No specification of the duration for which a traveler may shorten the prayer
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It is well known regarding combining and shortening prayers during travel that some scholars have set the limit at four days. Therefore, it is reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he combined and shortened prayers in Makkah during the Year of Conquest for nineteen days, and likewise in the Battle of Tabuk for a period of two months, if that narration is authentic.
؟
The correct view: That there is no limit to a traveler’s stay, and that a person remains a traveler as long as he is away from his homeland and intends to return to it, even if he stays for twenty days, a year, two years, or more. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify this for his Ummah. No authentic, good, or weak hadith has been reported from him in which he ever set a limit. His stay in the Year of Conquest was nineteen days, and in Makkah during the Farewell Pilgrimage it was ten days, because Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: How long did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stay in Makkah during his pilgrimage?He said: Ten days.
And as for the statement of some jurists: That he stayed for four days, then went out to Mina with the intention of departing.
This is an error that no one would state except under the pressure of a debate.Is it conceivable that the Messenger came to perform Hajj and we say: He intended to depart from the moment he set out for Hajj, and he did not come except for Hajj. How is this possible? But the problem is that some people first hold a belief, and then try to twist the necks of the texts to fit that belief. The obligatory thing is to follow the texts and not make them follow you.
So the correct opinion is: That there is no limit to the stay, so even if you intend to stay for a month in this place, you are a traveler.
And is it better to combine and shorten, or what?We say: As for combining, you should not combine except for a need, and if you do combine, there is no harm. As for shortening, it is better in all cases.
؟
The correct view: That there is no limit to a traveler’s stay, and that a person remains a traveler as long as he is away from his homeland and intends to return to it, even if he stays for twenty days, a year, two years, or more. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not specify this for his Ummah. No authentic, good, or weak hadith has been reported from him in which he ever set a limit. His stay in the Year of Conquest was nineteen days, and in Makkah during the Farewell Pilgrimage it was ten days, because Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: How long did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stay in Makkah during his pilgrimage?He said: Ten days.
And as for the statement of some jurists: That he stayed for four days, then went out to Mina with the intention of departing.
This is an error that no one would state except under the pressure of a debate.Is it conceivable that the Messenger came to perform Hajj and we say: He intended to depart from the moment he set out for Hajj, and he did not come except for Hajj. How is this possible? But the problem is that some people first hold a belief, and then try to twist the necks of the texts to fit that belief. The obligatory thing is to follow the texts and not make them follow you.
So the correct opinion is: That there is no limit to the stay, so even if you intend to stay for a month in this place, you are a traveler.
And is it better to combine and shorten, or what?We say: As for combining, you should not combine except for a need, and if you do combine, there is no harm. As for shortening, it is better in all cases.