I am a resident at the university and study there, and my city is three hundred and fifty kilometers away. On Fridays and holidays, I return to my city. So,
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The questioner : He says, “My city is about three hundred and fifty kilometers from the capital, and I study at the university and reside there. On holidays, that is, Thursdays and Fridays, I return to my city. So, is it permissible for me to shorten and combine the prayers while I am a resident at the university?”
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to pray with the congregation in the mosques, and in that case, you must complete the prayers and not combine them. However, if you miss the four-rak'ah prayer, you may shorten it, because in the situation you described, you are a traveler, since you have not made the city where you study your base and residence. The general texts from the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicate that a person is a traveler until he returns to his homeland. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:101] This was not limited by a specific duration. As long as one is traveling on the earth, that is, a traveler in it, he shortens the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not set a specific limit for his Ummah, but he left it open. He (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed for different durations: he stayed in Makkah for nineteen days during the Year of Conquest and shortened the prayer; he stayed in Tabuk for twenty days and shortened the prayer; and he stayed for ten days during the Farewell Pilgrimage and shortened the prayer, because he (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived on the fourth day of Dhul-Hijjah, meaning he arrived in Makkah and did not leave it until the morning of the fourteenth day. Some people say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) began his journey when he left for Mina on the eighth day, and that the duration for which a person shortens his prayer is four days, and if it exceeds that, he must complete it. This is a view far from the truth. This is because no one believes that when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) left al-Abtah for Mina on the eighth day, he began a journey leaving Makkah. How can we say that he began a journey leaving Makkah when he had only come for a purpose related to Makkah, which is standing, staying, stoning, and circumambulation? How can we say that he left Makkah before fulfilling the purpose for which he traveled to Makkah? This is very far-fetched. For this reason, Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) was asked: “How long did you stay in Makkah?” meaning during the Farewell Pilgrimage. He said: “We stayed there for ten days.” This is how it came in Sahih al-Bukhari and others. Furthermore, it is known that if the duration of residence that ends the state of travel did not exceed four days, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it clearly, because this is something for which the motivations to convey and explain it are abundant. Indeed, we can say that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) clarified by his action and silence that the duration is not limited to four days. The evidence for this is that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Makkah during the Farewell Pilgrimage on the morning of the fourth day and continued to shorten the prayer, and he did not say to his Ummah, “Whoever arrives in Makkah before the fourth day must complete the prayer,” even though it is known that some pilgrims arrive in Makkah on the fourth day and some arrive before the fourth day. If it had been obligatory for whoever arrived in Makkah before the fourth day to complete the prayer, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have clarified it. And when he remained silent about specifying the duration, it is known that there is no limit. As long as a person is a traveler intending to return to his city, whenever he finishes the task for which he came, he is considered a traveler, whether he specifies the duration or not.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to pray with the congregation in the mosques, and in that case, you must complete the prayers and not combine them. However, if you miss the four-rak'ah prayer, you may shorten it, because in the situation you described, you are a traveler, since you have not made the city where you study your base and residence. The general texts from the Qur'an and the Sunnah indicate that a person is a traveler until he returns to his homeland. Allah the Exalted said:
And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer
وَإِذَا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلاةِThe questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.