Travel Status

Traveling, going on a journey; traveling the distance of a journey. As a fiqh term, traveling means going a certain distance. This distance consists of a distance of three days, or eighteen hours, at a moderate walk. This is also called a three-stage distance.

There are two different views on this issue: 1. Those based on distance: According to this understanding, if a journey of up to 90 km (104 km according to some views) is taken, one is considered a traveler and shortens their prayers. 2. Those based on time: According to them, traveling for 3 days makes a person a traveler. According to Hanafis, a traveler must pray four-rak'at prayers as two (Azimah). However, their prayer is still valid if they pray four. In Shafi'i, it is more beneficial to pray in full even if one is a traveler (Rukhsah). If we are not truly traveling, praying two in this case invalidates our prayer. Thus as a precaution, we think it would be more accurate to pray four.

Some conveniences and permissions have been brought for travelers. It is permissible for those traveling during Ramadan to delay their fast. The period of wiping (masah) for a traveler is three days and three nights. A traveler prays the four-rak'ah obligatory prayers as two rak'ahs. This is called 'Qasr al-Salat'. In the Holy Quran, Surah An-Nisa verse 101 says: 'And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt [or attack] you.'

The state of journey ends upon returning to the original homeland. When a traveler intends to stay in a town for 15 days (4 days for Shafi'is and Malikis) or more, they become a resident and pray their prayers in full. If they intend to stay for less than 15 days, their traveler status continues. Original Homeland (Watan al-Asli): The place where you were born and raised, or settled permanently. Homeland of Residence (Watan al-Iqamah): The place where you have not decided to settle permanently but only to stay for more than 15 days (military, studying, etc.). Homeland of Stay (Watan al-Sukna): The place where you want to stay for less than 15 days (You are a traveler here).

A person who sets out to go to a place at a distance that is considered a journey religiously is considered a traveler when they leave the residential area of the settlement where they live. This person begins to benefit from the rulings and permissions of the journey (Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, II, 101). Accordingly, a person who starts a journey and leaves the residential area of the city prays the four-rak'ah obligatory prayers as two rak'ahs. Today, cities have expanded, and as in the example of Istanbul, the distance between the two ends has extended almost enough to be a journey distance. For this reason, people living in metropolitan areas, when they embark on a journey with their own vehicles, are considered travelers from the moment they cross the municipal borders of the district where they reside. If the journey involves public transportation such as buses, trains, planes, and ships, bus terminals, stations, airports, and ports can be taken as the starting point of the journey. Source: Presidency of Religious Affairs