He would begin shortening the prayer when he left Medina. Anas said: I prayed the Dhuhr prayer with the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, four rak'ahs in Medina and two rak'ahs at Dhu al-Hulayfah. [The hadith is] agreed upon. As for Abu Basrah, he did not eat until he had set off. His saying: "He did not pass the houses," means—and Allah knows best—that he did not go far from them, as evidenced by 'Ubayd's statement to him: "Do you not see the houses?" When this is established, it is permissible for him to shorten the prayer even if he is close to the houses. Ibn al-Mundhir said: Every scholar whose view we have preserved is in consensus that one who intends to travel may shorten the prayer once he leaves the houses of the village from which he is departing. It is narrated from Mujahid that he said: If you set out as a traveler, do not shorten the prayer during your day until nightfall, and if you return at night, do not shorten it during your night until you wake in the morning. Our evidence is the saying of Allah the Exalted: "And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer." And that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whenever he left Medina, would not exceed two rak'ahs until he returned to it. Regarding the hadith of Abu Basrah, 'Abd al-Rahman al-Hamdani said: We set out with 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, on his departure to Siffin, and I saw him praying two rak'ahs between the bridge and the bridge-arch of Kufa. Al-Bukhari said: 'Ali went out and shortened the prayer while he could still see the houses, and when he returned, it was said to him: "This is Kufa."