Fatwa ID: 06093
Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Question:
As-Salāmu ʿalaykum wa-raḥmatu -llāhi wa-barakātuhū.
- I am currently at my parents’ house. In a few days, I will go to an apartment (whose rent is paid by my family) more than 80 kilometres from my parents’ house and in which I should be living next academic year. If I stay less than 14 days, in this apartment, do I have to perform the traveller’s prayer there?
- And if after this period of fewer than 14 days, I return to my parents’ house for a period also less than 14 days, should I perform the traveller’s prayer at my parents’ house during this period?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The question you are asking is in regards to what is known as Watn ul-Asli or Watn ul-Iqamah in Arabic.
This has been explained as a place where a person is born, marries or intends to live there without travelling away from it (i.e., permanently living there). [Marāqi- Al-Falāhi; page 165] [1]
It has also been explained as the place where a person resides or his family resides. [Radd ul-Mahtaar; Volume 2, page 131] [2]
Thus, as your intention is to only live there for the academic year and you are not permanently moving there, it would not be considered as your Watn ul-Asli or Watn ul-Iqamah. Your family residence will remain your original home, so whenever you return there, regardless of the number of days you stay there (i.e., more or less than 14 days) you will pray full Salah. However, when you go to the apartment, if you remain there for less than 14 days in a single interval then you will shorten your Salah’s.
But if you remain there for more than 14 days in any one interval, then you will pray the full Salah as normal.
The shortening of Salah is as follows;
The 2 Rak’ah Fardh of Fajr, 3 Rak’ah Fardh of Maghrib and the 3 Rak’ah of Witr remain the same
The 4 Rak’ah Fardh of Zuhr, Asr and Esha will be reduced to 2 Rak’ahs only. So, in the first sitting of Tashahood, instead of saying Takbeer and standing up, you will read Durood and the Dua and then do Salaam to conclude.
Only Allāh Ta’ālā knows best.
Written by Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1]والوطن الأصلي هو الذي ولد فيه الإنسان أو تزوج فيه أو لم يتزوج ولم يولد فيه ولكن قصد التعيش لا الارتحال عنه
[2]الوطن الأصلي) هو موطن ولادته أو تأهله أو توطنه(
(قوله الوطن الأصلي) ويسمى بالأهلي ووطن الفطرة والقرار ح عن القهستاني.
(قوله أو تأهله) أي تزوجه. قال في شرح المنية: ولو تزوج المسافر ببلد ولم ينو الإقامة به فقيل لا يصير مقيما، وقيل يصير مقيما؛ وهو الأوجه ولو كان له أهل ببلدتين فأيتهما دخلها صار مقيما، فإن ماتت زوجته في إحداهما وبقي له فيها دور وعقار قيل لا يبقى وطنا له إذ المعتبر الأهل دون الدار كما لو تأهل ببلدة واستقرت سكنا له وليس له فيها دار وقيل تبقى. اهـ.
(قوله أو توطنه) أي عزم على القرار فيه وعدم الارتحال وإن لم يتأهل، فلو كان له أبوان ببلد غير مولده وهو بالغ ولم يتأهل به فليس ذلك وطنا له إلا إذا عزم على القرار فيه وترك الوطن الذي كان له قبله شرح المنية.
