Shortening the Prayer

Question: When I am travelling a distance that allows the shortening of the prayer, and on my way back to the place where I live—about ten or twenty kilometres before reaching it—the time for a four-rakʿah prayer begins, am I allowed to shorten and combine, to shorten only, or to do neither?

Answer: Shortening is permissible, for your journey has not yet ended. As long as you have not entered the town from which you departed, you are still considered a traveller until you actually enter your town, whether the remaining distance is twenty kilometres, more, or less.

Question: Even if I will still be within the prayer time?

Answer: You may shorten as long as you remain outside the town and are still on the road. As for combining, there is no need for it; rather, perform the current prayer at its time, shortened, and leave the next prayer until its own time after you arrive.

Question: Concerning shortening, do I still shorten even though I will reach the city during the prayer time?

Answer: Yes. If the prayer time begins while you are still on the road, you shorten the prayer and may also break your fast in Ramadan, because the rulings of travel continue to apply until you enter the town where you intend to reside.

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Question: I have left my hometown and taken up permanent residence in another city that is a distance permitting the shortening of the prayer. If I wish to visit my original area for a brief stay not exceeding four days, may I shorten the prayers during this short visit to my hometown, given that I intend to return afterwards to the place where I live and work?