How to Calculate the Distance Between Two Cities to Know If I Am a Traveler?
Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam
Question: Assalam alaykum
Is the distance to be considered a traveler determined by the straight line distance one is from his home city or is it determined by the total distance it takes to travel to the city?
For example, I often travel to a city that is a straight line distance of 45 miles away, but the route requires travel on 70 miles of road to reach there because I first have to travel north and then east rather than straight northeast.
Answer: Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
The travel distance depends upon the road taken, and it is not the straight-line distance between two points. Hence, if it takes you seventy miles from the outskirts of your city to reach your destination city, this would mean that you would shorten your prayers.
Please also see: The Basic Rulings of Travel and: A Traveler Praying Behind a Resident Imam: Do I Shorten My Prayers?
And Allah Most High knows best.
wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.
