What is the ruling for a traveler who passes by a mosque and joins the congregation praying in it, when he does not know whether they are travelers or not?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, the Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : If you are traveling and you pass through a village or a small town and you see a congregation praying, meaning I do not know if they are residents or travelers, and for example, you have missed two rak'ahs or so, and you catch up with them, for example, at the tashahhud, do you complete the prayer or shorten it?
The Shaykh : By Allah, my brother, if the mosque you entered while traveling is a road mosque, like those in stations, for example, then the default is that they are travelers. Or, for example, in the airport, sometimes a person is waiting in the airport and the time for prayer comes, and he enters and finds people praying. This indication shows that this is a prayer for travelers. However, if the mosque is a town mosque, the default is that they are residents, so you assume the imam is a resident and you complete four rak'ahs.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : If you are traveling and you pass through a village or a small town and you see a congregation praying, meaning I do not know if they are residents or travelers, and for example, you have missed two rak'ahs or so, and you catch up with them, for example, at the tashahhud, do you complete the prayer or shorten it?
The Shaykh : By Allah, my brother, if the mosque you entered while traveling is a road mosque, like those in stations, for example, then the default is that they are travelers. Or, for example, in the airport, sometimes a person is waiting in the airport and the time for prayer comes, and he enters and finds people praying. This indication shows that this is a prayer for travelers. However, if the mosque is a town mosque, the default is that they are residents, so you assume the imam is a resident and you complete four rak'ahs.