I heard our teacher, the Imām ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bāz, may Allah have mercy on him, speak about the Prophet’s nineteen-day stay in Mecca during the year of the Conquest, while shortening his prayers (1). He said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ remained there for the welfare of Islam and the Muslims. That stay was never meant to be a settled residence; it was undertaken solely for those objectives. Once the purpose had been achieved, he left for Medina. It is well known that a muhājir (emigrant) may not remain in his hometown for more than three days, yet he stayed longer because of those higher interests. Therefore, if a traveller stays somewhere without firmly deciding to reside there, he should continue to shorten his prayers.” (2)

I also heard him say about the Prophet’s twenty-day stay during the expedition of Tabuk, in which he shortened his prayers (3): “And his remaining ﷺ