He also says: We went on a trip from al-Qasim to Hail and stayed in an apartment next to a mosque.
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The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. He says: We went on a trip from al-Qasim to Hail and stayed in an apartment next to a mosque. At the time of the Fajr prayer, some prayed in the apartment on the grounds that they were traveling and that they were a congregation, while others prayed in the mosque adjacent to the apartment. Which of the two is more correct?
The Shaykh : The more correct option is to pray in the mosque. In fact, it is obligatory for them to pray in the mosque as long as the mosque is adjacent to them and there is no hardship in doing so. Therefore, it is obligatory for them to pray in the mosque.
As for what some people imagine, that a traveler does not pray in the mosque because he shortens his prayer, that is a mistake. The congregational prayer is obligatory for both the traveler and the resident. Accordingly, the traveler must go to the mosque and pray with the Muslims, unless the mosque is far away and it is difficult for him to reach it. In that case, he prays in congregation with his companions.
The Shaykh : The more correct option is to pray in the mosque. In fact, it is obligatory for them to pray in the mosque as long as the mosque is adjacent to them and there is no hardship in doing so. Therefore, it is obligatory for them to pray in the mosque.
As for what some people imagine, that a traveler does not pray in the mosque because he shortens his prayer, that is a mistake. The congregational prayer is obligatory for both the traveler and the resident. Accordingly, the traveler must go to the mosque and pray with the Muslims, unless the mosque is far away and it is difficult for him to reach it. In that case, he prays in congregation with his companions.