truth in them given the disagreement. It has been narrated from Ibn 'Abbas and Ibn 'Umar that which contradicts what our companions used as evidence. Furthermore, if that were not found, there would be no evidence in their statements alongside the statement and action of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). And since their statements are not definitively established, it is impossible to resort to the estimation they have mentioned for two reasons: First, it contradicts the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) that we have narrated, and the literal meaning of the Qur'an; for its literal meaning is the permissibility of shortening [the prayer] for anyone who travels in the land, based on His saying, the Exalted: {And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer}. The condition of fear has been abrogated by the aforementioned report from Ya'la ibn Umayyah, so the literal meaning of the verse remains applicable to every journey in the land. The statement of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace): "The traveler may wipe [the khuffayn] for three days" (21) was stated to clarify the maximum duration for wiping, so it is not valid to use it as evidence here. Furthermore, it is possible for him to complete the short distance in three days, and the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) has called it a journey, saying: "It is not permissible for a woman who believes in Allah and the Last Day to travel the distance of a day except with a mahram" (22). Second, the nature of estimation is tawqif (revelatory instruction), so it is not permissible to resort to it through mere opinion, especially since it has no foundation to refer back to, nor a parallel to be compared to. The evidence supports the one who permits shortening for every traveler, unless there is a consensus to the contrary.

Section: If one is on a ship at sea, it is like being on land. If the distance of his journey reaches the distance required for shortening, it is permitted for him; otherwise, it is not. This is regardless of whether he covers it in a long or short time, as the consideration is given to the distance. If one is in doubt whether the journey permits shortening or not, it is not permitted for him; because the original principle is the obligation of performing the full prayer, which is not removed by doubt. If he shortens it, his prayer is not valid, even if it becomes clear to him afterward that it is a long distance; because he performed the prayer while in doubt regarding the validity of his prayer, thus it is analogous to someone who prays while in doubt about whether the time [of prayer] has entered.