We have heard that it is permissible for a traveler to shorten the prayer in a country other than his own, even if the duration is long, provided he does not intend to settle there. We request clarification on this issue?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We have heard a statement that it is permissible for one who is traveling in a country other than his own to shorten the prayer, no matter how long the duration, as long as he does not intend to settle there. So I ask you to clarify this issue, and may Allah reward you with good?
The Shaykh : In this issue, if a person travels to a country other than his own and intends to reside there for a certain purpose, he is not free from one of two possibilities: either he intends a specific duration or he does not. If he does not intend a specific duration, he may shorten the prayer and avail himself of the dispensations of travel, no matter how long the duration, as long as he is waiting for the matter for which he came. However, if he specifies a duration, the scholars have differed on this: the majority of scholars limit this to a specific period, either four days, or fifteen days, or something similar. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in *Sharh al-Muhadhdhab* that there are ten opinions or more among the scholars on this, and he listed them. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) did not set a limit for this. He said: There is no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah that a person’s ruling of travel is cut off if he intends a specific duration. Rather, the traveler, as long as he is waiting for a need, will return to his country when it ends, whether he specifies the duration of his stay or not. This is because the general texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicate this. Indeed, the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:101] is general, and Allah has not specified one type over another in it. Likewise, the stays of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) for various durations, without him saying to the people: “Whoever stays this duration should not shorten,” indicates that there is no estimation. It is known that estimation by a specific duration requires a definitive text, and there is no text in this issue indicating limitation by a specific duration. This is the basis of his choice (may Allah have mercy on him). He elaborated on this in several places in the fatwas collected by Muhammad ibn Qasim. So whoever wants to look into it, let him look.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : In this issue, if a person travels to a country other than his own and intends to reside there for a certain purpose, he is not free from one of two possibilities: either he intends a specific duration or he does not. If he does not intend a specific duration, he may shorten the prayer and avail himself of the dispensations of travel, no matter how long the duration, as long as he is waiting for the matter for which he came. However, if he specifies a duration, the scholars have differed on this: the majority of scholars limit this to a specific period, either four days, or fifteen days, or something similar. Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in *Sharh al-Muhadhdhab* that there are ten opinions or more among the scholars on this, and he listed them. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) did not set a limit for this. He said: There is no evidence in the Book or the Sunnah that a person’s ruling of travel is cut off if he intends a specific duration. Rather, the traveler, as long as he is waiting for a need, will return to his country when it ends, whether he specifies the duration of his stay or not. This is because the general texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicate this. Indeed, the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer, [especially] if you fear that those who disbelieve may disrupt
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلاةِ إِنْ خِفْتُمْ أَنْ يَفْتِنَكُمُ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُواThe questioner : May Allah reward you with good.