How Is The Beginning Of Being A Traveler Determined?

How is the beginning of being a traveler determined?

A person who sets off to go to a place which is deemed far enough to be eligible for the distance of travel (safar) in religious terms is accepted as a musafir (guest) when he leaves his residential area. This person starts to benefit from judgments and concessions of being a traveler (Marghinani, al-Hidayah, II, 101). Accordingly, a person who starts his/her journey and leaves the residential area of a city establishes four-rakat fardh prayers as two rakats.

Today cities have expanded and, as in the example of Istanbul, the distance between its two sides has become distant enough almost to be considered as a safar. For this reason, when they set off by their private vehicle, those who live in big cities like istanbul are deemed travelers as soon as they get out of the municipal border of the district they reside in, and the rulings related to being a traveler applies to them. In the event that they set off by public transportation vehicles such as bus, train, plane, or ship, the starting point of being a traveler can be accepted as the terminal, train station, airport, or port.

Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWA