Is it permissible for a university student to shorten and combine prayers if her university is 27 km away from her residence, relying on an opinion that permits shortening when the city's landmarks are out of sight and the distance is three farsakhs? And what is incumbent upon her if she has been shortening prayers for two years based on this opinion?

The shortening of prayer begins when one leaves the inhabited area. The distance at which prayer may be shortened is four burud (approximately 83 kilometers), and this is the view of the majority of the Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools. Some of the early Muslims held the opinion that it is permissible to shorten prayer for a shorter distance than that. As for the prayers you have already performed, there is no need for you to repeat them, even if you followed a less favored opinion, due to the hardship of making them up. For future prayers, do not shorten them unless the recognized distance is met. You may follow the opinion of any knowledgeable scholar whom you trust.