The ruling on combining and shortening prayers for a traveler who reaches his hometown before the prayer
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : We ask you, may Allah bless you. May Allah bless you. About a person who is traveling and intends to shorten, for example, the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers. Yes. So he continues his journey until he reaches his hometown, intending to combine them as a delayed combination. Yes. To his hometown in the time of the second prayer. Yes. The second one. So does he pray both shortened? Or does he complete the first one and shorten the last one?
The Shaykh : No, he prays both as four rak'ahs, he prays both as four rak'ahs completely. Even if, meaning, the time entered while he was, meaning, if the time of the first prayer entered while he was traveling, because the criterion in the Sunnah of prayer is the performance of the prayer. Yes. For this reason, if the time entered while he was in his hometown and then he went out before praying, he prays two rak'ahs. And if the time entered upon him while he was traveling and then he reached his hometown, he prays four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The criterion is the performance of the prayer.
The questioner : Meaning, the criterion is the place where the prayer is performed.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : If he performs it while traveling, it is two rak'ahs, and if he performs it while resident, it is four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Even if it became obligatory upon him while he was traveling, meaning, if the time entered.
The Shaykh : And it became obligatory upon him while he was traveling, then he arrived in the town, he prays four rak'ahs. It became obligatory upon him while he was resident, then he traveled, he prays two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes. He travels and the time catches up with him. Then he reaches his hometown, he completes four rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : He prays four rak'ahs. Do you know the rule now, or not? Yes, you know the rule, and it is that the criterion is the performance of the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : No, he prays both as four rak'ahs, he prays both as four rak'ahs completely. Even if, meaning, the time entered while he was, meaning, if the time of the first prayer entered while he was traveling, because the criterion in the Sunnah of prayer is the performance of the prayer. Yes. For this reason, if the time entered while he was in his hometown and then he went out before praying, he prays two rak'ahs. And if the time entered upon him while he was traveling and then he reached his hometown, he prays four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : The criterion is the performance of the prayer.
The questioner : Meaning, the criterion is the place where the prayer is performed.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : If he performs it while traveling, it is two rak'ahs, and if he performs it while resident, it is four rak'ahs.
The questioner : Even if it became obligatory upon him while he was traveling, meaning, if the time entered.
The Shaykh : And it became obligatory upon him while he was traveling, then he arrived in the town, he prays four rak'ahs. It became obligatory upon him while he was resident, then he traveled, he prays two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes. He travels and the time catches up with him. Then he reaches his hometown, he completes four rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : He prays four rak'ahs. Do you know the rule now, or not? Yes, you know the rule, and it is that the criterion is the performance of the prayer. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
Source
سؤال من حاج 1407هـ - 2 — binothaimeen.net (34:16)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.