First: It is important to note that there is a difference between shortening the prayer (Qaṣr) and combining the prayers (Jam῾) both in principle (regarding the reason and the differences among Islamic legal schools) and in practice (regarding the method).

Combining prayers is not limited to travel, whereas shortening the prayer is only permissible during travel; there is no shortening of prayers when one is not traveling. Additionally, shortening is only applicable to the four-unit prayers (Ẓuhr, ῾Aṣr, and ῾Ishā᾽), as these are the only prayers that can be reduced to the minimum number of units, which is two. On the other hand, combining prayers can occur between the four-unit prayers like Ẓuhr with ῾Aṣr, and the three-unit Maghrib with ῾Ishā᾽, and it is possible for shortening and combining to occur together, or for one to be permissible without the other.

For example, the pilgrim in Mina can shorten the prayer without combining, whereas someone residing in Mecca or elsewhere may combine prayers due to a valid excuse without shortening them. Thus, one ruling does not necessarily entail the other, as they are two distinct concessions.

Second: The esteemed jurists have differed in determining the duration of travel that permits the concession of combining or shortening prayers, or both.

The summary of the different schools of Islamic law is as follows:

• The first opinion: The duration for shortening prayers is 15 days. If the traveler intends to stay for more than that, even if by just one prayer, shortening is not permissible. This is the view of the Ḥanafī school. According to them, combining prayers is generally not permissible, neither during travel nor otherwise, except at ῾Arafāt and Muzdalifah during Hajj.
• The second opinion: The majority of Mālikī, Shāfi῾ī, and Ḥanbalī scholars hold that the duration for combining and shortening prayers is four days (with some variations; some count the days, while others count them by the number of prayers, making it 20 prayers). If the stay exceeds this time or number of prayers, neither shortening nor combining is permissible.
• The third opinion: According to Dāwūd ibn ῾Alī, Ṭāwūs, ᾽Ibrāhīm al-Taymī, and others, shortening is only allowed during travel for two purposes: Ḥajj and Jihād. For any other purpose, shortening is not allowed.
• The fourth opinion: The concession for shortening and combining is only allowed during a journey undertaken for obedience, such as Ḥajj. For a permissible journey, like trade, there is no concession for shortening, and even more so for a sinful journey. This is an opinion held by some Ḥanbalīs.
• The fifth opinion: There is no definitive text establishing a specific duration or distance for the concession. Therefore, any journey that is considered travel permits shortening and combining prayers. This is the view of Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim, and their followers.

Third: According to those who stipulate a specific duration or distance for the concession, it does not apply to part of the journey but rather to the whole duration. Therefore, one is either eligible for the concession throughout the travel period, or they must adhere to the original ruling (῾azīmah) throughout the travel period. It is not permissible to divide the travel period into a time for concession and a time for adherence to the original ruling.

Based on this, the scenario mentioned in the question is not permissible according to those who base the ruling on specific duration and distance for shortening and combining prayers.

Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr