Required Length of Distance of a Journey for Shortened Salah (Prayer)

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘Salah (prayer) is reduced after traveling a distance of one barid and one barid is four farasikh (which is twelve miles).”’

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the minimum distance after the traveling of which a traveler reduces his Salah (prayer). He (the Imam) said, ‘It is one barid.’”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Once we were sitting and my father was with the governor of banu ‘Umayyah over the people of al-Madinah. My father came back and sat down and said, “I was in the court of this (governor) a little while ago and people asked about Taqsir (reducing Salah (prayer) on a journey after traveling a certain distance). Someone said that it is at three. Another one said that it is after traveling one day and one night. Yet another said that it is one rawhah. He (the Governor) then asked me and I said, ‘When Jibril came with Taqsir (reducing Salah (prayer) on a journey after traveling a certain distance) to the Messenger of Allah, the Holy prophet asked him, “At what distance is this?” He (Jibril) said, “It is at one barid.” He (the Messenger of Allah) asked, “What is that?” Jibril replied, “It is between the shadow of ‘Ayr (a certain mountain) to the shadow of 0‘Ayr.”’ He (the Imam) said that time passed, then it was seen that banu ‘Umayyah had placed marks on the road and mentioned what Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), had spoken of. They placed signs on the shadow of ‘Ayr and the outline of 0‘Ayr. They then divided it into twelve miles and it was three thousand and five hundred yards for each mile. They had placed signs on them. When banu Hashim appeared they changed the affairs of banu ‘Umayyah in a certain way because Hadith is from banu Hashim, thus they placed a sign next to each sign.’” (the Arabic word for yard is Dhira‘ (from the elbow to the tip of the fingers which is about eighteen inches)).

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), was asked about the limit of the miles which is involved in Taqsir (reducing Salah (prayer) on a journey after traveling a certain distance). Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘The Messenger of Allah had determined the limits of such mile to be from the shadow of ‘Ayr to the shadow of O’ Ayr and they are two mountains in al-Madinah. On sunrise the shadow of ‘Ayr falls on the shadow of O’ Ayr and that is the mile that the Messenger of Allah had set up for Taqsir (reducing Salah (prayer) on a journey after traveling a certain distance).”’

“I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about the case of a people who are on a journey. When they arrived at the place where they were required to perform their Salah (prayer) in a reduced form, they reduced their Salah (prayer). After traveling two, three, or four farsakh, one of them without whom their journey could not be done remained behind. They waited for his arrival. Without him their journey was not possible. They stayed there for many days without knowing to go forward or return. Are they required to perform their Salah (prayer) complete or reduce it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If they have traveled four farsakh they reduce their Salah (prayer), regardless, they stay there or return. If they have traveled less than four farsakh, they perform their Salah (prayer) complete, regardless, they stay there or return.”’