Also, a hadith states that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When he (peace and blessings be upon him) went out, he did not pray more than two rak'ahs until he returned.”
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The questioner : Also, the hadith reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “When he (peace and blessings be upon him) went out, he did not pray more than two rak'ahs until he returned.”
The Shaykh : Yes, this is also authentic. It is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he left the city, did not pray more than two rak'ahs until he returned, whether that was in a military expedition, Hajj, or 'Umrah. This is because a person who leaves his city is a traveler until he returns to it, unless he intends to reside in the city he traveled to with a permanent, indefinite intention, or intends to settle and move from his city to this other new city. In that case, he has the ruling of the people of the city he traveled to. Then, if he returns to his city without the intention of settling there, he is a traveler in his city. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened his prayers in Makkah, even though it was his original city. This often happens, and people ask: if a person settles in a new city other than his original city, does he have the ruling of a traveler or the ruling of a resident when he returns to his original city? We say that he has the ruling of a traveler, and the evidence for this is what we have mentioned. There is no difference between whether he married in his original city which he left and settled elsewhere, or whether he did not marry. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten his prayers in Makkah, even though he had married there and most of his children came to him while he was in Makkah. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Also, perhaps you have already answered this.
The Shaykh : Yes, this is also authentic. It is that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when he left the city, did not pray more than two rak'ahs until he returned, whether that was in a military expedition, Hajj, or 'Umrah. This is because a person who leaves his city is a traveler until he returns to it, unless he intends to reside in the city he traveled to with a permanent, indefinite intention, or intends to settle and move from his city to this other new city. In that case, he has the ruling of the people of the city he traveled to. Then, if he returns to his city without the intention of settling there, he is a traveler in his city. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) shortened his prayers in Makkah, even though it was his original city. This often happens, and people ask: if a person settles in a new city other than his original city, does he have the ruling of a traveler or the ruling of a resident when he returns to his original city? We say that he has the ruling of a traveler, and the evidence for this is what we have mentioned. There is no difference between whether he married in his original city which he left and settled elsewhere, or whether he did not marry. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten his prayers in Makkah, even though he had married there and most of his children came to him while he was in Makkah. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you. Also, perhaps you have already answered this.