If a person has an apartment in a city he travels to for trade, and it is a permanent apartment for him, is it permissible for him to shorten the prayer?
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The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : A businessman who travels from place to place.
The Shaykh : The term "businessman"—is he a builder or a trader in goods?
The questioner : He is probably a large trader, meaning he said he is a man who has work in Egypt, work in Saudi Arabia, and work in, well, in France. Instead of staying in a hotel, he rents an apartment to stay in when he wants to work. So he asks: if, for example, he goes to France and stays in this apartment, is it considered a residence for him, or is it not permissible for him to combine and shorten the prayer?
The Shaykh : My brother, as long as a person is away from his homeland, he is a traveler, even if he stays in the other country for a month or two; he is still a traveler. But if he is in an Islamic country where he hears the call to prayer, it is obligatory for him to attend and pray with the Muslims completely, without shortening. However, if he misses the congregation, he prays two rak'ahs. And if he is in a non-Islamic country where there is no congregation, he prays two rak'ahs until he returns.
The questioner : A businessman who travels from place to place.
The Shaykh : The term "businessman"—is he a builder or a trader in goods?
The questioner : He is probably a large trader, meaning he said he is a man who has work in Egypt, work in Saudi Arabia, and work in, well, in France. Instead of staying in a hotel, he rents an apartment to stay in when he wants to work. So he asks: if, for example, he goes to France and stays in this apartment, is it considered a residence for him, or is it not permissible for him to combine and shorten the prayer?
The Shaykh : My brother, as long as a person is away from his homeland, he is a traveler, even if he stays in the other country for a month or two; he is still a traveler. But if he is in an Islamic country where he hears the call to prayer, it is obligatory for him to attend and pray with the Muslims completely, without shortening. However, if he misses the congregation, he prays two rak'ahs. And if he is in a non-Islamic country where there is no congregation, he prays two rak'ahs until he returns.