It is allowed for a person to combine the zuhr and 'asr salah, either during the
time of the earlier or the later salah, or the maghrib and 'isha prayers if he is
in one of the following circumstances:
The scholars are in agreement that one is to combine the zuhr and 'asr prayer during
the time of the zuhr prayer, at 'Arafa [during the performance of the pilgrimage],
and the maghrib and 'isha prayers during the time of the 'isha at muzdalifah, following
the example of the Prophet.
Most of the people of knowledge are of the opinion that it is permissible to combine
two prayers during the time of either one of them while traveling, regardless of
whether the person is actually on the road or has stopped at a place for some time.
Mu'azh reports that while the Prophet was at Tabuk and the sun had passed the meridian,
the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam combined the zuhr and 'asr prayers before
he started his journey. If he started his journey before the sun passed its meridian,
he would delay the zuhr prayer until the time when he stoppped for the 'asr prayer.
He would do likewise for the maghrib prayer. If the sun set before he began his
journey, he would combine the maghrib and 'isha prayers [at that time]. If he began
a journey before the sun had set, he would then combine them at the time of 'isha.
This is related by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmizhi who call it hasan.
Kuraib reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: "Shall I not inform you of the salah of the
Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam during a journey?" We said: "Certainly." He said:
"If the sun passed its meridian while he stopped, he would combine the zuhr and
'asr prayers before remounting [i.e., moving on]. If the sun had not passed its
meridian while he had stopped [i.e., before breaking camp], he would travel until
the time of the 'asr prayer and then he would combine the zuhr and 'asr prayers.
If the sun set while he had stopped, he would combine the magrib and 'isha prayers.
If that did not occur while he had stopped, he would ride until the 'isha time and
then combine them." This is related by Ahmad.
Ash-Shaf'i has something similar in his Musnad, namely that when he [the Prophet]
set out to travel before the sun passed its meridian, he delayed the zuhr prayer
and combine it with the 'asr during the time of the 'asr salah. Al-Baihaqi recorded
it with a good chain and he says: "To combine the two prayers due to traveling is
something that is well-known and was practiced by the companions of the Prophet
sallallahu alehi wasallam and those who followed them."
Imam Malik records in al-Muwatta' from Mu'azh that the Prophet sallallahu alehi
wasallam delayed his salah one day during the battle of Tabuk and then went and
prayed the zuhr and 'asr prayers together. Then he returned and went back again
and said the maghrib and 'isha prayers together.
Commenting on this report, ash-Shaf'i says: "His statement, 'then he returned and
left again,' only refers to a situation where the Prophet was staying in a certain
place [i.e., he was not traveling from one site to another] . "
Ibn Qudamah mentions the preceding hadith and writes in al-Mughni: "Ibn 'Abdul-Barr
said: 'That hadith is sahih and its chain is confirmed. The people who are familiar
with the life history of the Prophet say that the battle of Tabuk took place in
the ninth year of the hijrah. This hadith is a clear proof and the strongest evidence
against those who claim that one can only combine the prayers while one is actually
moving from one site to another as the Prophet was settled and was not traveling
since the Prophet was staying in his tent and would come out and combine two prayers
and then return to his tent. Muslim recorded this hadith in his Sahih and stated:
'He would pray the zuhr and 'asr together and the maghrib and 'isha together. One
must follow this hadith as it is confirmed [to be authentic] and it is a clear statement
on this rule and there is nothing which contradicts it. The permission to combine
the salah is a concession for anyone who is traveling but it is by no means confined
to just those times when the person is actually on the road [i.e., traveling from
one place to another]. The same is the case for shortening the salah and for wiping
over the socks, but it is best to delay it.'": Having the intention to combine is
not a condition for combining or shortening the salah. Ibn Taimiyyah holds: "That
is the position of the majority of the scholars. When the Prophet combined the salah
with his companions or shortened the salah with them, he never ordered any of them
to make the intention for combining or shortening the salah. In fact, when he left
Medinah for Makkah, he prayed two rak'at without combining the salah, and then he
prayed the zuhr prayer at 'Arafa without telling the people that he intended to
pray the 'asr right afterward, next he prayed the 'asr with them and they did not
have the intention to combine their prayers, and in that combination he prayed the
latter salah early. When he went from Medinah, he led the people in the 'asr salah
at Zhul-Halifah and he did not order them to make the intention to shorten the salah.":
Concerning offering the two combined prayers right after each other, Ibn Taimiyyah
writes: "The correct opinion is that it is not a necessary condition to do so under
any circumstances, neither during the time of the first salah nor during the time
of the latter salah. There is no such limit in the shari'ah and doing so would defeat
the purpose of the concession [i.e., permission to combine the two salah]." Ash-Shaf'i
says: "It is quite permissible for a person to pray the maghrib in his house with
the intention of combining the prayers and then go to the mosque to pray the 'isha."
