The ruling on shortening the prayer for a traveler when the call to prayer is made while he is still in his town

Question : I am studying at the university, and when Wednesday comes, I travel to 'Awdi, which is two hundred kilometers from my home. I travel while the mu'adhdhin is calling the midday prayer at the university. Do I shorten the prayer on my way?

Answer : Yes, the questioner whose question you heard should shorten the prayer, even if the call is made while he is in the town, because the criterion is the performance of the prayer, not the entry of the time. So if you are in your town and the mu'adhdhin calls and you travel, you shorten the prayer. Therefore, if the time enters while you are traveling and you arrive in the town, you complete the prayer. So the rule is that the criterion is the performance of the prayer, not the entry of the time. If you pray while traveling, you shorten; if you pray while resident, you complete.