Is a student who travels on Friday evening from his city to Riyadh for studies and returns on Monday afternoon to his family considered a traveler, such that the rulings of shortening and combining prayers apply to him?
The student traveler is undoubtedly a traveler as long as he has not taken the country of study as his homeland and has not intended absolute residency there, but rather his residency is for the purpose of study. He must attend congregational prayers as long as he is in a country where they are established. Friday prayer is obligatory for him if he hears the call to prayer, but if he misses the prayer or is in a place far from the mosques, then he prays the four-rak'ah prayer as two rak'ahs.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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