Q 648: What rule applies to university students who travel at least two days a week for the sake of studying, or to employees who travel weekly to their jobs? Given that they travel every week but occasionally stay in their watan for a month during college or office vacations and they do not travel during this period, will their prayers be shortened during the first journey (according to the rule), when they resume traveling, and be said in full after it?
A: It is obligatory for them to shorten their prayers, and their fasting is not valid while they are traveling to study, whether their trip is weekly or daily. As for a person who travels for his job, whether official or private, if he travels to and fro between his watan/residence and his workplace at least once every ten days, beginning from the third trip he should perform his prayers in full and his fasting is also valid. And if he stays for ten days in his watan or in another place, between two trips to work, during the first work trip after the ten days he will shorten the prayers and will not fast.
Q 649: I am working as a teacher in my hometown. Now I got an admission to a higher educational center which is located in a far city to which I should travel and stay three days a week as a professional mission. The other days of the week I teach in my hometown. What is the rule of my prayer and fasting in this travel? Does the rule of students apply to me or not.
A: If education is a part of your job, you should pray in full and fast as well.
Q 650: If a student of Islamic studies intends to do propagation of Islam as his job, may he perform his prayers in full and fast while traveling? If someone travels for a purpose other than propagating Islam and guidance or enjoining the good and forbidding evil, what will be the rule concerning his prayers and fasting?
A: If propagating Islam, guidance, enjoining the good and forbidding evil are considered to be his job, while traveling for that work his rule is that of others who travel for their jobs. If he occasionally travels for a purpose other than propagating Islam, during such a journey his rule is that of other travelers, namely his prayer must be shortened and his fasting will be invalid.
Q 651: What is the rule of the prayers and fasting of those who travel for an indefinite period, such as the students of Islamic studies who go to the Islamic seminaries, or government employees who are transferred to a certain city for work purposes for an indefinite period?
A: The rules of watan do not apply to the place of study or work unless they have stayed in the place of study or work for such a time that according to the common view it is considered to be their watan.
Q 652: A student of Islamic studies lives in a city which is not his watan, and before making the intent of staying for ten days he knows in advance, or decides himself, that he would go every week to a masjid near the city. Can he make the intent of staying for ten days?
A: If at the time of deciding to stay for ten days, a person intends to leave his place for another location at less than the shar‘ī distance for about six-seven hours in the whole period on his staying, it will not harm the validity of his intent to stay. Whether or not the place he intends to visit is located within his place of residence is determined by common view.