A man resides in Jeddah and his job is in Hufar al-Batin; is he permitted to shorten the prayer if he misses the congregational prayer at his workplace?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. An employee works in Hufar al-Batin and his family is in Jeddah. Is it permissible for him to shorten the prayer if he misses the congregational prayer on the pretext that he is traveling?
The Shaykh : Does he miss the congregation in any place?
The questioner : In the city where he works.
The Shaykh : Is his work there on a permanent basis? Or is it that he works there for two, three, or four months and then returns?
The questioner : He wants to return to his family, but he does not know the duration he will stay.
The Shaykh : This means that the default status for him is residence. The default is that the government placed him in this location as a resident, is that not so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He cannot return to his country unless he says: I will stay for one or two years and then return to my country, either by keeping my job or by resigning. As for a person who says: I follow the job, and then the government places him in a location, the default is that he remains there. For this reason, we say: ambassadors are not permitted to shorten the prayer, because when the government places them, the default is their continued presence.
The questioner : Does he take the ruling of a resident there?
The Shaykh : The ruling of a resident in both countries, in the country where he works. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
Another questioner: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Regarding this, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do you understand now? That is, the story of those who travel for study, even if they stay for one or two years, should not come to your mind. These are travelers. Why? Because these people say: Our duration is fixed. If we were told: Stay for one day after the end of the study, we would not stay. As for the employee, the default is that he does not remain in this job except on a permanent basis. Yes.
The Shaykh : Does he miss the congregation in any place?
The questioner : In the city where he works.
The Shaykh : Is his work there on a permanent basis? Or is it that he works there for two, three, or four months and then returns?
The questioner : He wants to return to his family, but he does not know the duration he will stay.
The Shaykh : This means that the default status for him is residence. The default is that the government placed him in this location as a resident, is that not so?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : He cannot return to his country unless he says: I will stay for one or two years and then return to my country, either by keeping my job or by resigning. As for a person who says: I follow the job, and then the government places him in a location, the default is that he remains there. For this reason, we say: ambassadors are not permitted to shorten the prayer, because when the government places them, the default is their continued presence.
The questioner : Does he take the ruling of a resident there?
The Shaykh : The ruling of a resident in both countries, in the country where he works. Yes.
The questioner : Yes, may Allah reward you with good.
Another questioner: In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Regarding this, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Do you understand now? That is, the story of those who travel for study, even if they stay for one or two years, should not come to your mind. These are travelers. Why? Because these people say: Our duration is fixed. If we were told: Stay for one day after the end of the study, we would not stay. As for the employee, the default is that he does not remain in this job except on a permanent basis. Yes.