A similar statement has been related from Ahmad.
Al-Athram records in his Sunnan that Abu Salamah ibn 'Abdurrahman said: "It is a
sunnah to combine the maghrib and 'isha prayers when it is raining." Al-Bukhari
records that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam combined the maghrib and 'isha
prayers on a rainy night.
A summary of the opinions of the different schools of fiqh on this point follows:
The Shaf'i school says that it is allowed for the resident to combine the zuhr and
'asr or the maghrib and 'isha, praying each pair in the time of the earlier salah
only, given that it is raining when one begins the earlier prayer and it is still
raining by the time one begins the second prayer.
According to the Maliki school, it is allowed to combine the maghrib and 'isha in
the mosque at the time of the maghrib due to rain or expected rain, if there is
mud and darkness along the way, or if there is a lot of mud and it prevents the
people from wearing their shoes. Nevertheless, he dislikes that the zuhr and 'asr
should be combined due to rain.
According to the Hanbali school, it is only allowed to combine the maghrib and 'isha
in the time of the former or the latter due to snow, ice, mud, severe cold, or rain
which soaks the clothes. This concession is allowed only for one who prays with
a congregation in the mosque and who comes from a distance over which he could be
harmed by the rain. However, for one who prays in a congregation in his house or
whose path to the mosque is covered or protected, or for one whose house is right
next to the mosque, it is not allowed to combine the salah.
Ahmad, Qadi Hussain, al-Khattabi, and al-Mutawali of the Shaf'i school are of the
opinion that it is allowed to combine two prayers, either during the time of the
earlier or later salah, due to illness as it is a greater hardship than rain. An-Nawawi
says: "This is a strong opinion based on [sound] evidence." In al-Mughni it is stated:
"The illness which permits one to combine the prayers is the one which would otherwise
cause hardship and more weakness [if he prayed each salah separately]."
The Hanbali school is the most accommodating as it allows one to combine the prayers,
at the time of the early or later salah, for one who is ill as well as for the woman
who is breast-feeding and will face hardship in cleaning her dress for every salah,
for the woman who is plagued by a prolonged flow of blood, for the person who cannot
control his urine, and for one who cannot purify himself or herself, and for the
one who fears for his life, property, or family.
Ibn Taimiyyah says: "Among the opinions the most accommodating on this question
is that of the Hanbali school which allows one to combine the prayers if he is busy
(since an-Nasa'i has related something to that effect from the Prophet sallallahu
alehi wasallam) and they also say that the cook and baker, and so forth., may also
combine their prayers if they fear their wealth (i.e., their investment or what
they are working on) will otherwise be ruined."
