Is the prayer of fear, as established by the Sunnah, two rak'ahs?

Question:
The Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, asks: Is the prayer of fear, as established by the Sunnah, two rak'ahs, or is it that if it is during travel, they pray two rak'ahs, and if the prayer of fear is in a settled location, they pray four?

Answer:
Ibn al-Qayyim says in *Zad al-Ma'ad* that shortening the prayer due to fear takes two forms: shortening in number and shortening in form. If the fear is during travel, it is a shortening in number, reducing the four-rak'ah prayer to two. If they are in a town and afraid, the form is shortened; they limit themselves to the pillars of the prayer and its conditions only, and do not perform the recommended practices, meaning they lighten it. This is a shortening in form, not a shortening in number. Yes.