Praying while travelling
Shortening and combining prayers: how far counts as travel, how long it lasts, and how to plan a day on the road.
9 minute read · SunnahPanda
Travel brings two concessions for prayer. You can shorten (qasr) the four-unit prayers to two, and, in most schools, combine (jam') two prayers at the time of one. Both are gifts from Allah to make the journey easier, and the Prophet ﷺ used them regularly.
And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer.
Shortening (qasr)
Dhuhr, Asr and Isha are prayed as two units each instead of four. Fajr stays at two and Maghrib stays at three. Shortening begins once you have left the built-up area of your town, not when you leave your front door, and it continues until you return or settle somewhere.
How far is a journey?
Most scholars set the minimum at a distance the early Muslims measured in days of travel by camel. Converted to today's measures, that comes to roughly 80 km, or about 48 to 50 miles, one way.
| Hanafi | Maliki | Shafi'i | Hanbali | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum distance | Three days' travel; contemporary Hanafis estimate about 77 to 88 km | About 80 km (four barid) | About 80 km (four barid) | About 80 km (four barid) |
| Is shortening required? | Yes, it is wajib to shorten | A confirmed sunnah | Permitted; better on longer journeys | Better than praying in full |
| Combining for travel | Not allowed, except at 'Arafah and Muzdalifah on Hajj | Allowed | Allowed | Allowed |
| Staying put: you become a resident if you intend to stay | 15 days or more | 4 days or more | 4 days or more, not counting the days you arrive and leave | More than 4 days |
Swipe the table to see every column →
Some UK examples
London to Birmingham, Manchester or Leeds is well over 80 km and counts as travel in every school. Leicester to Nottingham, or across London, does not. Glasgow to Edinburgh, at around 75 km, sits just under the usual threshold, so ask your teacher. Measure the distance from the edge of your town to your destination.
When you don't know how long you'll stay
If you're waiting day to day without deciding to stay, for a visa, a repair or a sick relative, you keep shortening. The Hanafi school sets no limit on this; the Shafi'i school allows it for up to eighteen days.
Combining (jam')
Dhuhr and Asr can be prayed together, as can Maghrib and Isha. You can bring the later prayer forward into the earlier one's time (jam' at-taqdim), or delay the earlier prayer into the later one's time (jam' at-ta'khir). Fajr is never combined.
When the Prophet ﷺ set off on a journey before the sun had passed its height, he would delay Dhuhr until the time of Asr, then stop and pray them together.
- 1
Pray the first of the pair
For Dhuhr and Asr, pray Dhuhr first, as two units if you're shortening.
- 2
Then the second, straight after
Pray Asr immediately afterwards, with only the iqamah between them and no long gap or other prayer.
- 3
Maghrib and Isha the same way
Pray Maghrib's three units, then Isha's two.
Combining without travelling
Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Prophet ﷺ once combined prayers in Madinah "without fear or rain", and explained it was so as not to put his community in hardship (Sahih Muslim 705). On this basis most schools allow combining at the masjid in heavy rain, and the Hanbali school allows it for illness and genuine need. It is not a routine habit.
Praying with a resident imam
If you pray behind an imam who is not travelling, you pray the full four units with him; all four schools agree on this. If you, as a traveller, lead residents, you pray two and they stand up and complete their remaining units after your salam.
Sunnah prayers and Jumu'ah
- The Prophet ﷺ kept up the two units before Fajr and the witr while travelling, and usually left the other regular sunnah prayers.
- Jumu'ah is not obligatory on a traveller. If you do attend, it replaces Dhuhr.
- Voluntary prayers can be prayed on transport facing the direction of travel. The Prophet ﷺ did this on his mount but got down for obligatory prayers and faced the qiblah (Sahih al-Bukhari 1094).
On planes and trains
Try to plan obligatory prayers around stops, using combining where your school allows it. If a prayer's whole time will pass while you're on board, pray in your seat or a quiet corner: stand if you can, face the qiblah if you can, and do as much of the bowing and prostration as space allows. Scholars differ on whether a prayer prayed this way needs repeating later.
Good to know
Before a long journey, check the prayer times at your destination and along the route. Most motorway services in the UK now have a multi-faith room, and many airports have prayer rooms past security.
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