Travel Rulings

On this page you will find various useful tools regarding travel for Shi’as, and many common issues which people face. Please choose which option you’d like to view:

Fasting & Travel
This section helps you determine if you need to fast during your trip, answers FAQs, & includes a downloadable guide
Qasr Prayers in Travel
This section provides Qibla directions while on a plane, prayer direction from any location globally, and how to pray Qasr Salat
Travel from the GTA
This section caters to those who live in the Greater Toronto Area with an interactive map that helps determine whether you're travelling outside of city boundaries

Travel Rulings Explained

Additional Informative Videos:

Praying in the state of travel – https://youtu.be/abmRdLwxD90
Frequent travel – https://youtu.be/7HnsjREE6bY
Praying in another city – https://youtu.be/DsXyBMVmQ9U
Miscellaneous rulings – https://youtu.be/VPsQc0jyPSY
Praying on a plane – https://youtu.be/FQocxgUhicE

Fasting During Travel?

Fasting During Travel?

Prepared by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi · ©Al-Maarif Foundation

Answer the questions below and you will receive a ruling on your fasting status. If you are in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the map tool further below can measure your distance of travel for you.

1
2

Ḥaddu ’t-Tarakhkhuṣ is the point, shortly beyond the city limits, where the dwellings at the city’s edge drop out of view.

3
Terminology

Visit al-m.ca/ramadhan for further resources surrounding fasting like fidya, kaffara, travel FAQs, medicine use, & more.

Use the following website to determine the Qibla & Salat timings throughout your flight. Simply input your departure and arrival airport, date, & time. For Ithna ‘Asheri users, ensure to adjust the option under ‘Prayer Calculation Method’. Once you do so, it will display your Salat times, and a diagram showing the Qibla direction on the plane at hourly intervals. Al-Ma’arif does not take responsibility for accuracy of the directions or salat timings displayed.

Click here to find the Qibla on your flight

Use the following website to view halal options offered by various airlines. Scroll further down the page to view the data table. Those labeled “Fully certified” are likely the most reliable. Those labeled “All meals are halal” are generally airlines originating from Muslim countries and can be considered reliable when it comes to food items that are generally halal. Please note that Al-Ma’arif does not maintain this list and does not take responsibility for accuracy of the information displayed. Please ensure to conduct your own due diligence.

Click here to view airline halal meal options

Use the following website to determine the direction of Qibla from any location on earth. Note that this method is highly accurate, in comparison to compass apps used on smartphones. Simply input your desired location, or allow the webpage to read your current location, and it will display the Qibla direction on a map accordingly. Al-Ma’arif does not take responsibility for accuracy of the salat timings displayed.

Click here to find the Qibla from any location.

Mobile AR Qibla Finder – Visually find the Qibla direction using AR (Augmented Reality) on your mobile phone:

Click here (Recommended for mobile use only)

Qasr Salat

Qasr Salat Explained

Prepared by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi ©Al-Ma’arif Foundation

Qasr prayers are to be done if you travel at least 44KM round-trip (ex 22km going, 22km coming back) OR 44KM one way from your city limits. You can pray qasr or break your fast once you reach “hadd-e tarakkhus — the point of permissibility”. This is defined, in our context, as a point from where you can’t see the last homes of that city. This distance is not fixed because it varies from city to city depending on different urban layouts, terrains, population distribution, and other unique factors.

If you live in the Toronto area, you can use the map below to calculate your travel distance from the GTA border.

Qasr Salat is to be prayed as follows:

Fajr – 2 Raka’at
Zuhr – 2 Raka’at
Asr – 2 Raka’at
Maghrib – 3 Raka’at
Isha – 2 Raka’at

If You Prayed Full Salat by Mistake

Prepared by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi ©Al-Ma’arif Foundation

If you knowingly prayed full salat when you were supposed to pray qasr, your salat is invalid. (For all other doubts related to salat, visit al-m.ca/salat)

If you accidentally prayed full salat out of ignorance of the following:

It is acceptable, your salat is valid

Redo the prayer.

Your prayer is valid.

Redo the prayer.

Your prayer is valid.

GTA Traveller Status

Am I a Traveller When Leaving the Greater Toronto Area (GTA)?

Prepared by Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi · ©Al-Maarif Foundation

Input your travel plans, and this tool will tell you whether you're considered a traveller or not.

Distances are Google driving-route estimates measured beyond the GTA boundary shown on the map. The traveller distance (al-masãfah) is 44 km one way, or 44 km round trip (about 22 km each way). Ḥaddu ’t-Tarakhkhuṣ — where qaṣr and the fasting rule take effect — is the point at the outer edge of the gold zone; the gold zone marks the roughly 2 km of travel leading up to it, not the ḥadd itself. It is sight-based: judge it by when the dwellings at the GTA border are no longer in your view, which is highly likely after about 2 km of driving. Al-Maarif does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the directions or distances shown.