The ruling on combining the two prayers for the traveler

Question : He says: We are a group of young men from the city of Ha'il, and we work in the village of al-Shamali, which is about one hundred and seventy kilometers from the city of Ha'il. We travel from Ha'il to al-Shamali on Friday evening and return to Ha'il on Wednesday evening, so we combine our prayers for the duration of our stay in al-Shamali. Is what we did correct, or is it better that we pray with the congregation?

Answer : I say, may Allah bless you: It is obligatory for you to pray with the congregation; it is not merely better, it is obligatory that you pray with the congregation. However, if the prayer time passes you by, there is no blame on you for shortening the prayer, because you are travelers.