As Anas ibn Malik (may Allāh be pleased with him) reported: when the Prophet ﷺ left Madinah for the Farewell Pilgrimage, “He continued to shorten his prayers un

If one were to argue that both completing and shortening prayers are permissible, which would be preferable: the one that shortens and thus constitutes half of the prayer, or the one that completes it fully? There is no doubt that, on this premise, a four-unit prayer would be better than a two-unit prayer because they share, first, the permissibility, and second, the four-unit prayer includes two extra rak‘ahs, with recitation, standing, bowing, prostration, and remembrance of Allāh, Lord of the worlds. But was the Prophet ﷺ austere in worship, performing only the minimum as we do, or did he pray at night until his feet cracked? People once said to him ﷺ: “Allāh has forgiven your past and future sins,” as if to say: “Take care of yourself, Messenger, and show compassion for your body; you have achieved what you sought from your Lord,” referring to the Āyah: “Indeed, We have given you a clear victory so that Allāh may forgive you your past and future sins.” How did the Prophet ﷺ respond? He said: “Should I not be a grateful servant?” If this was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ in matters that were not obligatory upon him, then consider the obligatory prayers: he was required to perform five daily prayers, and the preferable practice was to complete them fully rather than shorten them. How, then, could the Prophet ﷺ—who is the master of those most diligent in worship—limit himself to only two rak‘ahs without adding more? This confirms that the obligatory portion of the prayer while travelling is two rak‘ahs. If adding extra rak‘ahs were permissible, such an addition would not merely be allowed; it would also be recommended. The Prophet’s ﷺ deliberate avoidance of extra rak‘ahs throughout his travels alone is sufficient evidence to establish that adding to the prayer beyond the two rak‘ahs while traveling is not acceptable. For this reason, Imam An-Nasā’i narrated in his Sunan, on the authority of ‘Abdurrahman ibn ‘Awf, both as a marfū‘ and mawqūf report: “Whoever completes his prayer while travelling is like one who shortens it while staying home.” However, scholars of hadith generally consider this report to be mawqūf on ‘Abdurrahman and not authentically attributable to the Prophet ﷺ. Nevertheless, is it not sufficient evidence that one of the ten companions promised Paradise stated that completing prayer while travelling is equivalent, in terms of disobedience, to shortening it while at home? Both are impermissible. Therefore, it is firmly established that shortening the prayer while travelling is an obligation (‘azimah), and a Muslim may not complete the prayer fully. The Prophet ﷺ commanded shortening and consistently practiced it; he never performed the full prayer during any journey he undertook. Source: https://www.al-albany.com/audios/content/7090/%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%81%D8%B1-%D8%B9%D8%B2%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A3%D9%85-%D8%B1%D8%AE%D8%B5%D8%A9