We are young men who went on a land trip from after the Fajr prayer until ten at night, and the place was (170 km) away from the town.
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : We are young men who went on a land trip from after the Fajr prayer until ten at night, and the place was about 170 km away from the town. The question is: When the time for the 'Asr prayer became obligatory, we prayed the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers combined and shortened, and one of us combined them but did not shorten them. What is the ruling on their prayers, given that they did not travel?
The Shaykh : Yes. This is a matter in which there is scholarly disagreement among the scholars: some specified the distance, while others left the matter to the custom of the people. Those who specify the distance say: If it exceeds 83 km, then one is considered a traveler, and he shortens the prayer and combines them if he needs to combine, because combining is not always a dispensation of travel; rather, it is better for the traveler who stops in a place to leave off combining, whereas shortening is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the traveler, even if he is staying in a place. Some scholars say: Travel is not defined by a specific distance, but rather travel is what people consider travel and prepare for. This second opinion is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. Based on this, we say: If a person leaves his town by about 70 km, 80 km, 100 km, or more, and his intention is to return soon—leaving in the morning and returning at the end of the day—this is not considered travel by people. The safest course for him is to pray four rak'ahs and to pray each prayer in its time. I think that people like these should pray without shortening and not combine, unless there is a need to combine, in which case they should combine without shortening. Then, I would like the brothers not to differ; for example, those who differed: one says we shorten, and the other says we do not shorten; the second says we combine, and the other says we do not combine. We can bring everyone together by saying: Complete the prayers and pray each prayer in its time so that you perform them without disagreement. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes. This is a matter in which there is scholarly disagreement among the scholars: some specified the distance, while others left the matter to the custom of the people. Those who specify the distance say: If it exceeds 83 km, then one is considered a traveler, and he shortens the prayer and combines them if he needs to combine, because combining is not always a dispensation of travel; rather, it is better for the traveler who stops in a place to leave off combining, whereas shortening is a recommended practice (sunnah) for the traveler, even if he is staying in a place. Some scholars say: Travel is not defined by a specific distance, but rather travel is what people consider travel and prepare for. This second opinion is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. Based on this, we say: If a person leaves his town by about 70 km, 80 km, 100 km, or more, and his intention is to return soon—leaving in the morning and returning at the end of the day—this is not considered travel by people. The safest course for him is to pray four rak'ahs and to pray each prayer in its time. I think that people like these should pray without shortening and not combine, unless there is a need to combine, in which case they should combine without shortening. Then, I would like the brothers not to differ; for example, those who differed: one says we shorten, and the other says we do not shorten; the second says we combine, and the other says we do not combine. We can bring everyone together by saying: Complete the prayers and pray each prayer in its time so that you perform them without disagreement. Yes.