in a town where he had no need to carry provisions and waterskins, he would perform the prayer in full.

They said: ‘This is why ‘Uthmān performed the prayer in full at Minā: its population had by then grown so numerous that it had become a town where those staying had no need to carry provisions and waterskins.’”

Al-Tahāwī said:

“We consider this view unsound, because Minā in ‘Uthmān’s time was no more populous than Mecca in the time of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Yet the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to pray two units there. Abū Bakr subsequently did likewise, as did ‘Umar after Abū Bakr. If the prayer was shortened there, although those staying there had no need to carry provisions and waterskins, then places less developed than Mecca have even greater reason to be treated likewise.”

He continued:

“All these explanations, being unsound, are therefore ruled out as reasons for ‘Uthmān’s shortening the prayer, except for the first explanation, which Ma‘mar related from al-Zuhrī. It is possible that he performed it in full for that reason. The report states that he performed it in full because he intended to stay, as we have narrated concerning this and as we have explained its meaning.”

I say:

Al-Tahāwī’s aim is to reconcile ‘Uthmān’s conduct with his own legal principle, but this is not possible. ‘Uthmān was one of the Emigrants, and the Emigrants were forbidden to remain in Mecca. When they came to Mecca for ‘umrah, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not permit them to stay there for more than three days after completing their ‘umrah, as reported in the two Sahīh collections from al-‘Alā’ ibn al-Hadramī:

“The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,