to ‘umrah and to shorten their prayers. Reducing the number of prayer units depends solely on travel. When fear and travel coincide, however, it is permissible both to reduce the number of prayer units and to shorten the units themselves.

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and ‘Umar after him, said when praying in Mecca: “People of Mecca, complete your prayers, for we are travellers.” He made clear that their being travellers alone warranted their praying two units. Thus, he linked this ruling to travel, not to fear. This establishes that fear is never a prerequisite for reducing the number of prayer units.

The statements of the Companions, or most of them, on this subject indicate that they did not define travel by a fixed distance or duration applicable to everyone. Rather, they answered according to the questioner’s circumstances: whoever they considered a traveller, they accorded the rulings of travel; otherwise, they did not. This explains why their statements differed regarding duration and distance.

Wakī‘ narrated from al-Thawrī, from Mansūr ibn al-Mu‘tamir, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: “If you travel for a day until the night prayer, then shorten your prayers if you go beyond that.”

Al-Hajjāj ibn Minhāl also narrated it, saying: Abū ‘Awānah narrated to us from Mansūr ibn al-Mu‘tamir, from Mujāhid, from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: “A traveller does not shorten his prayers on a journey lasting a day until the night prayer, but only on a journey longer than that.”

Wakī‘ narrated from Shu‘bah, from Shubayl, from Abū Jamrah al-Duba‘ī, who said: “I asked Ibn ‘Abbās, ‘May I shorten my prayers when travelling to al-Aylah?’ He asked, ‘Do you go and return within a day?’ I replied, ‘Yes.’ He said, ‘No, only for a full day’s journey.’”

Here, then, he prohibited shortening the prayer when someone returned to his family within a day—a journey of one postal stage—and permitted it for a day’s journey.