What to do when you travel

1. 1
   Check the distance

   You are a traveller (musafir) if you set out for a place about 78 km (48 miles) or more away.

2. 2
   Start once you leave your town

   Begin shortening once you have left the built-up area of your town or city, and stop once you are back.

3. 3
   Shorten the four-rak'ah prayers

   Pray Zuhr, Asr and Isha as two rak'ahs. Fajr stays two and Maghrib stays three. In the Hanafi school shortening is required, not optional.

4. 4
   Know the fifteen-day rule

   If you intend to stay in one place for fifteen days or more, you become a resident there and pray in full. If you intend less, or keep extending day by day, you keep shortening.

5. 5
   Behind a local imam, pray four

   If you pray behind a resident imam, follow him and pray the full four rak'ahs. If you lead residents, pray two and ask them to complete their prayer.

6. 6
   Sunnah, Witr and combining

   Sunnah prayers may be left on a journey if you are rushed, but pray the sunnah of Fajr and the Witr. In the Hanafi school prayers are not combined; each is prayed in its own time.

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