If a traveler reaches the outskirts of his town but does not enter the built-up area, does he shorten the prayer?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. Now, if we are combining Maghrib and 'Isha' by delaying them, and we are, for example, on the outskirts of Riyadh—and you know that the outskirts of Riyadh are far from the city itself—then when we enter a distance within Riyadh and combine the prayers by delaying them, the people may have already finished 'Isha'. Do we shorten 'Isha' or complete it?The Shaykh : Are you from the people of Riyadh?
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : Okay, do the outskirts of Riyadh mean that you have entered the residential areas?
The questioner : Approximately, no.
The Shaykh : You have not entered the residential areas, so you may shorten the prayer. As long as a person has not entered the residential areas of the town, he may shorten the prayer. Peace be upon you. And I will give you a rule: if you are in doubt whether the cause for shortening the prayer has ceased or remains, the original state is that it remains. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, I do.
The Shaykh : Okay, do the outskirts of Riyadh mean that you have entered the residential areas?
The questioner : Approximately, no.
The Shaykh : You have not entered the residential areas, so you may shorten the prayer. As long as a person has not entered the residential areas of the town, he may shorten the prayer. Peace be upon you. And I will give you a rule: if you are in doubt whether the cause for shortening the prayer has ceased or remains, the original state is that it remains. Yes.