The Ruling on Combining and Shortening Prayers for the People of Makkah at 'Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina

Question:
This message reached us from Ali Salem. He says: From Ali Salem of Jeddah, this message reaches you, congratulating you on the safety of your Hajj this year, and blessing you for the new year, and hoping that you will answer some of these questions, as we have had doubts about them. He says: What is the stronger position for the people of Makkah regarding prayer at 'Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina?

Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed with the people at 'Arafah, at Muzdalifah, and at Mina, shortening the prayers to two rak'ahs: the Dhuhr, the 'Asr, and the 'Isha. The people of Makkah and others were with him, and he did not order them to complete the prayers. This indicates that the people of Makkah are on the same footing as the others, whether we call the journey to Mina and 'Arafah a travel or not, whether we call it a travel or not. They shorten the prayers along with the pilgrims. Likewise, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) combined prayers at 'Arafah and at Muzdalifah: he combined the Dhuhr and the 'Asr at 'Arafah, and the Maghrib and the 'Isha at Muzdalifah, with the people with him. He did not say, "O people of Makkah, complete your prayers," nor did he say to them, "Do not combine." This indicates that there is no blame on them for combining and shortening.
This is the preferred position, and it is the stronger of the opinions of the scholars in this issue. Yes.