two units, for Allah the Exalted says, “And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer” (Q 4:101).

3. This ḥadith constitutes evidence for those who hold that, while on a journey, shortening the prayer and breaking the fast are preferable to completing the prayer in full and observing the fast; numerous proofs support this view.
   As for shortening the prayer, the words of the leading scholars have already been cited, among them Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, who said: “Shortening the prayer is prescribed in the Book, the Sunnah, and by the consensus of the Muslims; it has been transmitted from the Prophet ﷺ through reports of multiple, independent chains.”
   Ibn al-Qayyim likewise stated: “It has never been authentically established that he ﷺ completed a four-unit prayer while traveling—ever.”