The Ruling on Shortening the Prayer for Students in Riyadh

Question:
The questioner says: We are students studying in Riyadh, and we live in the student housing from Saturday to Tuesday, then we return to Buraydah for the rest of the week. Do the rulings of travel apply to us in Riyadh?

Answer:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) mentioned a criterion for this. They said: If one intends to stay for more than four days, he must complete the prayer, because his state of travel has ended. If the stay is four days or less, or if he does not know when his stay will end and he will finish his business and then travel, he shortens the prayer.
But if there is a mosque near you where you can hear the adhan, it is not permissible for you to stay away from the mosque and say, “I will pray and shorten it.” Pray with the congregation. . . The one who has a mosque, even if shortening is permissible for him, goes to the mosque and prays, responds to the caller, prays with the Muslims, and completes the prayer, and he is in a good state. Yes.