What is the method for combining and shortening prayers (Salat al-Jam' wa al-Qasr) while traveling to visit relatives for a week in a country where the traveler owns a house, and does this intention negate the conditions of travel, making him a resident?

For a prayer to be shortened (qasr), the distance must be 83 kilometers and the journey must be lawful. The shortening of prayer ceases upon the traveler's arrival at his homeland, or a place where he has a cohabiting wife, or if he intends to stay for four days or more. It is permissible for a traveler to combine two prayers in all circumstances, whether he is actively traveling or not, based on the hadith of Mu'adh in Sahih Muslim. However, if you intend to stay for four days or more, you are not permitted to avail yourself of the travel concessions of shortening and combining prayers.