Does the Prayer Time of a Resident Determine Whether He Prays Full or Shortened as a Traveller?
The questioner asks: what is the ruling on a man upon whom the prayer time entered while he was a resident, then he travelled — should he pray the prayer of a traveller or the prayer of a resident?
The correct position in this matter is that the determining factor is place, not time. Accordingly, he prays the prayer of a traveller if he performs the prayer outside the built-up area of the city, because the determining factor is place, not time. This is the sounder of the two scholarly views, contrary to the well-known position in the school of Ahmad — that he prays the prayer of a resident because the time entered upon him while he was a resident.
Let us reverse the matter on them. We say: have you seen a traveller upon whom the adhan is given whilst he is travelling, then he delays the prayer until he returns to his city — how does he pray? If they say he prays the prayer of a resident — we say: you lose the argument. You have contradicted yourselves: in the first case you say we pray the full prayer, and if the determining factor is time — then why here did it become the determining factor of place, and in the first case the determining factor was time? This is incorrect. And if they say he prays the prayer of a traveller — the situation is consistent for this position. But this position is weak.
The correct view is: in the first case he prays the prayer of a traveller, and in the second he prays the prayer of a resident, because the principle states: the determining factor is place, not time. Accordingly, for one upon whom the Dhuhr call to prayer came in Buraydah while he intends to travel to Mecca, then he departs and prays in 'Unayzah en route — we say he prays the shortened prayer, even if the time entered upon him while he was a resident. And if the time entered upon him while he was in Riyadh for Dhuhr, then he delayed Dhuhr combined with 'Asr and arrived in Buraydah — we say he prays the prayer as a resident, because the determining factor is place, not time.