Abu Dawud

1209. Commentary:
This narration is not authentically established as marfu‘ (attributed directly to the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam); however, the practice of Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhuma is established.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
Hazrat Safiyyah bint Abu Ubayd radi Allahu anha is the respected wife of Hazrat Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu.
She lived during the time of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and also heard his speech.
➋
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah wants to clarify that in journeys such as jihad, etc., it is not blameworthy to hasten due to some expediency; such action depends on the circumstances. In any case, returning home quickly after completing one's task is among the etiquettes of travel, as is explicitly mentioned in the following hadith.

Hadith Commentary:
This is because Islam is entirely a religion of nature (fitrah). In life, there often come such occasions when a person is completely compelled and unable to perform the prayer (salah) at its appointed time. In such a situation, the concession has been given that two prayers may be combined and performed together: the later prayer, for example, ‘Isha, may be combined with the earlier one, i.e., Maghrib, or the earlier prayer may be delayed and combined with the later one, i.e., ‘Isha. Both options are permissible, but only in a state of severe necessity. Otherwise, it is obligatory to perform the prayer at its prescribed time.

The command of Allah is:
﴿إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا﴾
“Indeed, the prayer has been decreed upon the believers at prescribed times.”
Performing the prayer on time has been made obligatory for the people of faith.

In matters and rulings related to Hajj, it was necessary to shed light on the etiquettes of travel.
Since in Hajj, from beginning to end, one is faced with travel, even though travel is a portion of hardship, it is also a means to success, as is the case with Hajj.
If this is accepted by Allah, the pilgrim returns home from this journey in such a state as if he has just been born from his mother’s womb.
It is the blessing of this journey that the great treasure of Allah’s forgiveness is attained. In any case, the foremost etiquette of travel is the safeguarding of the obligatory prayer.

Thus, it is the true good fortune of every Muslim that he performs the prayer in every place, whether traveling or resident, with its proper etiquettes and conditions. Along with this, Islam has provided many concessions in this regard so that the obligation can be easily fulfilled in every situation, whether traveling or at home. For example, ablution (wudu) is obligatory for every prayer, but if water is not available, then dry ablution (tayammum) with earth may be performed. The entire earth has been made a place of worship for Muslims, so that wherever the time for prayer comes, they may perform it right there—whether in rivers, on mountain peaks, in vast deserts, or on every inch of the earth, prayer can be performed. And this concession has also been given, to which the absolute mujtahid, Imam al-Bukhari rahimahullah, has alluded in the chapter, that a traveler, even if he is traveling for Hajj, may combine two prayers and perform them together, as is mentioned in the hadith of the chapter: when Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu heard news of his noble wife’s illness, he hastened his mount so that he could reach home as quickly as possible to tend to the sick. He also combined and performed Maghrib and ‘Isha prayers together. Along with this, it was also mentioned that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would also combine prayers in this manner while traveling.

In a religion that claims to remain universal until the Day of Judgment, the presence of such concessions was necessary.

Abdullah ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu needs no introduction.
For his exalted status, it is sufficient that he is the son of al-Faruq al-A‘zam, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab radi Allahu anhu. His noble wife, Safiyyah bint Abu ‘Ubayd, belonged to the Banu Thaqif. She met the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam and had the opportunity to hear his blessed words many times.
Her narrations are transmitted through ‘A’ishah radi Allahu anha and Hafsah radi Allahu anha, and Nafi‘, who was the freed slave of Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, narrates from him—may Allah be pleased with them all.

Hadith Commentary:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah seeks to establish the permissibility of traveling quickly when there is a need.

When Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu received news that his wife was gravely ill, he hastened his mount.

In the narration of Abu Dawud, it is mentioned that he covered a journey of three days in one day and one night.
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Salat al-Safar, Hadith: 1212)

In such circumstances, traveling quickly is permissible.

In summary, if there is a need to travel quickly and the mount has the strength for it, then hastening is permissible.

If there is no necessity and the animal cannot bear it, then hastening is prohibited.

And Allah knows best.

The objective of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is certainly not to establish the permissibility of combining two prayers, as some commentators of Bukhari have stated at this point; rather, he wishes to inform about the etiquettes of travel.

And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
The correspondence between the chapter and the hadith is evident.
The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed the three obligatory units (rak‘at) of the Maghrib prayer while on a journey.

Hadith Commentary:
The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is to clarify that in those narrations where the performance of two units (rak‘ahs) of prayer during travel is mentioned, the Maghrib prayer is an exception to this. It should be performed in full rather than shortened (qasr). There is consensus (ijma‘) of the scholars on this matter. Thus, when Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhu was asked about the prayer of a traveler, he replied:

“During travel, the prayer of a traveler is two rak‘ahs, except that Maghrib must be performed as three rak‘ahs.”
(Fath al-Bari: 2/739)

This is also evident from the practice of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, as is explicitly stated in the narration presented by the hadith narrator Layth, and in some chains of the first hadith as well, that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to perform three rak‘ahs for Maghrib.
(Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Taqsir, Hadith: 1108)

It is narrated from ‘Imran ibn Husayn radi Allahu anhu that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used to perform two rak‘ahs during travel, but Maghrib was not shortened to two rak‘ahs. Similarly, it is narrated from ‘Ali radi Allahu anhu that he said: I performed two rak‘ahs with the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam during travel, except that Maghrib was three rak‘ahs.
(Fath al-Bari: 2/740)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues: When a person is on a journey and, due to some necessity or reason, needs to complete the journey as quickly as possible, he can adopt three methods for performing the prayer:

➊ Advance Combination (Jam‘ Taqdim): He may perform two prayers—Dhuhr and ‘Asr—together at the time of Dhuhr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together at the time of Maghrib.

