The ruling on a traveler who intends to stay for more than four days
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Question:
If the travel is for more than four days, O Shaykh? Is it permissible for him to perform the...
The Shaykh: If the stay is...
The presenter: Yes.
Answer:
If he intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer at his location if he goes to a town or a house where he intends to stay for more than four days, according to the majority. Some scholars say: As long as he has the intention of travel, he shortens the prayer, even if the duration is long, even if it is more than four days; because of what came in the hadiths regarding the general statement that he shortened the prayer, and he stayed for more, he stayed in Makkah for nineteen days while shortening, and he stayed in Tabuk for twenty days while shortening—(peace and blessings be upon him). They said: This indicates that the traveler, as long as he does not intend an absolute stay, shortens the prayer, and they argued with this.
The majority say: He (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Makkah and in Tabuk for a stay that he did not intend, not knowing when his travel would be facilitated, so he shortens the prayer. So if a person settles in a place and does not know when he will depart, waiting for a group to come to him, or waiting for something else, and does not know when he will depart; then he shortens the prayer, even if he stays for months; because he does not know when he will depart. And this is what the majority attributed to the stay of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Tabuk and in Makkah; because he stayed to remove the effects of shirk (associating partners with Allah) in Makkah, and he stayed in Tabuk with the intention of fighting the Romans, then Allah chose for him to return, and he did not proceed, so the majority attributed it to the fact that this stay was not intended with resolve, but he was hesitant and waiting for something. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Allah, send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.
If the travel is for more than four days, O Shaykh? Is it permissible for him to perform the...
The Shaykh: If the stay is...
The presenter: Yes.
Answer:
If he intends to stay for more than four days, he completes the prayer at his location if he goes to a town or a house where he intends to stay for more than four days, according to the majority. Some scholars say: As long as he has the intention of travel, he shortens the prayer, even if the duration is long, even if it is more than four days; because of what came in the hadiths regarding the general statement that he shortened the prayer, and he stayed for more, he stayed in Makkah for nineteen days while shortening, and he stayed in Tabuk for twenty days while shortening—(peace and blessings be upon him). They said: This indicates that the traveler, as long as he does not intend an absolute stay, shortens the prayer, and they argued with this.
The majority say: He (peace and blessings be upon him) stayed in Makkah and in Tabuk for a stay that he did not intend, not knowing when his travel would be facilitated, so he shortens the prayer. So if a person settles in a place and does not know when he will depart, waiting for a group to come to him, or waiting for something else, and does not know when he will depart; then he shortens the prayer, even if he stays for months; because he does not know when he will depart. And this is what the majority attributed to the stay of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in Tabuk and in Makkah; because he stayed to remove the effects of shirk (associating partners with Allah) in Makkah, and he stayed in Tabuk with the intention of fighting the Romans, then Allah chose for him to return, and he did not proceed, so the majority attributed it to the fact that this stay was not intended with resolve, but he was hesitant and waiting for something. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you, O Allah, send blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.