The Rule for Shortening and Completing Prayer While Traveling
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An employee works in Hufar al-Batin, and his family is in Jeddah. Is it permissible for him to shorten the prayer if he misses the congregational prayer on the grounds that he is traveling?The Shaykh: If he misses the congregation in any location?The questioner: In the city where he works.
The Shaykh: Is his work there on a permanent basis? Or is he working there for two, three, or four months and then returning?The questioner himself: He wants to return to his family, but he does not know the duration he will stay.The Shaykh: This means: the default status is residence. The default is that the government placed him in this location as a resident, is that not so?The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: He cannot currently return to his hometown.Unless he says: I will stay for one or two years and then return to my hometown, either by keeping my job or by resigning.As for a person who says: I am following the job, and the government placed me in a location, so the default is that I remain there.And for this reason we say: Ambassadors are not permitted to shorten the prayer; because when the government placed them, the default is that they remain.
The questioner: Meaning, he takes the ruling of a resident there?The Shaykh: The ruling of a resident in the city where he works.
Do you understand now?Meaning: Do not let the case of those who travel for study come to mind now. Even if they stay for one or two years, these are travelers. Do not let this come to mind. Why?Because these people say: Our period is fixed. Even if we were told: stay one day after the study ends, we would not stay.
As for the employee, the default is that he remains in this job only on a permanent basis.
The Shaykh: Is his work there on a permanent basis? Or is he working there for two, three, or four months and then returning?The questioner himself: He wants to return to his family, but he does not know the duration he will stay.The Shaykh: This means: the default status is residence. The default is that the government placed him in this location as a resident, is that not so?The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh: He cannot currently return to his hometown.Unless he says: I will stay for one or two years and then return to my hometown, either by keeping my job or by resigning.As for a person who says: I am following the job, and the government placed me in a location, so the default is that I remain there.And for this reason we say: Ambassadors are not permitted to shorten the prayer; because when the government placed them, the default is that they remain.
The questioner: Meaning, he takes the ruling of a resident there?The Shaykh: The ruling of a resident in the city where he works.
Do you understand now?Meaning: Do not let the case of those who travel for study come to mind now. Even if they stay for one or two years, these are travelers. Do not let this come to mind. Why?Because these people say: Our period is fixed. Even if we were told: stay one day after the study ends, we would not stay.
As for the employee, the default is that he remains in this job only on a permanent basis.