Residents of Makkah, when doing Hajj Ifraad, have to shorten the Thuhr, 'Asr, and Isha prayers, but they cannot combine the prayers during their stay in Mina; am I correct?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

The majority of the Muslim scholars held that it is impermissible for the residents of Makkah to shorten or combine the prayers during Hajj, whether at Mina or ‘Arafaat or elsewhere. Some scholars, though, held that it is allowable for them to shorten and combine the prayers.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

"The famous scholarly view of the Shaafi‘is, Maalikis, and Hanbalis is that the Makkan resident does not combine or shorten the prayers during Hajj because he is not traveling. The distance at which a traveler may shorten his prayers is approximately 83 km or more. It is known that ‘Arafaat, which is the farthest sacred site from Makkah, is not that far. Hence, Makkans do not combine nor shorten the prayers. Rather, they are required to perform the prayers in full and at their specified times whether in ‘Arafaat, Muzdalifah, or Mina.

Abu Haneefah on the other hand, held that the residents of Makkah are allowed to combine and shorten the prayers during Hajj. He said, 'The reason for combining and shortening the prayers is the ritual itself (Hajj) and not traveling; therefore, the residents of Makkah shorten the prayers even if they are in Mina, the closest sacred site to Makkah.'

However, the sound view in this regard is that shortening the prayers in Mina, ‘Arafaat, and Muzdalifah is because of traveling, not because of the ritual (Hajj). That said, traveling is not determined by the distance; rather, (it is determined) by the situation of the person in reference. If he leaves his house and makes preparations for it by carrying food and water, then he is regarded as a traveler. But if he leaves for a relatively short time by going out in the morning and returning in the evening, then he is not regarded as a traveler in terms of the relevant rulings.

Hence, we say that people at the time of the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, used to carry their provisions for Hajj, residents of Makkah and non-residents alike. This is why the residents of Makkah who joined the Messenger, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, in the Farewell Hajj shortened and combined the prayers, following his practice. He, sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, did not say, 'O people of Makkah! Perform prayers in full.'

This is the preponderant view in this regard, and it was adopted by Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah .

However, we need to consider the fact that Mina has become a district of Makkah nowadays, and one can easily go from Makkah to Mina as fast as he would go to ‘Azeeziyyah; rather, some of the people of the eastern part of ‘Azeeziyyah district may be farther away than those of Mina. Therefore, I believe that it is more prudent for the residents of Makkah to refrain from shortening the prayers in Mina." [Liqaa' Al-Baab Al-Maftooh]

Based on the above, the distinction made by the dear questioner between the permissibility of shortening and combining the prayers for the pilgrims in Mina is not correct. There is also no distinction between the resident of Makkah who is performing Hajj Ifraad or Hajj Tamattu‘ in this regard. The pilgrim is entitled to follow either of the two scholarly views in this regard, namely to combine and shorten the prayers in Mina following the Hanafi view and the researching scholars after him, or the view of the majority of scholars that says that the residents of Makkah are obliged to perform the prayers in full without combining in Mina.

Allah knows best.