rather, he was showing that shortening the prayer was permissible in such circumstances. For he had heard that the people of Kufa did not shorten their prayers in the Sawād, and Ibn ‘Umar answered him by affirming its permissibility.

As for the report transmitted through Ibn Jurayj:

“Nāfi‘ informed me that the nearest destination to which Ibn ‘Umar travelled and shortened his prayers was an estate he owned at Khaybar, a journey of three moderate stages. He did not shorten his prayers over any shorter distance.”

Likewise, Hammād ibn Salamah narrated from Ayyūb ibn Humayd—both of them from Nāfi‘, from Ibn ‘Umar:

“He used to shorten his prayers between Medina and Khaybar, a distance comparable to that between Basra and al-Ahwāz. He did not shorten them over any shorter distance.”

Ibn Hazm said: “The distance between Medina and Khaybar is like that between Basra and al-Ahwāz: ninety-six miles.”

He said: “This is among the matters concerning which conflicting reports have been transmitted from Ibn ‘Umar, and also from Nāfi‘ reporting from Ibn ‘Umar.”

I say: This denial—that he did not shorten his prayers over any shorter distance—is unquestionably mistaken. This is not a report of a statement he made, such that one might say his considered judgment had changed. Rather, it denies that he shortened his prayers over any shorter distance.

(Yet authentic reports through Nāfi‘ and others establish that he did shorten his prayers over shorter distances. Thus, this may be an error. As for whoever narrated from Ayyūb—if it is assumed that Nāfi‘ narrated this, then, when relating it, he may have forgotten that Ibn ‘Umar shortened his prayers over shorter distances. For it is established through Nāfi‘ that he did so.)(*)