Daily university commuter offers traveler's prayer

25-12-1999 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am a university student and I travel 1 hour each day to reach my school. I pray the traveler's prayer and I want to know if it is permissible for me to continue shortening my prayers in this situation, even though I make this commute everyday? It is many miles and if I didn't shorten my prayers I am afraid that I may miss them.
Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

If the distance between where you live and the university reaches the distance in which a person is allowed to shorten the prayer, then you may shorten the prayer even if the trip is daily as long as you do not live there or that you have married a woman with whom you had consummated the marriage with there.

Some scholars estimated this distance to be 80 kilometers [or more]. Ibn Abbaas may Allaah be pleased with him said; “O you, people of Makkah! Do not shorten your prayers in less than four Burd (about 80 kilometers) like the distance between Usafan and Makkah” [Maalik]

For more details refer to the Fataawa 81329 and 81418.

Allah knows best.

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