Another view is that prayers may be shortened in all such cases. A third is that they may be shortened only when travelling to the grave of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. A fourth is that they may be shortened only when travelling to his honoured grave and the graves of other prophets, but not those of righteous people.

Those who made an exception for the grave of our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, have two grounds for their position:

The first—and it is the correct one—is that the prescribed journey to him is the journey to his mosque. Prayers may be shortened on this journey by the consensus of the Muslims. These scholars considered the journey in general, without distinguishing between one intention and another, since Muslims generally will inevitably pray in his mosque. Thus, whoever travels to his honoured grave has also travelled to his mosque of special merit.

Likewise, some followers of al-Shāfiʿī said that whoever vows to visit the grave of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is to fulfil his vow; whereas, if he vows to visit someone else’s grave, there are two views. Similarly, many scholars speak without qualification of travelling to his honoured grave. They understand this to include travelling to his mosque, since every Muslim who comes to the honoured chamber will inevitably pray in his mosque. In their view, the two are inseparable.

Some of these scholars say that a Muslim will necessarily intend, from the outset of his journey, to pray in his mosque. The prescribed journey is therefore necessarily involved, and these people have not travelled solely for the grave.

Others say that travelling solely to visit the grave is permissible. They supposed that the exception was not based on something unique to him, but on his being a prophet. They therefore held that prayers may be shortened when travelling to the graves of prophets, but not to those of anyone else.

The reality is that praying in his mosque is necessarily part of this journey