Is it permissible to combine and shorten prayers during a four-day trip, including the days of arrival and departure? Is it permissible for someone residing in a new city for two years to shorten and combine prayers for the first three days (two days in a hotel and one day in a permanent house) before settling down? And how are prayers to be made up if that becomes necessary?

Whoever travels a permissible distance for shortening prayers (approximately 83 km) is permitted to shorten the four-rak'ah prayers and combine the prayers that share a time. Staying for four days (including the days of arrival and departure) does not break the journey. However, if the intention for residence is four days excluding the days of arrival and departure, or more (like two years), then one must pray the four-rak'ah prayers in full, and shortening or combining them is not permissible, and the journey is considered to have ended. Therefore, one must make up for the Dhuhr, Asr, and Isha prayers that were shortened in this case.