Praying while travelling — Qasr and combining
How to shorten and combine prayers on a journey, with the main views of the schools, plus the tools you need on the road.
Prayer times where you areFind the QiblaMosques nearby
The main views at a glance
| Topic | Hanafi school | Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali schools |
|---|---|---|
| Distance that counts as travel | About 77–88 km (48 miles or more) from your town | About 77–88 km (the same in most explanations) |
| How long you stay shortening | Until you intend to stay 15 days or more in one place | Until you intend to stay more than 4 days (some say 4 full days) |
| Shortening (Qasr) | Required: 4-rak’ah prayers are prayed as 2 | Allowed (recommended in many views): 4 become 2 |
| Combining prayers (Jam’) | Only at Arafah and Muzdalifah during Hajj | Allowed: Dhuhr with Asr, Maghrib with Isha |
| Sunnah prayers on the journey | May be left, except the Sunnah of Fajr and Witr | May be left, except the Sunnah of Fajr and Witr |
Distances are approximate conversions of the classical measures. Follow your own school, and ask a scholar for your own case.
Step by step on a journey
- Once you leave your town’s built-up area, you are a traveller.
- Pray Dhuhr, Asr and Isha as two rak’ahs each.
- If your school allows it and you need to, combine Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha.
- Check the Qibla and prayer times at each stop with Sukon.
- When you return home, pray in full again.
Questions
Which prayers are shortened?
Only the four-rak’ah prayers — Dhuhr, Asr and Isha — become two. Fajr stays two and Maghrib stays three.
What if I pray behind a local imam?
Pray the full prayer with the imam, even while travelling.
Do I still fast in Ramadan while travelling?
A traveller may delay the fast and make it up later (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:184). Fasting is allowed if it is not a hardship.
Scholar review. This guide is general guidance, written to be accepted by the major schools, with differences noted where they matter. It is being reviewed by Sukon’s Scholar panel. For a question about your own situation, ask a verified scholar — always free.