Narration from Yaḥyā bin Yazīd al-Hunā’ī رضي الله عنه:He said: I asked Anas bin Mālik about shortening the prayer. He said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to offer two rak‘ahs when he had covered a distance of three miles or three farsakhs (the narrator Shubah was uncertain which).”
Source: Muslim 291
Narration from ʿAlāʾ bin al-Ḥaḍramī رضي الله عنه:The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “After completing the rites of Hajj, a Muhājir may remain in Makkah for three days.”
Source: Bukhari 2933, Muslim 1352, Nasai 3/122
❷ A person may shorten their prayer for up to three days. On the fourth day, full prayers must be performed, provided that the person intended to stay for that duration. This is inferred from the hadith about staying in Makkah after completing Hajj.
❸ These three days exclude the days of arrival and departure.
Narration from Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه:He said: “We departed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from Madinah to Makkah and performed two rak‘ahs (qṣar prayer) during the journey until we returned. I asked how long the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Makkah, and he replied: ‘Ten days.’”
Source: Bukhari 1081, Muslim 693
Narration from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:He said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained in Makkah for nineteen days and continued to shorten his prayer. Therefore, we shorten our prayers if we travel for nineteen days, but if we exceed that, we pray in full.”
Source: Bukhari 1081, Muslim 693
In another narration from Abu Dawud:“The Prophet ﷺ stayed in Makkah for seventeen days and offered shortened prayers.”
Source: Abu Dawud 1230 – Authentic narration
Narration from Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما:Maʿmar narrated from him that the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Tabūk for twenty days and continued to offer shortened prayers.
Sources: Ahmad 3/295, Abu Dawud 1235 – Authentic narration
❷ Similarly, during the Battle of Tabūk, the Prophet ﷺ stayed for twenty days and performed qṣar prayers throughout.
❸ Based on the narration from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه, many scholars have concluded that if the travel duration is up to nineteen days, qṣar prayer may be performed. If it exceeds that, full prayers must be offered. Consequently, different schools of thought have interpreted the maximum travel duration differently.
Source Note:This content is taken from "Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Ilmām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām" by Shaykh Taqi al-Din Abi al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Mahmūd Ahmad Ghaznfar.
Source: Muslim 291
Narration from ʿAlāʾ bin al-Ḥaḍramī رضي الله عنه:The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “After completing the rites of Hajj, a Muhājir may remain in Makkah for three days.”
Source: Bukhari 2933, Muslim 1352, Nasai 3/122
Key Benefits:
❶ Islam has defined a threshold for travel that determines when one qualifies as a traveler and may perform shortened (qṣar) prayer. There is scholarly disagreement about this. According to most scholars of Ahl al-Hadith, a journey of 9 miles (3 farsakhs, each consisting of 3 miles) qualifies as travel, making qṣar prayer applicable.❷ A person may shorten their prayer for up to three days. On the fourth day, full prayers must be performed, provided that the person intended to stay for that duration. This is inferred from the hadith about staying in Makkah after completing Hajj.
❸ These three days exclude the days of arrival and departure.
Narration from Anas bin Mālik رضي الله عنه:He said: “We departed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ from Madinah to Makkah and performed two rak‘ahs (qṣar prayer) during the journey until we returned. I asked how long the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Makkah, and he replied: ‘Ten days.’”
Source: Bukhari 1081, Muslim 693
Key Benefit:
❶ If the journey involves moving between different locations without settling in one, even if it extends over many days, qṣar prayer remains applicable, as shown in this hadith.Narration from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما:He said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained in Makkah for nineteen days and continued to shorten his prayer. Therefore, we shorten our prayers if we travel for nineteen days, but if we exceed that, we pray in full.”
Source: Bukhari 1081, Muslim 693
In another narration from Abu Dawud:“The Prophet ﷺ stayed in Makkah for seventeen days and offered shortened prayers.”
Source: Abu Dawud 1230 – Authentic narration
Narration from Jābir bin ʿAbdullāh رضي الله عنهما:Maʿmar narrated from him that the Prophet ﷺ stayed in Tabūk for twenty days and continued to offer shortened prayers.
Sources: Ahmad 3/295, Abu Dawud 1235 – Authentic narration
Key Benefits:
❶ The narrations about the Prophet ﷺ staying seventeen or nineteen days in Makkah and continuing to offer qṣar prayers do not necessarily define the maximum duration for travel. These events occurred during military campaigns where he did not remain settled in one place.❷ Similarly, during the Battle of Tabūk, the Prophet ﷺ stayed for twenty days and performed qṣar prayers throughout.
❸ Based on the narration from Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنه, many scholars have concluded that if the travel duration is up to nineteen days, qṣar prayer may be performed. If it exceeds that, full prayers must be offered. Consequently, different schools of thought have interpreted the maximum travel duration differently.
Source Note:This content is taken from "Ḍiyāʾ al-Islām fī Sharḥ al-Ilmām bi-Aḥādīth al-Aḥkām" by Shaykh Taqi al-Din Abi al-Fatḥ, translated by Mawlānā Mahmūd Ahmad Ghaznfar.
