is related that Anas was heard to say, “We went out with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, from Madina to Makkah and he prayed two rak’ats for every prayer [except Maghrib] until we returned to Madina. Yahya ibn Abi Ishaq said, “I asked, ‘Did you stay in Makkah at all?’ He replied, ‘We stayed for ten days.'” [Bukhari]

Accordingly, you would shorten when travelling elsewhere, even if this travel is to your parents’ home and even if you have residency in multiple countries.

Question: I’ll be leaving to live in a rural town (>51 miles from home) for 3 weeks for university placements. However, after 3 or so days, I’ll be coming back home for Eid, and then going back to this town for another 2 weeks. Because I’Il initially be there for less than 15 days, and I’ll be initiating travel back home, am i considered a traveler for this first period of time? And is it the the same for the 2 weeks I’ll be there later on, because again its less than 15 days? Also, I always considered a resident at home, correct?

Answer: Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and spirits.

A resident person is someone who is either in their home town or staying somewhere for 15 days without initiating a legal journey (>51 miles).

Thus, you would be a traveller in the first part of your stay in the rural town, as you’re staying there less than 15 days; and also for the second stay there, if also staying less than 15 days.

You are correct that you’re always considered a resident at home.

[ref: Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ala’ al-Din Abidin, al-Hadiyya al-`Ala’iyya]

wassalam, Faraz Rabbani