miles, and still others forty miles. If he shortens the prayer on a journey of less than forty-eight miles but no less than forty, he need not repeat it. If he shortens it on a journey of less than forty miles, one view is that he must repeat it within its prescribed time; another is that he need not repeat it if the distance is no less than thirty-six miles. If he shortens it on a journey of less than thirty-six miles, he must repeat it, whether within its prescribed time or afterwards.
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A traveller offers the prayer in full until he passes beyond the houses of the town, and continues shortening it until he reaches the corresponding boundary on entering. Ibn Habīb said: Except in a place where Friday prayer is held; there, the boundary governing shortening the prayer and offering it in full is the point from which he is obliged to attend Friday prayer.
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A traveller continues shortening the prayer unless he passes through a locality where he has a settled residence—on which there is consensus—or intends to stay for four days—on which there is disagreement. Outside the school, opinions on this differ considerably, ranging from nineteen days, as reported from Ibn ‘Abbās, to a day and a night, which is Rabī‘ah’s position, by analogy with the minimum journey for which prayer may be shortened. There are twelve opinions in all.
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Offering the prayer in full becomes obligatory merely upon forming the intention to stay or upon arriving at the intended place of residence. Shortening, however, does not become obligatory through intention alone, but requires action as well. For someone leaving a home locality, the action that marks the beginning of shortening is passing beyond the town’s houses and orchards. For someone who has intended to stay for four days somewhere other than a home locality and then decides to travel, it is setting off from his location.
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If a traveller intends to stay at a place before reaching it, but then changes his mind about staying before he arrives, his original intention is nullified. He may therefore shorten the prayer there upon arrival, even before setting off from it. This differs from the case of a traveller whose route passes a village where he has family, and who intends to enter it but then changes his mind. This case must take one of four forms. The first is: