We are a group of young men who came to al-Qassim for work and study, and in every weekly break or occasion we return to our families. When are we considered travelers?

The questioner : He says:The questioner : We are a group of young men who came to al-Qassim for work and study, and in every weekly break or occasion we return to our families and our country. Your Eminence, when are we considered travelers, and is it permissible for us to act upon the dispensations for travel? And if we are in al-Qassim, or if we are in our country with our families? And is it permissible for us, if we consider our presence in al-Qassim as travel, to pray in congregation at our residence and shorten the prayer, even if we hear the call to prayer? Is there a specific duration and a defined distance for shortening the prayer?

The Shaykh : The traveler who goes from his home to another country for the purpose of study is, in reality, a citizen of the first country; that is, he is a resident of his country until he intends to move from it to the second country and settle there. If he intends to move from his homeland to the second country and settle there, then his return to his home country is considered travel. However, if he considers the second country a place of residence for a specific need, and he returns to his family when that need ends, then he is a traveler, whether the duration is long or short, and whether he specifies the duration or not, as long as his residence is tied to a specific matter; when it ends, he returns to his family. But if he is in a country where the congregation is established, it is obligatory for him to attend the congregation, and it is not permissible for him to be absent while he is among the mosques. What has become widespread among some of the common people is that the traveler is not obligated to perform the congregational prayer or the Friday prayer; this is contrary to the correct view, because Allah the Exalted says: The traveler is included among the believers without doubt, so he must attend. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: The traveler is a resident in the country where the call is made, and he hears the call, so he must attend. The congregational prayer does not drop off for the traveler. Allah ordered His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to lead the Muslims in prayer during travel in a state of combat, as He the Exalted said: to the end of the verse. Yes, if you miss the congregation and pray alone, you may shorten the prayer. Therefore, it is not permissible for this group to pray in their houses while they are among the mosques; rather, it is obligatory for them to pray in the mosque. This is what we see in this issue. However, many scholars say that if a person intends a specific duration of residence, the state of travel ends with that duration. Some say this duration is four days, some say fifteen days, and some say nineteen days. They differ on this issue with more than twenty opinions. But every opinion that has no evidence for it is of no account. Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set a limit for the Ummah such that if a person intends to reside for this duration, he is a traveler, and if he exceeds it, he is a resident? This requires evidence, and we know of no evidence that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) specified a duration. Rather, everyone who remains in a country waiting for his need, and returns to his family when it ends, is considered a traveler and not a resident, because his residence is conditional. If he were asked, "Are you a permanent resident?" he would say, "No, I am resident for a need; when it ends, I return to my country."