Do the rulings on travellers apply to one who intends to stay for three days?
Question

                I am going to travel for ‘Umrah for a short time – three days. Do the rulings on travellers apply to me, and can I shorten my prayers during my stay in Makkah?.
Praise be to Allah.
    The scholars differed concerning the length of time during 
    which, if a traveller stays in a place, he may shorten his prayers. Shaykh 
    Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said: 

    This is one of the issues concerning which the scholars 
    differed, and there are more then twenty different scholarly opinions. The 
    reason for that is that there is no definitive evidence that would dispel 
    confusion. Hence the views of the scholars differed. I will mention the 
    views of the main madhhabs: 

    1 – The view of the Hanbalis (may Allaah have mercy on them) 
    is that if a person intends to stay for more than four days, the ruling on 
    travel no longer applies to him and he must offer the prayers in full. 

    2 – The view of al-Shaafa’i and Maalik is that if he intends 
    to stay for four days or more, then he must offer the prayers in full, but 
    the day of arrival and the day of departure are not included in that. Based 
    on that, the total number of days during which one may shorten prayers is 
    six days: the day of arrival, the day of departure, and the four days in 
    between. 

    3 – The view of Abu Haneefah is that if he intends to stay 
    for more than fifteen days he should offer the prayers in full, and if he 
    intends to stay for a shorter time then he may shorten his prayers. 

    Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/545 

    So it is clear that the views of the main madhhabs are agreed 
    that it is permissible to shorten one’s prayers if one intends to stay for 
    three days or less. 

    See al-Majmoo’, 3/171; Bidaayat al-Mujtahid, 
    1/168. 
Al-Haafiz ibn Hajar said 
    in his commentary on the hadeeth of al-‘Ala’ ibn al-Hadrami, according to 
    which the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: 
    “Three days for the muhaajir after returning from Mina.”  (Narrated by 
    al-Bukhaari, 3933 and Muslim, 1352): 

    What this hadeeth refers to is that staying Makkah was 
    forbidden to one who had migrated therefrom before the Conquest, but it was 
    permitted to those who went there for Hajj or ‘Umrah to stay after 
    completing the rituals (of Hajj or ‘Umrah) for three days and no more. It 
    was understood from this that if a person stays for three days, the rulings 
    on travellers still apply to him. 

    Fath al-Baari, 7/267. 
If your stay is not 
    going to exceed three days, then you can avail yourself of the concession 
    granted to travellers according to the four madhhabs. And Allaah knows 
    best. 

    See also question no. 
    21091.