If you travel between homes, do you count as a traveller?
The fiqh of dual residents
Imagine you live part of the year in London and part of the year in Karachi, or you split your life between your parents’ house in one city and your own flat in another. When you go from one to the other, are you a traveller (musafir) in the shariʿah sense – or are you considered “at home” in both?
This question matters because it affects your ṣalah, Jumuʿah, fasting, and other rulings.
The basic principle: what makes you a traveller?
In fiqh, you are a musafir when:
- You leave your place of residence
- Intending to travel roughly the “travel distance” (about 80–90 km according to many scholars)
- And you have not yet reached another place that counts as your waṭan (home).
While you are a musafir, you may:
- Shorten 4-rakʿah prayers to 2 (qaṣr)
- Combine some prayers (according to most schools in certain conditions)
- Have concessions in fasting (e.g. break the fast when travelling in Ramadan).
Key concept: types of “home” in fiqh
Classical scholars speak about watan (homeland/residence):
- Waṭan al-aṣl (original home) – your main, settled home: where your family is, your life is based, or where you genuinely “belong”.
- Waṭan al-iqamah (temporary residence) – a place you stay for a defined period (e.g. 2–3 months study, a work secondment) with the intention to leave.
- Watan al-safar (place you pass through) – stops and layovers on journeys.
You are not a traveller in a place that counts as your watan.
You are a traveller in places that are only temporary or transit.
If you genuinely have two homes
If you have two real homes where you are properly settled – for example:
- You live six months every year in City A and six months in City B,
- You have your own room, furniture, belongings in both,
- You intend to keep both long term, not just this year or next,
then many scholars consider both of them watan for you.
That means:
- When you leave Home A and travel to Home B, you are a musafir during the journey only.
- Once you enter the city limits of Home B, you are no longer a traveller – you pray full prayers, Jumuʿah is obligatory, and you do not take travel concessions.
So practically:
- On the train/plane/road between the two cities – you are a traveller → you may shorten.
- When you reach the other home and settle – you are at home, not a traveller.
When are you not counted as having two homes?
You do not have two waṭans just because:
- You visit your parents or children for a week or two a few times a year,
- You return to your home country only for holidays, with your real life based elsewhere,
- You stay somewhere for study or work for a few years but intend ultimately to move back and not keep that place.
Those are usually temporary residences (watan al-iqamah), not full watan. The details differ slightly between madhahib, but as a simple rule:
- “I am rooted here long-term and this is part of my permanent life” → waṭan.
- “I’m only here for a phase and then I’ll move on” → temporary stay, not waṭan.
In the second case, when you travel there, you are a musafir even after arrival (with some limits on number of days, depending on your madhhab).
Qur’an and Sunnah basis (general)
The concessions of travel come from many verses and hadith, for example:
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَقْصُرُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ
“And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer…” (al-Nisa’ 4:101)
And the Prophet ﷺ said about travelling and salah:
كَانَ رَسُولُ ٱللَّهِ صَلَّى ٱللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنَ ٱلْمَدِينَةِ لَمْ يُصَلِّ إِلَّا رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَيْهَا
“When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ went out from Madinah, he would not pray more than two rakʿahs until he returned to it.”
This shows that once he reached his watan (Madinah) again, he was no longer a traveller.
Simple checklist for yourself
Ask yourself about the “other place”:
- Do I intend to keep this home long term (no fixed end date)?
- Do I feel this is my place, not just a phase?
- Do I have a settled life structure there (family, ongoing work, etc.)?
If the honest answer is yes, then:
You are a traveller on the way, but a resident when you arrive.
If the answer is no – it’s just for a few years / visits / phases, then:
You are likely a traveller even when you’re staying there, depending on how long you’re staying each time, and you may take the concessions of travel within your madhhab’s limits.
One-line summary
If both places are genuinely your long-term homes, then you are only a traveller between them – not when you are actually in either of them.
Shaykh Haytham Tamim – hadith class 29th November 2025
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