What is the distance of travel that permits combining and shortening the prayer?
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Question:
He says: I read a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, Muslim, and Abu Dawud that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer when he traveled a distance of three miles or farsakhs. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath that this is the most authentic and clearest hadith regarding this matter. Some scholars say that the distance must be eighty kilometers. Is there any contradiction between this clear, authentic hadith and that view?
Answer:
Yes. The distance over which a traveler shortens his prayer is a matter on which the scholars have differed considerably. Some hold that it is a two-day journey for a mount, some hold that it is a three-day journey for a mount, and some hold that it is a journey of one day and one night. The schools of jurisprudence differ on this point due to the difference in the evidence. The apparent view, and Allah knows best, is that this returns to what is called travel in custom, and what one prepares for as a journey. This is what brings the evidence into agreement, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, linked the rulings to travel. He, the Exalted, said:[An-Nisa 4:101]? He said regarding fasting: whoever is [Al-Baqarah 2:184]. The ruling is tied to what is called travel, that for which one carries provisions and water. Yes.
He says: I read a hadith narrated by Imam Ahmad, Muslim, and Abu Dawud that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer when he traveled a distance of three miles or farsakhs. Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath that this is the most authentic and clearest hadith regarding this matter. Some scholars say that the distance must be eighty kilometers. Is there any contradiction between this clear, authentic hadith and that view?
Answer:
Yes. The distance over which a traveler shortens his prayer is a matter on which the scholars have differed considerably. Some hold that it is a two-day journey for a mount, some hold that it is a three-day journey for a mount, and some hold that it is a journey of one day and one night. The schools of jurisprudence differ on this point due to the difference in the evidence. The apparent view, and Allah knows best, is that this returns to what is called travel in custom, and what one prepares for as a journey. This is what brings the evidence into agreement, for Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, linked the rulings to travel. He, the Exalted, said:
And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلَاةِwhoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]
مَّرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما هو السفر الذي يجوز معه الجمع والقصر؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.