Planning
Do I shorten my prayers in Makkah and Madinah?
Once you leave your city limits on a journey of about 58 miles or more, you pray as a traveller, so each four rak'ah fard becomes two. In Makkah and Madinah you keep shortening if you will stay less than 15 days. Behind a resident imam you pray the full four.
What is shortened
Each four rak'ah fard prayer becomes two rak'ahs. Two and three rak'ah fard prayers stay the same, and the sunnahs, witr and nafl prayers are not shortened.
How long you keep shortening
In Makkah and Madinah you keep shortening if you will stay less than 15 days. Scholars differ a little on the exact distance of the journey.
Behind the imam
If you pray behind an imam who is a resident, as you will in the Haram, you pray the full four with him. See how long Umrah takes.
More questions
Which prayers are shortened?
Only the four rak'ah fard prayers.
Are sunnahs shortened?
No. The sunnahs, witr and nafl prayers are not shortened.
What if I stay 15 days or more?
Then you pray in full. Ask a scholar about your exact plans.
Read the full guide
Perform your Umrah with confidence
Follow every rite in order, with counters and duas in Arabic, in our step by step Umrah guide. To study the Hanafi rulings behind it with qualified teachers, see our courses, or explore our apps. Ihya us Sunnah is sustained by its community, so please consider supporting our work.
This guide follows the Hanafi method and is based on Shaykh Mufti Wajid Iqbal's Umrah book, Essential Islam. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.