Some workers from Jeddah who work in Rabigh come there every day. If the time for the midday prayer catches up with them in Rabigh, they shorten the prayer, and they may spend the night there.
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The questioner : There are some colleagues who come to work from the city to Jeddah to Rabigh. Sometimes the time for the midday and afternoon prayers comes while they are in the city, and they shorten the midday prayer. It is known that their work is continuous, meaning they stay here for a year or two, for the duration of their residence.
The Shaykh : They are travelers from Rabigh to the city.
The questioner : They travel from Jeddah to Rabigh.
The Shaykh : From Jeddah.
The questioner : They come to Rabigh in the morning to work here.
The Shaykh : Is he from Jeddah or from Rabigh?
The questioner : He is from Jeddah.
The Shaykh : So, when they come here, do they pray the prayer of travelers?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And when they return to Jeddah?
The questioner : They pray the prayer of residents.
The Shaykh : What is the problem with this? Do you not see that the distance between Jeddah and Rabigh is travel?
The questioner : Approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers.
The Shaykh : No, that is not my question.
The questioner : I mean, travel involving hardship.
The Shaykh : Is it travel or not?
The questioner : It is travel.
The Shaykh : Okay, so what is the problem with this then?
Another questioner : Are they currently residing in Rabigh?
The questioner : Sometimes they sleep here; their company has arranged permanent accommodation, meaning they pray and sleep there, and sometimes they return. So, is their staying here considered... travel?
The Shaykh : Travel, travel. As long as you say that sometimes they sleep and sometimes they do not, meaning they do not have a fixed plan, and this is the condition of a traveler, who has no decision or stability.
The questioner : Okay, and what about the month of Ramadan?
The Shaykh :[Al-Baqarah 2:184] .
Another questioner : He says it is throughout the year, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes?
Another questioner : He says it is throughout the year in a state of travel.
The Shaykh : This is not reasonable!
The questioner : A year or two.
The Shaykh : He says it, but it is not reasonable. ... He does not have stability in that country or in this one.
The questioner : A year or two in this state, from the establishment of the project.
The Shaykh : Okay, my brother—may Allah bless you—throughout the year is not reasonable unless he rests.
The questioner : He rests only on Thursday and Friday.
The Shaykh : Okay, on this Friday he fasts. A person must imagine the situation and describe it according to reality, completely; because you imagine that this driver is a traveler every day between Jeddah and Rabigh, between Rabigh and Jeddah, three hundred and sixty-five years. This is not reasonable.
The questioner : A day.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Three hundred and sixty-five days.
The Shaykh : Three hundred and sixty-five days. This is not reasonable. For example, does he not celebrate the festival? You will not say that we have not seen him celebrate. Okay, is he not in Jeddah if he is from Jeddah?
The questioner : He is in Jeddah.
The Shaykh : Okay, so you do not say he is a traveler all the time. Likewise, there must be days when he resides there, whether for recreation, relaxation, rest, or something similar. He must find days when he can make up what he owes from Ramadan. Then, in the end, if we are lenient and agree with this imagination that he does not find a way to make it up, we say his case in this regard is like that of a patient suffering from a chronic illness. Does he have to make up the fasts?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : What does he have to do?
The questioner : Expiation.
The Shaykh : Expiation. Do you say that this driver’s case is like that of a patient whose illness is chronic? If you say this, we say to you so; otherwise, you say as we said. One of the two must be the case. Is the answer clear?
The questioner : Is that clear?
The Shaykh : They are travelers from Rabigh to the city.
The questioner : They travel from Jeddah to Rabigh.
The Shaykh : From Jeddah.
The questioner : They come to Rabigh in the morning to work here.
The Shaykh : Is he from Jeddah or from Rabigh?
The questioner : He is from Jeddah.
The Shaykh : So, when they come here, do they pray the prayer of travelers?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And when they return to Jeddah?
The questioner : They pray the prayer of residents.
The Shaykh : What is the problem with this? Do you not see that the distance between Jeddah and Rabigh is travel?
The questioner : Approximately one hundred and fifty kilometers.
The Shaykh : No, that is not my question.
The questioner : I mean, travel involving hardship.
The Shaykh : Is it travel or not?
The questioner : It is travel.
The Shaykh : Okay, so what is the problem with this then?
Another questioner : Are they currently residing in Rabigh?
The questioner : Sometimes they sleep here; their company has arranged permanent accommodation, meaning they pray and sleep there, and sometimes they return. So, is their staying here considered... travel?
The Shaykh : Travel, travel. As long as you say that sometimes they sleep and sometimes they do not, meaning they do not have a fixed plan, and this is the condition of a traveler, who has no decision or stability.
The questioner : Okay, and what about the month of Ramadan?
The Shaykh :
So whoever among you is ill or on a journey [during them] - then an equal number of days [are to be made up]
فَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْكُمْ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَAnother questioner : He says it is throughout the year, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes?
Another questioner : He says it is throughout the year in a state of travel.
The Shaykh : This is not reasonable!
The questioner : A year or two.
The Shaykh : He says it, but it is not reasonable. ... He does not have stability in that country or in this one.
The questioner : A year or two in this state, from the establishment of the project.
The Shaykh : Okay, my brother—may Allah bless you—throughout the year is not reasonable unless he rests.
The questioner : He rests only on Thursday and Friday.
The Shaykh : Okay, on this Friday he fasts. A person must imagine the situation and describe it according to reality, completely; because you imagine that this driver is a traveler every day between Jeddah and Rabigh, between Rabigh and Jeddah, three hundred and sixty-five years. This is not reasonable.
The questioner : A day.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : Three hundred and sixty-five days.
The Shaykh : Three hundred and sixty-five days. This is not reasonable. For example, does he not celebrate the festival? You will not say that we have not seen him celebrate. Okay, is he not in Jeddah if he is from Jeddah?
The questioner : He is in Jeddah.
The Shaykh : Okay, so you do not say he is a traveler all the time. Likewise, there must be days when he resides there, whether for recreation, relaxation, rest, or something similar. He must find days when he can make up what he owes from Ramadan. Then, in the end, if we are lenient and agree with this imagination that he does not find a way to make it up, we say his case in this regard is like that of a patient suffering from a chronic illness. Does he have to make up the fasts?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : What does he have to do?
The questioner : Expiation.
The Shaykh : Expiation. Do you say that this driver’s case is like that of a patient whose illness is chronic? If you say this, we say to you so; otherwise, you say as we said. One of the two must be the case. Is the answer clear?
The questioner : Is that clear?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.