Qasr rules in every school, side by side
The travel distance, the length of stay that ends travel, and the other conditions for shortening prayer, as taught in each Sunni madhab and by leading Shia maraji'.
At a glance
| School | Distance used | Pray in full when you intend | Qasr is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanafi Deobandi reckoning | 77.25 km | Intention to stay 15 days or more in one town | Obligatory |
| Hanafi Barelvi reckoning | 92 km | Intention to stay 15 days or more in one town | Obligatory |
| Shafi'i Sunni | 81 km | Intention to stay 4 full days, not counting the days you arrive and leave | Permitted, recommended |
| Maliki Sunni | 80 km | Intention to stay 4 full days (20 obligatory prayers) | Confirmed sunnah |
| Hanbali Sunni | 80 km | Intention to stay more than 4 days (more than 20 prayers) | Permitted, recommended |
| Salafi Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee | 80 km | Intention to stay more than 4 days | Permitted, recommended |
| Ahl-e-Hadith Three-farsakh view | 16.6 km | Intention to stay more than 4 days (some scholars say up to 19 days) | Permitted, recommended |
| Ja'fari Ayatollah Sistani | 43 km | Intention to stay 10 days or more in one place | Obligatory |
| Ja'fari Ayatollah Khamenei | 45 km | Intention to stay 10 days or more in one place | Obligatory |
In detail
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| Rule | Hanafi Deobandi reckoning | Hanafi Barelvi reckoning | Shafi'i Sunni | Maliki Sunni | Hanbali Sunni | Salafi Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee | Ahl-e-Hadith Three-farsakh view | Ja'fari Ayatollah Sistani | Ja'fari Ayatollah Khamenei |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel distance | 48 miles (about 77.25 km) | 57.5 miles (about 92 km) | Two marhalah, 48 Hashimi miles (about 81 km; some estimate 89 km) | Four burud, 48 miles (about 80 km) | 16 farsakh (about 80 km) | About 80 km | Three farsakh (about 16.6 km; estimates range from 14.5 to 22 km) | 8 shar'i farsakh (about 43 km) | 8 shar'i farsakh (about 45 km) |
| Basis | Three days' journey at a moderate pace (three marhalah), converted by scholars such as Mufti Muhammad Shafi to 48 miles. | Three days' journey, converted in Bahar-e-Shariat and by Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan to 57.5 miles. | Four burud, equal to 16 farsakh or 48 Hashimi miles, based on reports from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar. | Four burud (48 miles), as reported from the practice of Ibn Umar and Ibn Abbas and recorded in the Muwatta. | Four burud (16 farsakh), following reports from Ibn Abbas and Ibn Umar. | The approximate conversion of the majority's four burud, as adopted by Shaykh Ibn Baz and the Permanent Committee. | The hadith of Anas in Sahih Muslim that the Prophet shortened when he went out three miles or three farsakh. | Eight farsakh, one way or combined (four there and four back), from narrations of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt. | Eight farsakh, one way or combined (four there and four back), from narrations of the Imams of Ahl al-Bayt. |
| Status of qasr | Obligatory | Obligatory | Permitted, recommended | Confirmed sunnah | Permitted, recommended | Permitted, recommended | Permitted, recommended | Obligatory | Obligatory |
| Becomes a resident when | Intention to stay 15 days or more in one town | Intention to stay 15 days or more in one town | Intention to stay 4 full days, not counting the days you arrive and leave | Intention to stay 4 full days (20 obligatory prayers) | Intention to stay more than 4 days (more than 20 prayers) | Intention to stay more than 4 days | Intention to stay more than 4 days (some scholars say up to 19 days) | Intention to stay 10 days or more in one place | Intention to stay 10 days or more in one place |
| Stay undecided | Keep shortening for as long as the stay stays undecided, even for months. | Keep shortening for as long as the stay stays undecided, even for months. | If you expect to leave any day, keep shortening for up to 18 days, then pray in full. | Keep shortening for as long as you have no intention of a 4-day stay. | Keep shortening for as long as the stay stays undecided. | Keep shortening for as long as the stay stays undecided. | Keep shortening for as long as the stay stays undecided. | If undecided, shorten for 30 days; from then on pray in full, even if you stay only briefly. | If undecided, shorten for 30 days; from then on pray in full. |
| Where qasr begins | Qasr starts once you have passed the last buildings of your town, including suburbs joined to it. | Qasr starts once you have passed the last buildings of your town, including suburbs joined to it. | Qasr starts once you have passed your town's wall or, where there is none, its last buildings. | Qasr starts once you have passed the buildings of your town and the gardens attached to it. | Qasr starts once you have passed the inhabited houses of your town. | Qasr starts once you have left the buildings of your town. | Qasr starts once you have left your town. | The distance is counted from the end of your town. Qasr begins once you pass the hadd al-tarakhkhus, where you can no longer hear the town's adhan. | The distance is counted from the end of your town. Qasr begins once you pass the hadd al-tarakhkhus. |
| Combined round trip counts | No | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes, 4 farsakh each way | Yes, 4 farsakh each way |
| Sinful journey | Qasr still applies | Qasr still applies | No concession | No concession | No concession | No concession | No concession | No concession | No concession |
| Combining prayers | Combining two prayers in one time is not permitted, except at Arafah and Muzdalifah during Hajj. You may pray Dhuhr at the very end of its time and Asr at the very start of its time (jam' suri). | Combining two prayers in one time is not permitted, except at Arafah and Muzdalifah during Hajj. | Permitted: Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha, either in the earlier time (taqdim) or the later time (ta'khir). | Permitted for a traveller who is on the move, with conditions detailed in the madhab. | Permitted: Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha, in the earlier or later time. | Permitted when there is a need, and more readily while travelling. | Permitted while travelling. | Combining Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha is permitted at all times, not only in travel. | Combining Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha is permitted at all times, not only in travel. |
| Fasting | You may skip the Ramadan fast and make it up later. Fasting is better if it causes no hardship. | You may skip the Ramadan fast and make it up later. Fasting is better if it causes no hardship. | You may skip the Ramadan fast if your journey began before dawn, and make it up later. | You may skip the Ramadan fast if you set out before dawn, and make it up later. Fasting is preferred if easy. | You may skip the Ramadan fast and make it up later. | You may skip the Ramadan fast and make it up later. | You may skip the Ramadan fast and make it up later. | A traveller who must shorten may not fast in Ramadan; the fast is made up later. | A traveller who must shorten may not fast in Ramadan; the fast is made up later. |
Kilometre figures are modern approximations of classical units, and scholars within each school give slightly different conversions. Use the calculator's custom threshold to apply your own scholar's figure. How the distances are converted.