حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ عَنْ أَبِي إِسْحَاقَ عَنْ أَبِي السَّفَرِ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ شُفَيٍّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ جَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَسْأَلُونَهُ عَنْ الصَّلَاةِ فِي السَّفَرِ فَقَالَ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذَا خَرَجَ مِنْ أَهْلِهِ لَمْ يُصَلِّ إِلَّا رَكْعَتَيْنِ حَتَّى يَرْجِعَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 2159
It was narrated that Ibn 'Abbas (RA) said: The people started asking about prayer when travelling. He said: When the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) departed from his family, he would only pray two rak'ahs [in a prescribed four rak'ah] prayer until he came back to his family.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020