If a travel visa is for residence, does one shorten the prayer, or if it is for a visit?

The questioner : A person travels from one country to another based on a visa. If the visa is for residence, he prays in full; if it is for a visit for a specific period, he shortens the prayer, as he is considered a traveler.

The Shaykh : Okay, I don’t know the difference between them. Residence is fixed

The questioner : until renewal, whereas a visit is for a specific duration.

The Shaykh : It appears to be a fixed system.

The questioner : Fixed for one or two years.

The Shaykh : I say that workers, as the brother mentioned, try to extend their residence. They desire permanent residence if that happens.

The questioner : So you ask, “I will sit and stay long, but do not make it a habit, do not make it a habit, so that he can establish himself in it.”

The Shaykh : He shortens the prayer. Also, even if he stays until he can descend from the madhhab, because the one who says, “I will reside for a need, and when it ends, I will return,” and this one says, “We reside until we gather what fulfills our need; it may be gathered in a week, it may be gathered in a month, it may be gathered in a year,” even according to the madhhab, he shortens the prayer.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : These are the rules.

The questioner : Yes. This issue is one of the very important issues. Yes. And truly, one should be critical about it. Yes. I suggest, in your opinion, that we gather the opinions regarding us as students of hadith. Yes. We gather the positions of the parties and their evidence. Yes. And we present them to the Book and the Sunnah.

The Shaykh : Okay, now.

The questioner : The strongest, indeed. This

The Shaykh : This is the obligation, but the evidence, praise be to Allah, is limited now.

The questioner : Meaning, you take the evidence of the one who said so and the evidence of the second.

The Shaykh : Yes, of course, it is clear.

The questioner : And we see which evidence, or hadith for example, is stronger.

The Shaykh : This is what is the case now; there is no hadith in the Sunnah that specifies this absolutely, ever.

The questioner : Okay, let us look at the evidence.

The Shaykh : Nothing contradicts Allah; He will help you. You are more qualified for it.

The questioner : It does not fear. Is it possible there is a story, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : Because we want to forget the evidence.

The Shaykh : I, by Allah, truly, you know, this issue is not new to its time; it is not from now. It has been with us for more than twenty years.

The questioner : But it is being presented now.

The Shaykh : More than twenty years, and we have been dealing with it and reviewing the words of scholars, old and new, and it has not become clear to me except that this is the Sunnah: if one does not intend permanent residence or settlement, he is a traveler.

The questioner : What he intends, may Allah keep you safe, is that we do not come out of this issue except with our hearts at peace.

The Shaykh : Okay, we can read the letter that we wrote or the answer that we wrote.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : It may become clear.