How to pray qasr: step by step, with the niyyah and rak'ahs
How to pray the shortened prayer: the niyyah, rak'ahs for each prayer, Witr and sunnah, praying behind an imam, Jumu'ah and making up missed prayers.
Should you shorten your prayer on this trip?
Tell us where you're leaving from and where you're going. We measure the route from the edge of your home town, then apply the ruling of your madhab or marja'.
Your recent trips
Rak'ahs to pray
| Prayer | At home | This trip |
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Why
When qasr begins
Combining prayers
Fasting
Sunnah and nafl prayers
Also in this school
How every school sees this trip
Same distance and stay, judged by each school's rule. Select a school to switch to it.
| School | Travel distance | On the way | At destination | Coming home |
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This tool applies published rulings to the details you enter. It is not a fatwa. For unusual situations, ask a scholar you trust.
How the check works
- 1
Find the edge of your town
We load your town's mapped boundary. Qasr is counted from where you leave it, not from your front door.
- 2
Measure the real route
We follow the road you would drive and measure only the part beyond your boundary.
- 3
Apply your school's rule
Distance, length of stay, homeland, and the conditions your madhab or marja' sets, each explained.
Guides to the rulings
What each school says about the traveller's prayer, with the evidence behind it.
What is qasr namaz? The traveller's prayer explained
The meaning of qasr, its evidence in the Qur'an and Sunnah, which prayers are shortened, and where the schools of fiqh agree and differ.
How far is a shar'i journey? 48 miles, 4 burud and 8 farsakh explained
Why schools give qasr distances from 43 km to 92 km, how classical units like the mile, farsakh and barid convert, and which figure to use.
When does qasr start? City boundaries and the point where travel begins
You don't start praying qasr at your front door. How each school defines the edge of your town, and why distance is measured from there.
Combining prayers while travelling: what each school allows
Can you pray Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha on a journey? The Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali and Shia positions on jam'.
Qasr on long stays: students, workers and uncertain trips
When does staying somewhere end your travel? The 4, 10 and 15-day rules, what happens when you don't know how long you'll stay, and the question of home.
Qasr during Umrah and Hajj: Makkah, Madinah, Mina and Arafat
Should pilgrims shorten prayers in Makkah and Madinah? Stay rules for Umrah packages, combining at Arafat, the Mina question and the Shia choice in the Haramayn.
Common questions
How far do I need to travel to pray qasr?
It depends on your school. Hanafis use 48 miles (about 77 km) in the Deobandi reckoning or 57.5 miles (about 92 km) in the Barelvi reckoning. Shafi'is, Malikis and Hanbalis use four burud, usually given as 80 to 89 km. Shia Ja'fari fiqh uses 8 farsakh, about 43 to 45 km, and also counts a round trip of at least 4 farsakh each way.
Is the distance measured from my house or from the city boundary?
From the edge of your town. All schools say you start praying qasr once you have left the built-up area of your town, and the distance is counted from there. That is why this calculator loads your town's boundary and measures only the part of the route beyond it.
How many days can I stay and still pray qasr?
Hanafis pray qasr unless they intend to stay 15 days or more. Shafi'is and Malikis pray in full if they intend 4 full days, and Hanbalis if they intend more than 4 days. In Shia fiqh the limit is 10 days.
What if I don't know how long I will stay?
If you expect to leave any day, Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis keep shortening indefinitely. Shafi'is shorten for up to 18 days, and Shia fiqh allows 30 days before you must pray in full.
Which prayers are shortened?
Only Dhuhr, Asr and Isha, from four rak'ahs to two. Fajr stays two and Maghrib stays three.
Can I combine prayers while travelling?
Shafi'is, Hanbalis, Malikis and Ahl-e-Hadith allow combining Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha on a journey. Hanafis do not, except at Arafah and Muzdalifah. Shia fiqh permits combining at any time.
Do I pray qasr when visiting my hometown?
No. In your hometown or permanent residence you pray in full, even if you now live elsewhere and are only visiting briefly, as long as you still consider it home.
Is this calculator a fatwa?
No. It applies commonly published rulings to the details you enter. For unusual circumstances, such as long work contracts, multiple homes, or professional driving, ask a scholar you trust.