The Shaykh's experience when he was traveling and prayed with residents, shortening the prayer.
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : This is a second question: By Allah, this issue involves precision. Once, I traveled from Damascus for 'Umrah, and at that time I redirected my journey, as it is said, to Tabuk. I stayed as a guest with some of our brothers, and they served me. When the call to prayer was made, I went out to the mosque, and they made me the imam. I said to him, "O so-and-so, you know that I am a traveler, and a traveler shortens the prayer and does not complete it." He said, "There is no harm; let them learn." I said, "But the people are in a state of great heedlessness."
The questioner : They might get confused.
The Shaykh : And this is what happened. Nevertheless, I was cautious and took precautions, and I gave them a lecture while standing in the mihrab. I told them, "The Sunnah is such and such, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said such and such." But I felt as if these words were entering from here and exiting from there.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The point is that I had barely finished the taslim and told them, "Complete your prayer, for we are travelers," when the commotion began. Some were saying salam, and some were standing to complete the prayer. After that, the discussion started, and some of them said to the one who made me the imam, "Why did you make this Shaykh lead us? He caused confusion for us." I said, "After this experience, I will not step forward to lead the prayer, as a repentance."
The questioner : They might get confused.
The Shaykh : And this is what happened. Nevertheless, I was cautious and took precautions, and I gave them a lecture while standing in the mihrab. I told them, "The Sunnah is such and such, and the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said such and such." But I felt as if these words were entering from here and exiting from there.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The point is that I had barely finished the taslim and told them, "Complete your prayer, for we are travelers," when the commotion began. Some were saying salam, and some were standing to complete the prayer. After that, the discussion started, and some of them said to the one who made me the imam, "Why did you make this Shaykh lead us? He caused confusion for us." I said, "After this experience, I will not step forward to lead the prayer, as a repentance."