A man traveled (6) kilometers to go to work, so he shortened the prayer based on the hadith (The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer at three farsakh)
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The questioner : A man leaves his home after traveling a distance of six kilometers, acting on the hadith: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer at three farsakh. What is the ruling on that?
The Shaykh : Did he leave as a traveler?
The questioner : He left for work, not as a traveler.
The Shaykh : He does not shorten the prayer. If he leaves as a traveler, then merely passing beyond the buildings of the town he is in is enough to begin shortening. But if he did not leave as a traveler, even if he traveled a thousand kilometers, like in a large city such as Egypt or others, he remains a resident.
The questioner : Well, he says that the hadith is specified by distance, not by travel.
The Shaykh : What does the hadith say?
The questioner : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer at three farsakh.
The Shaykh : What does "shorten" mean?
The questioner : Shorten in the prayer.
The Shaykh : In residence or in travel?
The questioner : In travel, but he interprets it.
The Shaykh : So you did not pay attention to the word "shorten," which means in travel; because there is no shortening in residence. So when he travels this distance and shortens, you should understand that he left as a traveler.
The questioner : He is not a traveler.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are not speaking about a person; you are speaking about a narration. As long as the narration says he used to shorten when he traveled such a distance, the word "shorten" gives you the meaning that he is a traveler. Do you understand? Do not say you and others that there is no text in the hadith that he left as a traveler, but that he left and shortened. The word "shorten" implies in the legal custom that he is a traveler. Just as if someone told you: So-and-so prayed the night prayer, and you did not know that he performed ablution, for example, you must understand implicitly that since he is praying, he has performed ablution. Do you understand how to understand the rulings of the Shari'ah? For that reason, it is not permissible for all individuals, even if they have no knowledge, to apply their minds to the texts of the Shari'ah and understand them according to what appears to their knowledge, if not their ignorance. Do you understand me?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Did he leave as a traveler?
The questioner : He left for work, not as a traveler.
The Shaykh : He does not shorten the prayer. If he leaves as a traveler, then merely passing beyond the buildings of the town he is in is enough to begin shortening. But if he did not leave as a traveler, even if he traveled a thousand kilometers, like in a large city such as Egypt or others, he remains a resident.
The questioner : Well, he says that the hadith is specified by distance, not by travel.
The Shaykh : What does the hadith say?
The questioner : The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayer at three farsakh.
The Shaykh : What does "shorten" mean?
The questioner : Shorten in the prayer.
The Shaykh : In residence or in travel?
The questioner : In travel, but he interprets it.
The Shaykh : So you did not pay attention to the word "shorten," which means in travel; because there is no shortening in residence. So when he travels this distance and shortens, you should understand that he left as a traveler.
The questioner : He is not a traveler.
The Shaykh : May Allah guide you. You are not speaking about a person; you are speaking about a narration. As long as the narration says he used to shorten when he traveled such a distance, the word "shorten" gives you the meaning that he is a traveler. Do you understand? Do not say you and others that there is no text in the hadith that he left as a traveler, but that he left and shortened. The word "shorten" implies in the legal custom that he is a traveler. Just as if someone told you: So-and-so prayed the night prayer, and you did not know that he performed ablution, for example, you must understand implicitly that since he is praying, he has performed ablution. Do you understand how to understand the rulings of the Shari'ah? For that reason, it is not permissible for all individuals, even if they have no knowledge, to apply their minds to the texts of the Shari'ah and understand them according to what appears to their knowledge, if not their ignorance. Do you understand me?
The questioner: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.