The Shaykh’s discussion with some students regarding the limit of travel.
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The Shaykh: Because he has ceased to be a traveler.
The questioner: In the first place, what is the duration of travel? As Ibn Taymiyyah says: “Just as he sits!”
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner: I mean, if a traveler stays in a country, roughly, no matter how long he stays, as long as he is not in his home country, he shortens the prayer. And it seems that this phrase of his is the saying of Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him): “If he intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer.” Is this correct?
The Shaykh: I do not know that Ibn Taymiyyah says this in such an absolute sense: no matter how long he stays, no matter how long he stays while hesitating, not no matter how long he stays! I mean, if a man goes and intends to stay for four years, is he considered a traveler?
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh: So, no matter how long he stays while hesitating, saying today and tomorrow my work will be done and I will return to my country, but it is not done, then the day after tomorrow, then the day after that, a week, a week, a month, two months, and so on, he is considered a traveler.
The questioner: It seems that Ibn al-Qayyim, in *Zad al-Ma'ad*, when he responded to the statement of al-Shafi'i, said: Al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a limited duration of stay, except for the journey of 'Umrah, the 'Umrah of Qada', and the journey of Hajj, and the stay for the journey of Hajj was longer, then on the fourth of Dhul-Hijjah he descended to al-Abtah until the eighth.” He says: “If a person knows his duration of stay and it exceeds eight days, he is called a resident and completes the prayer.” So it seems that Ibn al-Qayyim, in *Zad al-Ma'ad*, says: “Well, how do you know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for more than four days? If he stayed for more than four days, did he say: If he stays for more than four days, he completes the prayer?”
The Shaykh: Yes, and this means that if he stays for four years, he remains a traveler?
The questioner: In the first place, what is the duration of travel? As Ibn Taymiyyah says: “Just as he sits!”
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner: I mean, if a traveler stays in a country, roughly, no matter how long he stays, as long as he is not in his home country, he shortens the prayer. And it seems that this phrase of his is the saying of Shaykh Muhammad (may Allah have mercy on him): “If he intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer.” Is this correct?
The Shaykh: I do not know that Ibn Taymiyyah says this in such an absolute sense: no matter how long he stays, no matter how long he stays while hesitating, not no matter how long he stays! I mean, if a man goes and intends to stay for four years, is he considered a traveler?
The questioner : I do not know.
The Shaykh: So, no matter how long he stays while hesitating, saying today and tomorrow my work will be done and I will return to my country, but it is not done, then the day after tomorrow, then the day after that, a week, a week, a month, two months, and so on, he is considered a traveler.
The questioner: It seems that Ibn al-Qayyim, in *Zad al-Ma'ad*, when he responded to the statement of al-Shafi'i, said: Al-Shafi'i (may Allah have mercy on him) says: “The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not have a limited duration of stay, except for the journey of 'Umrah, the 'Umrah of Qada', and the journey of Hajj, and the stay for the journey of Hajj was longer, then on the fourth of Dhul-Hijjah he descended to al-Abtah until the eighth.” He says: “If a person knows his duration of stay and it exceeds eight days, he is called a resident and completes the prayer.” So it seems that Ibn al-Qayyim, in *Zad al-Ma'ad*, says: “Well, how do you know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for more than four days? If he stayed for more than four days, did he say: If he stays for more than four days, he completes the prayer?”
The Shaykh: Yes, and this means that if he stays for four years, he remains a traveler?
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.