A student from Jeddah studying at Imam University, Qassim branch: may he shorten the prayer, and if he visits Jeddah, does he shorten it?
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The questioner : Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh. I am from the city of Jeddah and I study at Imam University.
The Shaykh : At Imam University, where exactly?
The questioner : At the Qassim branch.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And the studies take four years. So, am I considered a traveler or a resident? And if I am a traveler, when I return to the city of Jeddah for a visit, am I considered a traveler or a resident there?
The Shaykh : According to the opinion of the majority, you are a resident. You are a resident in the obligation to complete the prayer, in the obligation to fast in Ramadan, and in limiting the wiping over leather socks to one day and night. You are not a resident regarding the Friday prayer; you do not complete the number required for the Friday prayer, it is not valid for you to be the imam in it, and it is not valid for you to be the preacher in it. This is the well-known position among the jurists of the schools of jurisprudence.
However, the stronger position is what the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah held, that people are divided into only two categories:
A settler and a traveler. Like a settler is one who resides with an absolute residence not restricted by work or time. Accordingly, your residence in Qassim for study, even with the firm intention that you will leave Qassim when the studies end, makes you a traveler according to this opinion. And if you return to your country, you are a resident, because you have returned to your place of settlement. So you must complete the prayer in your country, and you may shorten the prayer in this country where you reside for study.
But regarding fasting, we see that you should not delay fasting a year to another year, because that will accumulate on you, and you may be unable to make it up in the future.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, Shaykh. I am from the city of Jeddah and I study at Imam University.
The Shaykh : At Imam University, where exactly?
The questioner : At the Qassim branch.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And the studies take four years. So, am I considered a traveler or a resident? And if I am a traveler, when I return to the city of Jeddah for a visit, am I considered a traveler or a resident there?
The Shaykh : According to the opinion of the majority, you are a resident. You are a resident in the obligation to complete the prayer, in the obligation to fast in Ramadan, and in limiting the wiping over leather socks to one day and night. You are not a resident regarding the Friday prayer; you do not complete the number required for the Friday prayer, it is not valid for you to be the imam in it, and it is not valid for you to be the preacher in it. This is the well-known position among the jurists of the schools of jurisprudence.
However, the stronger position is what the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah held, that people are divided into only two categories:
A settler and a traveler. Like a settler is one who resides with an absolute residence not restricted by work or time. Accordingly, your residence in Qassim for study, even with the firm intention that you will leave Qassim when the studies end, makes you a traveler according to this opinion. And if you return to your country, you are a resident, because you have returned to your place of settlement. So you must complete the prayer in your country, and you may shorten the prayer in this country where you reside for study.
But regarding fasting, we see that you should not delay fasting a year to another year, because that will accumulate on you, and you may be unable to make it up in the future.