what he had retained; however, al-Bayhaqi judged Imam al-Bukhari’s report—which states nineteen days—to be the soundest.
8 – As for ḥadith (353), it shows that staying in one place—even for twenty days—does not bar the traveler from shortening the prayer or using the other dispensations of travel, so long as he has not resolved to settle there and intends to leave once his task is completed.
9 – The preponderant view is that a traveler may continue to shorten and combine the prayers for as long as he has not decided to reside permanently, even if his stay becomes lengthy. Shaykh al-Islam [Ibn Taymiyyah] said: “The traveler may shorten the prayer and break the fast so long as he has not firmly resolved to reside and take up domicile; tying the distinction between resident and traveler to a specific number of days is unsupported by either scripture or custom.” Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Āl al-Shaykh likewise stated: “Incidental residence on the part of a traveler—without the intention of remaining for a fixed number of days, for his stay depends on his need and he does not know when it will end; once the need ends, he departs—allows him to benefit from the concessions of travel, including shortening the prayer, for the whole period of his stay, whether long or short.”
10 – This shortening took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage, which included the days spent in Minā. The Prophet ﷺ shortened the prayers there, as did Abu Bakr and ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them). ʿUthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) also shortened the prayers for six—or eight—years of his caliphate, but thereafter began to pray them in full. The Companions reproached him for completing the prayers and thereby differing from the Prophet ﷺ and the two caliphs after him; Ibn Masʿūd (may Allah be pleased with him) was the most outspoken, yet they still followed ʿUthmān and prayed in full with him, for Ibn Masʿūd said, “Disagreement is evil.” Their praying in full with ʿUthmān is evidence that shortening is not obligatory; had it been obligatory they would not have acquiesced. The scholars have offered many explanations for ʿUthmān’s decision to complete the prayers. One—though not particularly compelling—is that the Hajj gathers vast numbers of Muslims from distant lands who are unfamiliar with the rulings of the prayer; had they seen it shortened, they might have assumed that this abbreviated form was the normal one. Fearing such a misunderstanding, which could lead to major error, ʿUthmān, exercising his own judgment, chose to have the prayers performed in full.