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Fatwa CenterCombining prayers in one’s house before he starts his journey
Question
Assalamu alaikum.I was told that to do jamm and kasr for prayer for example Dhuhr and Asr it should be done immediately after Azan of Dhuhr prayer and not afterwards if we start journey shortly after Dhuhr prayer.Then my question is 1.Say we start journey at 3PM,and Asr is at 4 PM cant we make Jamm and Kasr at the time of Dhuhr ar 12:45 PM?Because journey is long and we may reach the destination after Magrib prayer and also Jamm and Kasr may not be possible at the time of Asr prayer especially when we travel with our wife and daughter?Here there are hardly any Mosques where woman can pray.If we cannot pray like this then that means we can make Jamm and Kasr only if we start our journey exactly at Dhuhr time!Then what is the benefit?Because when it is said Dhur time it should mean the full time of Dhuhr. Also we may miss our prayer if we reach destination after Magrib Azaan.Or do we have to search Mosque where woman can pray on the way and pray Asr at its time and Dhuhr at its time without making Jamm and Kasr? 2.I was also told that if we want to make Kasr we should leave our Mahl.We can only make Dhuhr and Asr as Jamm and not Kasr if we pray from our house and start our journey.If we want to make Kasr we have to leave our Mahl.Is this true?This will also be difficult when woman are there. 3.Also 80 km distance is only one way or is it up and down together?for example we travel 60km and return it will be 120 km?Then will it satisfy the distance of Jamm & Kasr? Hope you answer both the above questions with proof from Fiqh books.Thank you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
Our answer to your questions will be summarized in the following points:
1) It is not permissible for a resident to shorten the prayer before starting his journey and departing from the town [or country] where he resides. An-Nawawi 
conveyed the consensus among the scholars 
about this issue.” The intention of travelling is not enough for shortening the prayer before actually starting the journey and departing from one's hometown. Allaah Says (what means): {And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer.}[Quran 4:101]. A person cannot be called traveling throughout the land until he has actually started his journey and set forth. Then, when he starts his journey, it is permissible for him to combine and shorten the prayers from the beginning of the time to the end and it is not limited to the beginning of its time, as the questioner mentioned.
2) If the time of the prayer has started before one starts his journey and he started his travel before performing it, the scholars differed in opinion about whether or not one may shorten the prayer. The predominant opinion is that one is permitted to shorten the prayer; this is the view of the Hanafi, Shaafi'i and Maaliki Schools; with some differences about some details.
3) According to the view of the majority of the scholars it is not permissible to combine two prayers when one is a resident except under certain conditions, like fear and when it is raining, or when one is sick. Therefore, whoever intends to travel after the time of the Thuhr prayer started, he is not permitted to combine the Thuhr and the ‘Asr prayers at the time of the Thuhr before setting forth. If he wants to perform the Thuhr prayer before travelling, he is obliged to complete it without shortening it, and then when the time of ‘Asr starts during his trip, he should shorten it. With regard to your statement "there is no mosque", then the entire earth is a mosque and a praying person, whether a man or a woman, may perform his/her prayer anywhere possible.
4) The distance of travel is estimated at 83 km one way (i.e. without calculating the return distance). Hence, whoever travels a distance of 60 km is not permitted to shorten and combine the prayers according to the view of the scholars who conditioned the distance of travel to be 83 km (one way).
For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 83821.
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