Is shortening the prayer valid for one who stays in a place other than his hometown for more than a month?
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The questioner : Ibrahim Basuni, a regular listener to the program, is Egyptian and works in the Kingdom. He asks in this question: Is shortening the prayer valid for one who stays in a place other than his hometown for more than a month?
The Shaykh : Yes. Shortening means praying the four-rak'ah prayer as two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : By praying the midday prayer as two rak'ahs, the afternoon prayer as two rak'ahs, and the night prayer as two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : This is among the confirmed recommended practices of travel, to the extent that some scholars said it is obligatory, but the stronger position is that it is not obligatory, but rather a confirmed recommended practice. However, if one stays in a place where the congregation is established, it is obligatory for him to pray with the congregation.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Because the traveler is not exempt from the congregation; rather, he is commanded to attend it and is bound by it, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[An-Nisa 4:102] Thus, Allah the Exalted commanded the congregational prayer even in battle, and it is known that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fought while traveling. So, if Allah obligated the fighters to pray the congregational prayer, this indicates that the congregational prayer is not dropped by travel. However, if it happens that he is in a country where there is no one who establishes the prayer, or the mosque is far from him and it is difficult for him to reach it, or he missed the prayer, then he may shorten the four-rak'ah prayer to two rak'ahs as long as he is in a state of travel, because the texts regarding shortening are general texts that do not contain a restriction to a specific time, such as the saying of Allah the Exalted: [An-Nisa 4:101] and the saying of Allah the Exalted: [Al-Muzzammil 73:20] It is known that those who travel through the earth seeking from the bounty of Allah may have a long duration in purchasing goods and selling them. So, the important thing is that as long as a person is with the intention of travel and that when he finishes his work he will leave the country, he is a traveler who takes the dispensations of travel, and this is not restricted to a known number of days, because there is no evidence for this.
Some scholars held that if one intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer, and others held that if he intends to stay for more than fifteen days, he shortens, and others held that if he intends to stay for more than nineteen days, he shortens. There is much disagreement on this, and al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in his commentary on "al-Muhadhdhab", the book al-Majmu' which is well-known and famous, and he mentioned in it about ten opinions. All of them are opinions, as Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said, opposing opinions. But the reference for this is the apparent meaning of the texts, and there is nothing in the texts indicating a restriction. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Yes. Shortening means praying the four-rak'ah prayer as two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : By praying the midday prayer as two rak'ahs, the afternoon prayer as two rak'ahs, and the night prayer as two rak'ahs.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : This is among the confirmed recommended practices of travel, to the extent that some scholars said it is obligatory, but the stronger position is that it is not obligatory, but rather a confirmed recommended practice. However, if one stays in a place where the congregation is established, it is obligatory for him to pray with the congregation.
The questioner : Very well.
The Shaykh : Because the traveler is not exempt from the congregation; rather, he is commanded to attend it and is bound by it, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:
And when you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand [in prayer] with you and let them carry their arms. And when they have prostrated, let them be [in position] behind you and have the other group come forward which has not [yet] prayed and let them pray with you, taking precaution and carrying their arms.
وَإِذا كُنتَ فيهِم فَأَقَمتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَلتَقُم طائِفَةٌ مِنهُم مَعَكَ وَليَأخُذوا أَسلِحَتَهُم فَإِذا سَجَدوا فَليَكونوا مِن وَرائِكُم وَلتَأتِ طائِفَةٌ أُخرى لَم يُصَلّوا فَليُصَلّوا مَعَكَ وَليَأخُذوا حِذرَهُم وَأَسلِحَتَهُمAnd when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer
وَإِذا ضَرَبتُم فِي الأَرضِ فَلَيسَ عَلَيكُم جُناحٌ أَن تَقصُروا مِنَ الصَّلاةِHe has known that there will be among you those who are ill and others traveling throughout the land seeking [something] of the bounty of Allah and others fighting for the cause of Allah
عَلِمَ أَن سَيَكونُ مِنكُم مَرضى وَءاخَرونَ يَضرِبونَ فِي الأَرضِ يَبتَغونَ مِن فَضلِ اللَّهِ وَءاخَرونَ يُقاتِلونَ في سَبيلِ اللَّهِSome scholars held that if one intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer, and others held that if he intends to stay for more than fifteen days, he shortens, and others held that if he intends to stay for more than nineteen days, he shortens. There is much disagreement on this, and al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned it in his commentary on "al-Muhadhdhab", the book al-Majmu' which is well-known and famous, and he mentioned in it about ten opinions. All of them are opinions, as Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said, opposing opinions. But the reference for this is the apparent meaning of the texts, and there is nothing in the texts indicating a restriction. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.