I am sent to America and I live in a building where everyone is Muslim, praise be to Allah, but our periods of stay vary; I have a full year remaining.
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The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : I am sent to America and I live in a building where everyone is Muslim, praise be to Allah, but our periods of stay vary; I have a full year remaining, while some have six months left, and so on. We pray in a mosque specific to the building under the supervision of the embassy, and we chose the imam, and we chose the imam from among ourselves. But Shaykh, do we shorten the prayer or complete it? And what about fasting Ramadan and the regular voluntary prayers? And are our women like us? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, follow your imam. If the imam completes the prayer, complete it, and if he shortens it, shorten it, because the stronger position is that the traveler is a traveler, even if his period of travel is long, as long as he does not intend to settle permanently or become a resident.
As for the women, women do not pray with the congregation; they shorten the prayer until they return to their countries, whether the period is specified or not, because there is nothing in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) indicating a specific limit. Rather, the Qur'an says, and Allah the Exalted states in it:[An-Nisa 4:101] And no word has been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he specified a time limit. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for different durations in his travels. How long did he stay in the Conquest of Makkah? Nineteen days, shortening the prayer. And he was in Ramadan while not fasting; he broke his fast in Ramadan. And how long did he stay in the Expedition of Tabuk? Twenty days, shortening the prayer. And he stayed in the Farewell Pilgrimage, the last time he traveled, for ten days, shortening the prayer. It was said to Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him): If the travels of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) varied and he did not specify a particular limit for his Ummah, it is known that there is no restriction in this matter. As long as you have stayed for a purpose, when it ends you return, so you are a traveler, whether the period is specified or not. There is no evidence for distinguishing between specifying the period and not specifying it. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, follow your imam. If the imam completes the prayer, complete it, and if he shortens it, shorten it, because the stronger position is that the traveler is a traveler, even if his period of travel is long, as long as he does not intend to settle permanently or become a resident.
As for the women, women do not pray with the congregation; they shorten the prayer until they return to their countries, whether the period is specified or not, because there is nothing in the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) indicating a specific limit. Rather, the Qur'an says, and Allah the Exalted states in it: