Answered by Shaykh Abu Usamah
I thought that if a person intended to stay somewhere for more than four days, he was a resident (non-traveler). Now I have learned that he must intend fifteen days. So for the past five months, I have considered myself a traveler when I was a resident, and a resident when I was a traveler, and I have been praying accordingly.
Al-Salam `Alaykum
There seems to be some confusion.
Becoming a resident at a place is based on intention. Thus if a person arrives at a place and intends to stay there for more than fifteen days, he will immediately become a resident and will remain such until he leave that place – even if he leaves before the expiry of fifteen days.
In your case there are a few possibilities:
i) your parents home is your home and you are temporarily residing elsewhere during the week
ii) or you have decided to live in two places (i.e. both places are your hometown.)
iii) you have made your new residence your home and you visit your parents’ home on the weekends
In case i) your parents’ home remains your home and you are a resident there. At your apartment you will be a traveler if it is in a different city and the distance between the borders of the two cities is 77km or more – unless you intend to stay there for 15 days.
In case ii) you are a resident in both places
In case iii) you are resident at your apartment only.
Allah Ta`ala Knows best.
Abu Usama Durban
South Africa