People working outside the city of Riyadh, a distance of one hundred and thirty kilometers, who combine the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr prayer in advance every day, knowing that they
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The questioner : People working outside the city of Riyadh, a distance of one hundred and thirty kilometers, who leave Riyadh and combine the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr prayer in advance every day, knowing that they return to Riyadh before the 'Asr prayer, which is around two o'clock in the afternoon. Is this action of theirs valid?
The Shaykh : It is not valid, in our view, because these people are not considered travelers by custom. Therefore, it is not permissible for them to combine or shorten the prayer unless there is hardship in not combining. In that case, they may combine due to the hardship, not due to travel. This is based on our view that travel is defined by custom.
However, if we say that travel is defined by distance, then these people are travelers. They may shorten the prayer and combine it, because they have exceeded the specified distance, which is approximately eighty-three kilometers.
The Shaykh : It is not valid, in our view, because these people are not considered travelers by custom. Therefore, it is not permissible for them to combine or shorten the prayer unless there is hardship in not combining. In that case, they may combine due to the hardship, not due to travel. This is based on our view that travel is defined by custom.
However, if we say that travel is defined by distance, then these people are travelers. They may shorten the prayer and combine it, because they have exceeded the specified distance, which is approximately eighty-three kilometers.