The Meaning of Qasr and Jam' in Prayer and Their Causes

Question:
The last message we wish to review in this session is from listener (A. Sh. 'A), who writes: What is qasr and jam', and when do they occur? What is a farsakh, and what is its equivalent in kilometers? What is the distance of travel at which one shortens the prayer and at which a fasting person breaks his fast? The first question asks: What is qasr and jam', and when do they occur?

Answer:
Qasr: It is when one prays the four-rak'ah prayer as two rak'ahs. This shortening is called qasr. One prays Zuhr as two, 'Asr as two, and 'Isha' as two, due to travel, because of travel. The prayer is not shortened except specifically during travel. A sick person does not shorten the prayer. A sick person may combine Zuhr with 'Asr, and Maghrib with 'Isha', but he does not pray them as two; rather, he prays four. Shortening is only for travel specifically.
And jam': Its meaning is combining Zuhr with 'Asr, and Maghrib with 'Isha'. This combining is permissible for the traveler and the sick person.
As for the distance for qasr: It is, according to the majority of scholars, two days, a distance of seventy or eighty kilometers. This is called travel.
And the farsakh: It is a quarter of a barid, and the barid is half a day, and the distance is four barids. Each barid is four farsakhs, and the farsakh is a quarter of a barid and an eighth of a day. Yes.