➋ Delayed Combination (Jam‘ Ta’khir): He may perform two prayers—Dhuhr and ‘Asr—together at the time of ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together at the time of ‘Isha’.

➌ He may perform Dhuhr and ‘Asr in such a way that he delays Dhuhr until its last time, so that upon completing it, the time for ‘Asr has begun. In this way, Dhuhr is performed at its last time, and ‘Asr is performed at the beginning of its time. However, both prayers are performed within their respective times. The same method is adopted for Maghrib and ‘Isha’: Maghrib is performed at its last time, and ‘Isha’ at the beginning of its time.

From the ahadith, the first two methods are established for travel. In both these cases, there is a real combination (jam‘ haqiqi), meaning that one prayer is performed in the time of the other.

And the three Imams—Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah, Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, and Imam Malik rahimahullah—are proponents of this.

However, according to the Hanafis, the first method is specific only to ‘Arafat with Dhuhr and ‘Asr, meaning that ‘Asr is performed at the time of Dhuhr, and the second method is specific to Muzdalifah with Maghrib and ‘Isha’, meaning that Maghrib is performed at the time of ‘Isha’. Apart from these two places, real combination (jam‘ haqiqi) is not permissible, and they interpret, without valid reason, the ahadith that indicate the permissibility of real combination.

English Commentary:
1:
Her name is Safiyyah bint Abi Ubayd.

2:
This is also the view of Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu and many other scholars: that combining two prayers is only permissible when a person is actually traveling and in a state of movement. If the traveler is staying somewhere (i.e., not on the move), then he should perform each prayer at its prescribed time, and caution also lies in this. However, it is established that during the stay at the plain of Tabuk, the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam combined the two prayers while in a state of residence, but this is interpreted as a statement of permissibility.

1217. Commentary:
The aforementioned narrations are evidence that the practice of Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma was after the “disappearance of the twilight” («جمع بين الصلواتين»). Contrary to what has been attributed to him later (in Sunan Abi Dawud, hadith [1212]), regarding combining the prayers before the “disappearance of the twilight,” which is not correct, as its clarification has already passed there.

1913. Commentary: According to the most authentic narrations, the sermon of ‘Arafat is before the prayer. (Sahih Muslim, Book of Hajj, Hadith 1218)

596. Commentary: In this narration, apparently the mention is of "apparent combining" (jam‘ suri), whereas in previous narrations it was of "delayed combining" (jam‘ ta’khir); thus, both are permissible. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has also interpreted these narrations as referring to multiple occurrences, meaning that sometimes the prayers were performed in the form of actual combining (jam‘ haqiqi) and sometimes in the form of apparent combining (jam‘ suri). Therefore, in this way, there remains no contradiction among the narrations. For details, see: [فتح الباري : 2؍750 ، 751 ، حدیث : 1109]

Also, some narrations indicate that the wife of Ibn ‘Umar radi Allahu anhuma was in Madinah while he himself was in Makkah, so in this way, it took three days to reach Madinah. And Allah knows best. For further details, see: [ذخیرة العقبٰی شرح سنن النسائي للإتیوبي : 7؍274]

589. Commentary: In this hadith, there is a possibility that Abdullah ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) performed the combining of prayers either by advancing (jama‘ taqdim), delaying (jama‘ ta’khir), or in a formal (apparent) manner (suri). All three possibilities exist. However, from hadith 592, it becomes clear that Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhuma) performed the combining by delaying (jama‘ ta’khir).

597. Commentary: See also Sunan an-Nasa'i, Hadith: 589.

600. Commentary: The aforementioned narration is authentic; however, the words of this narration «أَوْ حَزَبَهُ أَمْرٌ» "or some issue would trouble you" have been declared shaadh (anomalous) by the scholars of hadith. The researcher of the book has also indicated that this phrase has only been found here and not in any other place. See: [صحیح سنن النسائي للألباني ، حدیث : 598]

Takhrij al-Hadith: [وأخرجه مسلم 703، من حديث ما لك به]
Jurisprudential Points:
➊ It is permissible to combine two prayers during travel, for example, Maghrib and Isha or Dhuhr and Asr.
➋ For further benefits, see [موطأ امام مالك ح 488، 190، 109، 108، البخاري 4414، 139، ومسلم : 1280، 705، 2281]
➌ When the ruler would combine Maghrib and Isha prayers due to rain, Sayyiduna Abdullah ibn Umar radi Allahu anhuma would also combine with them. See [الموطا 145/1 ح 329 وسنده صحيح]
➍ The famous Tabi‘i and jurist of Madinah Tayyibah, Imam Salim ibn Abdullah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab rahimahullah, said regarding combining Dhuhr and Asr prayers during travel that there is no harm in it. al-kh [الموطا 145/1 ح 330 وسنده صحيح]

Benefit:
It is established from this hadith that it is permissible to combine two prayers due to travel. Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik radi Allahu anhu said that when the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam would begin a journey before the sun had passed its zenith, he would delay the Zuhr prayer until the time of Asr and then combine both prayers. And if the sun had already passed its zenith before the Prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam set out on his journey, he would perform the Zuhr prayer and then mount his ride. [صحيح البخاري : 1111ـ صـحيح مسلم : 704]

There are three well-known forms of combining (prayers): combining by delaying (jam‘ ta’khir), combining by advancing (jam‘ taqdim), and apparent combining (jam‘ suri); all three forms are permissible. Apparent combining (jam‘ suri) means to perform the Zuhr prayer at the end of its time and the Asr prayer at the beginning of its time. The evidence for its permissibility is found in [سنن ابي داود : 1212]. Furthermore, it is also permissible to combine prayers due to rain. [صحيح مسلم : 705 1636]