Imam an-Nawawi writes in his commentary on Sahih Muslim: "The majority of the scholars
are of the opinion that it is allowed for the resident to combine the prayers due
to some pressing need. This is the statement of Ibn Sireen and Ashhab from the companions
of Malik, and al-Khattabi records it from al-Qifal and ash-Shaf'i and from Abu Ishaq
al-Maruzi, and from a number of as-hab al-ahadith, and it is the conclusion of Ibn
al-Munzhir. This is supported by the statement of ibn 'Abbas: 'The Prophet combined
his salah because he did not want to put his ummah to hardship, and not because
of illness or any other reason."' The hadith from Ibn 'Abbas, mentioned previously,
has been recorded by Imam Muslim who states: "The Messenger of Allah combined the
zuhr and 'asr and then the maghrib and 'isha in Medinah without there being any
danger or rain." Ibn 'Abbas was asked: "What did he desire by that action?" He replied:
"He did not want any hardship for his ummah." Al-Bukhari and Muslim record from
him that the Prophet prayed seven rak'at and eight rak'at, i.e., the zuhr and 'asr
together and the maghrib and 'isha together, in Medinah. Muslim also records from
'Abdullah ibn Shaqiq that 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas addressed the people one day after
the 'asr salah until well after the sun had set and the stars began to appear. The
people said to him: "The prayer, the prayer." A man from the tribe of Taim continuously
repeated: "The prayer, the prayer." Ibn 'Abbas said: "Are you teaching me the sunnah?
May you have no mother." Then he said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah combine the
zuhr and 'asr and the maghrib and 'isha." 'Abdullah ibn Shaqiq commented: "I felt
some uneasiness in my heart about what he had said, so I went to Abu Hurairah to
ask him about that, and he confirmed what Ibn 'Abbas had said."
In al-Mughni it is stated: "If someone performs both prayers at the time of the
earlier salah and then his reason for doing so ceases to exist after he has completed
the salah and before the time of the next salah begins [i.e., the next salah being
the one which he had just prayed during the earlier time], then what he has done
is sufficient for him and he need not repeat the second salah at its proper time.
Since he performed the salah in a proper manner, he is free from any extra obligation
due to that action. He fulfilled his obligation during a circumstance in which he
had some legal excuse, and his action is not invalidated by the fact that this excuse
no longer exists. This is similar to the case of a person who performe tayammum,
and after he finishes his salah, he finds water."
A salah on a ship, train, plane, and so on, is valid and there is no dislike for
such an act as it makes life easier for the one performing it. Ibn 'Umar says: "I
asked the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam about salah on a ship and he said: 'Pray
standing upon them unless you fear that you will be drowned [i.e., the boat might
capsize]."' This is related by ad-Daraqutni and by al-Hakim. The later grades it
sahih according to the criteria of al-Bukhari and Muslim.
'Abdullah ibn Abi 'Utbah reports: "I accompanied Jabir ibn 'Abdullah and Abu Sa'id
al-Khudri and Abu Hurairah on a boat, and they prayed standing in a congregation,
with one of them as their imam, although they could have gone ashore [if they had
so desired]." This is related by Sa'id ibn Mansur.
It is preferred for the traveler to say, upon leaving his house: "In the name of
Allah, the Exalted! We have trusted in Allah. There is no power or might, save with
Allah. O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from being misguided and from misguiding others,
or that I stray from Your path or cause others to stray from Your path, or that
I am wronged or that I do wrong to others, or that I act foolishly or have someone
act foolishly with me."
Then, the person may say whatever he wishes of the supplications which have been
recorded from the Prophet, sallallahu alehi wasallam. Here are some of them:
'Ali ibn Rabi'ah narrates: "'Ali was brought a riding animal. When he put his foot
in the stirrup, he said: 'In the name of Allah.' Then, when he sat on it, he said:
'Praise be to Allah. Glory be to the One Who made this subservient to us for we
were not able to make [it subservient] and it is to our Lord that we will return.'
He then praised Allah three times and extolled His greatness three times and then
said: 'Glory be to You; there is no God but Thee. I have wronged my soul, so forgive
me. No one forgives sins, except You.' Then, he laughed. I said to him: 'Why do
you laugh, commander of the faithful?' He replied: 'I saw the Messenger of Allah
doing the same and then laughing. I asked him: "What makes you laugh, O Messenger
of Allah?" He said: "The Lord is pleased with His slave who says: 'O Lord, forgive
me,' and He says: 'My slave knows that no one forgives sins, save I.'" This is related
by Ahmad and Ibn Hibban, and by al-Hakim who says it is sahih according to the criteria
of Imam Muslim.
Al-'Azdi reports that Ibn 'Umar taught him that the Messenger of Allah would extol
Allah's greatness three times while seating himself on his camel for a journey.
