Distance
of Shari journey
By Sharī'ah, a traveller is the
person who has left his place of residence, i.e. city or village, with the
intention of travelling 57½ miles (i.e. approximately 92 kilometres).
(Derived from: Fatāwā
Razawiyyah, vol. 8, pp. 243; Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 740, 741)
When
does one become a traveller?
The mere intention of travelling
does not render a person traveller. In fact, the rulings of a Shar'ī traveller
will apply after he has travelled beyond the populated areas of his town, i.e.
his village or city. For a city-dweller to travel beyond the populated suburbs
adjacent to his city is also essential.
(Durr-e-Mukhtār,
Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 2, pp. 722)
Meaning
of 'travelling beyond the populated areas'
To 'travel beyond the populated
areas' means that one has travelled past the populated areas along the route of
one's intended travel, even if the populated areas have not ended in the
direction parallel to it.
(Ghunyah, pp. 536)
Definition
of 'surroundings' of a city
To become a Shar'ī traveller, it is
not necessary for a city-dweller to travel beyond the village adjacent to the
outskirts of his city. Similarly, it is also not necessary for him to cross the
orchards adjacent to the outskirts of the city, even if the caretakers and
workers of those orchards live in them.
(Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol.
2, pp. 722)
Outside the outskirts of the city,
if certain places are dedicated for particular activities of city-dwellers like
a graveyard, a racecourse and a dumping ground and they are adjacent to the
city, then it is necessary to cross them. If there is some distance between
these places and the city, then it is not necessary to cross them.
(ibid)
The
condition for becoming a traveller
In order to become a Shar'ī
traveller, the travelling person must have the intention of travelling the
distance of three days (i.e. approximately 92 km), from the place of his
departure. If he departs with the intention of travelling for a distance of two
days (that is less than 92 km), and upon reaching there, intends to travel to
another place which is also at a distance of less than three-days-distance
(i.e. less than 92 km) he is still not a traveller. Even if he travelled
throughout the world in this manner, he would not be deemed to be a Shar'ī traveller.
(Ghunyah;
Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol. 2, pp. 722, 724)
It is also a condition that the
travelling person intends to travel the distance of three days [i.e.
approximately 92 km] consecutively. If he has such an intention that he will do
some chore after he has travelled the distance of two days, and thereafter he
will travel the distance of one more day, this is not the intention of
consecutively travelling the distance of three days [i.e. approximately 92 km].
Therefore, he would not be deemed to be a traveller.
(Bahār-e-Sharī'at,
vol. 1, pp. 743)
Types
of hometown
There are two types of Waṭan
(hometown):
1. Original hometown [Waṭan-e-Aṣlī] is
the town or city where a person was born or where his family members live or
where he has settled with no intention of leaving.
2. Temporary hometown [Waṭan-e-Iqāmat]
is the place where a traveller intends to stay for fifteen days or more.
('Alamgīrī, vol. 1,
pp. 142)
Cases
of temporary hometown [Waṭan-e-Iqāmat] being nullified
One temporary hometown
[Waṭan-e-Iqāmat] nullifies the other. That is to say, if a person stayed at a
town or city for fifteen days or more and then went to another town with the
intention of staying there for the next fifteen days or more, then the first
town would no longer remain his temporary hometown regardless of whether or not
there is a distance of three days (i.e. approximately 92 km) between the two
towns.
Similarly, if a person returns to
his original hometown [Waṭan-e-Aṣlī] or sets off a three-days-distance journey,
the temporary hometown [Waṭan-e-Iqāmat] will be nullified.
(Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol.
2, pp. 731; Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 751)
Two
routes for a journey
If there are two routes to a
particular destination – one is three-days-distance [i.e. approximately 92 km]
long while the other is shorter, then the route one takes will be the
determining factor. If one takes the shorter route, then he is not a traveller
but if he took the longer route, then he would be a traveller even though he
had no genuine reason to take the longer route.
('Alamgīrī, vol. 1,
pp. 138; Durr-e-Mukhtār, Rad-dul-Muḥtār, vol. 1, pp. 726)
How
long does a traveller remain a traveller?
A traveller remains a traveller
unless he returns to his village or city, or makes the intention of staying in
any populated area for complete fifteen days. This ruling will apply when he
has travelled complete three-days-distance (i.e. approximately 92 km). Hence if
he intends to return before covering the distance of three days (that is
approximately 92 km), he is no longer a traveller even if he is in jungle.
('Ālamgīrī, vol. 1,
pp. 139; Durr-e-Mukhtār, vol. 2, pp. 728)
Ruling
on impermissible journey
Whether the journey is aimed at
doing anything permissible or impermissible, the rulings of a traveller will
apply.
('Alamgīrī, vol. 1,
pp. 139)
Employer
and employee travelling together
If an employee earning salary on a
monthly or annual basis travels with his employer, then he is a follower of his
employer. An obedient son is a follower of his father and a student whose
teacher provides him with food is a follower of his teacher. The intention of
the leader will be deemed to be the intention of the follower. Therefore, the
follower should ask the leader about his intention and act as per his reply
[i.e. if his leader is a traveller, the follower will also offer shortened
Ṣalāh]. If the leader did not give any reply, then the follower must see
whether his leader is a traveller or a resident. If the leader is a traveller,
then the follower should also consider himself as a traveller and if the leader
is a resident, the follower should also consider himself as a resident.
If it is not known whether the
leader is a traveller or a resident then the follower must do Qaṣr [offer
shortened Ṣalāh] after he has travelled a distance of three days (i.e.
approximately 92 km). Before covering three-days-distance [approximately 92 km]
he must offer normal Ṣalāh [with the complete number of Rak'āt]. If he did not
get the chance of asking his leader, then the same previously mentioned ruling
of 'asking but not receiving any reply' will apply.
(Derived from:
Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 745, 746)
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