Qasr prayer when visiting a second house

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Praying salah while travelling to a second home By hanafi madhab, My parents own a second house that is over 50 miles from my first house. Usually, we travel to this second house for 2 days once every couple weeks. I’m not sure if I should be shortening prayers while at this second house or not. It’s more of a “vacation home” and not a place where we could comfortably stay for days without issue, as our obligations in life (school, work) reside at the other home. I think my parents plan on retiring here (probably) but as of now we don’t actively live here for days, and it’s not properly maintained as a home. I don’t often like to come here as it isn’t the most exciting sometimes for me, and I would like to do other things. Should I be shortening prayers while here, or should I pray in full?

Mufti Tosif Qasmi · Accepted Answer

If the said second house is 77.5 kilometers (approximately 48 miles) or more from your first house, and you travel there intending to stay for less than 15 days, then according to the Shariah, you will be considered a traveler.

Therefore, after leaving the boundaries of your city and also upon reaching this second house, you must perform the four-rak‘ah obligatory prayers of Zuhr, Asr, and Isha as two rak‘ahs (qasr). Since performing qasr is the prescribed and obligatory practice during a Shar‘i journey, it is not permissible to complete four rak‘ahs merely because there is sufficient time or it is convenient to do so.

The mere fact that this house belongs to your parents, or that they intend to live there after retirement in the future, does not make it your watan asli (permanent residence) at present, unless you yourself have made it a place of permanent residence.

However, if you perform the prayer behind a resident (muqeem) imam there, then you must follow the imam and complete four rak‘ahs.

Therefore, according to the situation described in the question, if you visit this house for approximately two days each time and the required travel distance is met, you should perform qasr prayers there.

And Allah knows best.

Qasr prayer when visiting a second house

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