Then he would say: "Glory be to the One who made this subservient to us for we were
not able [to make it subservient]. It is to our Lord that we shall return. O Allah,
we ask of Thee, in this journey of ours, righteousness and piety and to (be able
to) perform such deeds that are pleasing to You. O Allah, make this journey of ours
easy for us and make its length short for us. O Allah, companion on this journey
and the One who looks after our family and property in our absence. O Allah, I seek
refuge in Thee from the difficulty of traveling and the unhappiness in what I see
and in finding that something harmful has happened when I return to my property
and family."
When he would return from his journey he would add: "Returning [are we] repentant,
serving and praising our Lord." This is related by Ahmad and Muslim.
Ibn 'Abbas reports that when the Prophet desired to travel, he would say: "O Allah,
You are my companion in my travels and the One Who looks after my family [while
I am gone]. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from unworthy travel companions and an
unpleasant situation upon my return. O Allah, make the distance short for us and
the travel easy for us." When he desired to return, he would say: "We are returning,
[while] repenting to Allah, worshipping our Lord and praising Him." When he would
enter upon his family, he would say: "We are repenting to our Lord. We hope that
none of our sins would remain." This is related by Ahmad, at-Tabarani, and al-Bazzar
with a sahih chain.
'Abdullah ibn Sarjas reports that, when the Prophet had to travel, he would say:
"O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the difficulty of the journey, and sorrow on
return, and disorder after things are set right, from the cry of the oppressed,
and from seeing harm having come to our property and family."
And when he returned he would make a similar supplication, but instead of saying:
"from seeing harm having come to our property and family," he would mention family
first and then property. This is related by Ahmad and Muslim.
Ibn 'Umar reports that when the Prophet went out for a battle or a journey, and
night came upon him, he would say: "O Earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah. I seek
refuge in Allah from your evil and the evil of what is on you and the evil of what
has been created upon you and the evil of what walks upon you. I seek refuge in
Allah from lions and large black snakes, and from snakes and scorpions, and from
the evil or all that inhabit the land, and the evil of a father and what he has
fathered." This is related by Ahmad and Abu Dawud.
Khaulah bint Hakim as-Sulimiyah reports that the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam
said: "Whoever stops at a stopping place should say: 'I seek refuge by the perfected
word of Allah. the Exalted, from the evil of what has been created,' then nothing
will harm him until he leaves that stopping place." This is related by the group,
save al-Bukhari and Abu Dawud.
'Ata ibn abi Marwan states from his father that Ka'b took an oath by the One who
opened up the sea for Moses that Suhaib related to him that whenever the Messenger
of Allah sallallahu alehi wasallam saw a city which he wished to enter, he would
say: "O Allah, Lord of the seven heavens and what they shade, Lord of the seven
earths and what they carry, Lord of the satans and those that they misguide, Lord
of the winds and what they blow away, I ask of You for the good of this city and
the good of its inhabitants and the good of what is in it. I seek refuge in You
from its evil and the evil of its inhabitants and the evil of what is in it." This
is related by an-Nasa'i, ibn Hibban, and al-Hakim who calls it sahih.
Ibn 'Umar says: "We would travel with the Messenger of Allah, and when he would
see the city that he wished to enter, he would say: 'O Allah, give us blessings
from what is in it,' three times. And, 'Allah, give us provisions from its harvest
and make us beloved to its inhabitants and make the pious people of its inhabitants
beloved to us." This is related by at-Tabarani in al-Ausat with a good chain.
'Aishah says: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah came to a place that he wished to
enter he would say: 'O Allah, I ask of you of the good of this place and the good
of what you have collected therein. O Allah, grant us provisions from its harvest
and protect us from its diseases. Make us beloved to its inhabitants and make the
pious people of its inhabitants beloved to us.' This is related by ibn as-Sani.
Abu Hurairah reports that when the Prophet sallallahu alehi wasallam was on a journey
and daybreak approached he would say: "Let one listen and witness the praise of
Allah and His good favor toward us. Our Lord, accompany us and show us favour [as
we] seek refuge in Allah from the hell-fire." This is related by Muslim.
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