regarding shortening the prayer and ablution: He says, “I want to travel to London and I will stay there for twenty days. Is it permissible for me to shorten the prayer there or not?”
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : regarding shortening the prayer and ablution: He says, “I want to travel to London and I will stay there for twenty days. Is it permissible for me to shorten the prayer there or not?”
The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer as long as you have determined your period of residence.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Tabuk for twenty days shortening the prayer, and he stayed in Makkah in the Year of the Conquest for nineteen days shortening the prayer, and he stayed in Makkah in the Year of the Farewell Pilgrimage for ten days shortening the prayer. As Anas ibn Malik was asked: “How long did you stay in Makkah?” meaning in the Year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, he said: “We stayed there for ten days.”
And Anas ibn Malik stayed in Sham for two years shortening the prayer, and Ibn 'Umar stayed in Azerbaijan for six months, detained by the snow, shortening the prayer. So you may shorten the prayer even if you intend to stay for twenty days. There is no evidence in the Sunnah that the period which cuts off the ruling of travel is limited to four days, or to fifteen days as Abu Hanifah and his followers said, or to nineteen days or twenty days. Rather, these are specific instances that occurred by coincidence, and what occurs by coincidence does not indicate legislation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had arrived on the third of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Farewell Pilgrimage, the ruling would not have changed, because he arrived on the fourth day. And if he had arrived on the third day, the ruling would not have changed, as evidenced by the fact that if the ruling were to change based on that, he would have alerted the Ummah to it, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that some of the pilgrims would arrive before the fourth day.
In any case, the correct opinion in this issue, which was chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and which has become clear to us by following the evidence, is that it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer even if you intend to stay for twenty days, because you are in a state of travel in reality. Nothing held you back except... , so when it ends, you return to your country.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : His final question.
The Shaykh : Yes, it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer as long as you have determined your period of residence.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Tabuk for twenty days shortening the prayer, and he stayed in Makkah in the Year of the Conquest for nineteen days shortening the prayer, and he stayed in Makkah in the Year of the Farewell Pilgrimage for ten days shortening the prayer. As Anas ibn Malik was asked: “How long did you stay in Makkah?” meaning in the Year of the Farewell Pilgrimage, he said: “We stayed there for ten days.”
And Anas ibn Malik stayed in Sham for two years shortening the prayer, and Ibn 'Umar stayed in Azerbaijan for six months, detained by the snow, shortening the prayer. So you may shorten the prayer even if you intend to stay for twenty days. There is no evidence in the Sunnah that the period which cuts off the ruling of travel is limited to four days, or to fifteen days as Abu Hanifah and his followers said, or to nineteen days or twenty days. Rather, these are specific instances that occurred by coincidence, and what occurs by coincidence does not indicate legislation.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Therefore, if the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had arrived on the third of Dhu al-Hijjah in the Farewell Pilgrimage, the ruling would not have changed, because he arrived on the fourth day. And if he had arrived on the third day, the ruling would not have changed, as evidenced by the fact that if the ruling were to change based on that, he would have alerted the Ummah to it, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) knew that some of the pilgrims would arrive before the fourth day.
In any case, the correct opinion in this issue, which was chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and which has become clear to us by following the evidence, is that it is permissible for you to shorten the prayer even if you intend to stay for twenty days, because you are in a state of travel in reality. Nothing held you back except... , so when it ends, you return to your country.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : His final question.