Is it permissible for her husband to combine and shorten the Maghrib and Isha prayers in Jeddah or Taif, if he will return to Makkah before Fajr?

It is sunnah for the traveler to shorten and combine prayers. The jurists have differed regarding the distance of travel that permits concessions, and the fatwa adopted by us is that it is four burud (83 kilometers).

Based on this, the distance between Makkah and Ta'if is a distance that permits shortening prayers, so it is permissible for you to shorten and combine prayers there, unless you intend to reside for four days or more.

As for the distance between Makkah and Jeddah, it is not currently considered a distance that permits shortening prayers due to the continuous urban development between them, even according to those who define travel by distance, as it is now approximately fifty kilometers. Therefore, it is not permissible to shorten or combine prayers when going to Jeddah, and this is the fatwa adopted by us, and it is the more cautious approach.

Some scholars have held that the criterion for defining travel is based on custom. If going from Makkah to Jeddah is customarily considered travel, then shortening prayers would be permissible at that time.