Intent of Traveling the Shar‘ī Distance and Staying for Ten Days 18item Someone makes the intention to stay for ten days, either because he knows that he would stay for ten days or decides to do so. Then, after the rule of full prayer applies to him through performing a four-rak‘ah prayer, he decides to travel. May he do so, if this travel is not a necessary one? Someone travels to a place without knowing whether they are going to stay there for ten days or less, how should they say the prayers? I was born in Kashmar but lived in Tehran from 1966 to 1990. Three years ago, I came with my family to Bandar ‘Abbas on an official job, and within a an, Tehran. During the period that I am at the,year I will return to my wat port, I might have to go any time to the nearby towns on an assignment and stay there for a while, without being able to predict how long the official assignment will take. Please, firstly clarify the rule which applies to me concerning prayers and fasting. Secondly, taking into consideration that most of the times, or in certain months of the year, I leave on assignments lasting several days, am I considered a frequent traveler? Thirdly, what is the shar‘ī rule concerning the prayers and fasting of my wife who is a housewife born in Tehran and who came to the port of ‘Abbas to live here with me? A person travels from the place where he lives to another place within the shar‘ī distance and several times a week goes from the second place to other places so that the total distance exceeds eight shar‘ī farsakhs, what is his duty? According to the Imam one should pray shortened and break the fast when travels a distance of eight shar‘ī farsakhs. If the going distance is less than four shar‘ī farsakhs but for returning one is forced to cover a distance of six shar‘ī farsakhs (due to unavailability of a car or difficulties of the road), should one shorten the prayer and break the fast? Some employees travel less than the shar‘ī distance to reach their work place. They never stay there for ten days. Should they shorten their prayers? If one leaves his town heading towards a certain place, and on getting there goes around here and there, would his going around be added to the distance which he has traveled from his home? After leaving his watan, a traveler passes by a place where he can hear the adhān of his watan or see the walls of its houses; will it affect the distance covered? The place where I live presently is not my original watan, and its distance from my original watan exceeds the shar‘ī limit. I did not adopt this place of my work as watan, and I may stay there only for some years. Sometimes I leave it two or three days a month to make a job-related trip. Is it obligatory for me to make the intent to stay for ten days whenever I return to the city of my residence after traveling more than the shar‘ī distance? If so, what is the distance I can cover on the city’s outskirts? I work in a place which is less than the shar‘ī distance from the nearby an, I make the intent to stay ten,city. Since none of the two places is my wat days in my place of work in order to perform full prayer and fast there. When I decide to stay in my place of work for ten days, I do not intend to leave for the neighboring city during those ten days or afterwards. What is the shar‘ī rule in the following situations: i. If I leave for the nearby city in an emergency or for a business before the end of the ten days, and stop there for about two hours before returning to my place of work? ii. If I leave for the city after the end of the ten days, visiting one of its districts without passing the shar‘ī distance, and stay there for a night before returning to my residence? iii. If I leave for the city after ten complete days, intending to visit a certain district, but I change my mind after reaching it and decide to go to another point which is at more than the shar‘ī distance from my city of residence? A person lives four kilometers far from his watan for several years, visiting home weekly. What is the rule of his prayer if he travels a distance of 25 km. from his watan and 22 km. from a place in which he studied for several years? When one intends to be in a place for ten days, is it permissible to have in mind to leave it for another place of less than shar‘ī distance? A traveler intends to travel to a place at three shar‘ī farsakhs, but his intention, at the beginning, is to travel a shar‘ī farsakh along a side road to accomplish some business and then return to the main road to continue his journey. What rule applies to the prayers and fasting of this traveler? I travel every week to the city of Qom on a visit to Holy Ma‘sumah’s (a.) shrine and also in order to perform the rites of the Jamkaran Masjid. Should I offer full prayers or do shortened prayers during these journeys? What rule applies to the prayer and fasting of someone who is propagating Islam in two locations and intends to stay in that area for ten days? 12