is agreed upon, while there is no scriptural designation (tawqif) or consensus on anything less than that. It has been narrated from a group of the predecessors, may Allah have mercy upon them, that which indicates the permissibility of shortening [prayer] for less than a day's journey. Al-Awza'i said: 'Anas used to shorten [prayer] for a distance of five farsakhs.' Qabisah ibn Dhu'ayb, Hani' ibn Kulthum, and Ibn Muhayriz used to shorten [prayer] for the distance between al-Ramlah and Bayt al-Maqdis. It was narrated from 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, that he went out from his palace in Kufah until he arrived at al-Nukhaylah, where he prayed the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers as two rak'ahs each, then returned on the same day, saying: 'I intended to teach you your Sunnah.' From Jubayr ibn Nufayr, who said: 'I went out with Shurahbil ibn al-Samt to a village that was seventeen or eighteen miles away. He prayed two rak'ahs, so I asked him [about it], and he said: I saw 'Umar ibn al-Khattab praying two rak'ahs at al-Hulayfah, and he said: I only did as I saw the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) do.' Narrated by Muslim. It was also narrated that Dihyah al-Kalbi went out once from a village in Damascus for a distance of three miles during Ramadan, and then he broke his fast, and some people broke their fast with him, while others disliked doing so. When he returned to his village, he said: 'By Allah, today I have seen a matter that I did not think I would see; a people have turned away from the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace).' He was referring to those who had fasted. Narrated by Abu Dawud. Sa'id narrated: Hushaym informed us, from Abu Harun al-'Abdi, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: 'The Messenger of Allah'
= Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 1/96, 100, 113, 120, 133, 134, 146, 149, 4/240, 5/213, 214, 6/27. (9) The distance between al-Ramlah and Bayt al-Maqdis is eighteen miles. Masalik wa al-Mamalik 78. (10) A location near Kufah in the direction of al-Sham. Mu'jam al-Buldan 4/771. (11) In: The Chapter on the Prayer of Travelers and Shortening It, from the Book of Travelers. Sahih Muslim 1/481. (12) In A and M: "in". (13) In M, there is an addition: "before". (14) In: The Chapter on the Distance for Which One Breaks the Fast, from the Book of Fasting. Sunan Abi Dawud 1/562, 563. It was also recorded by Imam Ahmad, in: al-Musnad 6/398.
