Question
Zaid has moved from the USA to Luton, UK for studies (most likely for a few years). Since he has not migrated,
1. Would the USA still be his Watan Asli?
2. Does his counting of days restart every time he enters Luton?
3. He enters Luton and plans to visit London for a few hours before 15 days. He will not be spending a night or 12 hours (4 Pehar). Since London is less than 57.5 miles and Zaid is NOT spending the night in London, would he still be considered a traveller when he enters Luton?
4. What is the ruling that keeps a person a Traveller or a Muqeem when they are travelling to neighboring cities without spending the night or 12 hours?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب
Answer
1,2) Since Zaid has moved to the UK from the USA for studies without giving up his permanent residence in the USA, the USA remains his Watan Asli (permanent homeland). If Zaid travels to Luton, UK, for 15 days or more, he will be considered a Muqeem (resident) and will offer full prayers. However, if his stay is less than 15 days, he will be a Musafir (traveler) and will shorten his prayers (Qasr). Therefore, for each journey, his status as Muqeem or Musafir depends on how long he intends to stay.
3,4) If Zaid makes Luton his Watan Iqamat (temporary residence) by intending to stay there for 15 days or more, two possibilities arise:
1. If Zaid travels less than the Shar’i distance (Islamic travel distance) from Luton (for example, to London, which is within this distance), he will remain a Muqeem (resident) upon returning to Luton. He will also be a Muqeem in London, since Watan Iqamat is only nullified when one travels a Shar’i distance (approximately 92 kilometers). A journey shorter than this, even if it involves spending the night or more than 12 hours, does not invalidate Watan Iqamat.
2. If Zaid leaves his Watan Iqamat (Luton) to travel beyond the Shar’i distance (92 kilometers), his Watan Iqamat will be nullified as soon as he leaves Luton, even if he does not plan to spend the night at his destination. He will then be considered a Musafir during both his journey and his stay at the destination. Upon returning to Luton, if he intends to stay for fewer than 15 days, he will remain a Musafir and offer Qasr. However, If he plans to stay for 15 days or more, he will be a Muqeem again and offer full prayers.
Note: This ruling applies if Zaid has already established Luton as his Watan Iqamat and then travels less than the Shar’i distance, even if he spends the night in another city.
However, if Zaid arrives in Luton with the plan to visit another city overnight within those 15 days, he will remain a Musafir in both locations.
This is because Watan Iqamat requires an uninterrupted intention to stay for 15 days. If his initial plan is to stay fewer than 15 days, Luton will not qualify as his Watan Iqamat.
Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated answer
Date: 17th October 2024