The period during which a traveler is permitted to shorten the prayer

Question:
May Allah reward you. Finally, some of the teachers say that they shorten the prayer in the village where they teach, which is more than eighty kilometers from their home, but they stay in the village for more than four days. They say that they shorten it because they do not know when they will move from this village, so they are like a traveler who does not know when he will return. They also say that they asked and it was permitted for them. Do you see that, Honorable Shaykh?

Answer:
If he knows that he will stay in the place of teaching for more than four days, it is not permissible for him to shorten or combine the prayers, because he has become a resident. The resident completes the prayer and prays it at its proper time, without shortening or combining. This is the default ruling for the resident. Therefore, it is not permissible for him to shorten or combine if he stays in the place of teaching for more than four days and he knows that. However, if he stays and does not know when he will return to his country—whether he will return at noon, at the time of the 'Asr prayer, or after two or three days or more—this is the one who has the ruling of a traveler, because he did not intend to stay. He did not intend to stay. As for the one who intends to stay for more than four days, he knows that he is a resident, so the rulings of residents are obligatory upon him. Even if people issue a fatwa for you and you issue a fatwa for them, this is a matter in your conscience. These are obligatory duties (fara'id) in which it is not permissible to follow so-and-so or so-and-so. Yes.