What is the ruling on one who is uncertain about the imam's status, whether he is a resident or a traveler?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you well, O honorable Shaykh: What is the ruling, O honorable Shaykh, when I come to the mosque and find the imam in the final tashahhud, and I join him and he says the taslim, so I do not know whether I should complete the four-rak'ah prayer or shorten it, given your statement, O honorable Shaykh, that expatriate students have the ruling of shortening the prayer? It is known that most of the congregation I attend are expatriate students, and it is also known that this is not the primary congregation but rather a second one?
The Shaykh : In this situation, one looks at the apparent state of affairs, because what you mentioned occurs in some mosques, where a person passes by on the road and finds people praying, or in the airport he finds people praying, and he is uncertain whether they are residents or travelers. One looks at the apparent state of affairs. If the apparent state of this man is that he is a traveler, because his suitcase is in front of him and he is wearing travel clothes, he is considered a traveler. And if nothing is more likely in your view, complete the prayer, because the default is completion.
The Shaykh : In this situation, one looks at the apparent state of affairs, because what you mentioned occurs in some mosques, where a person passes by on the road and finds people praying, or in the airport he finds people praying, and he is uncertain whether they are residents or travelers. One looks at the apparent state of affairs. If the apparent state of this man is that he is a traveler, because his suitcase is in front of him and he is wearing travel clothes, he is considered a traveler. And if nothing is more likely in your view, complete the prayer, because the default is completion.