Fath al-Rabbani

Benefits: … The honored pilgrims will depart from Mina to Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah after sunrise. Upon reaching there, they will perform the standing (wuquf), and after the sun passes its zenith, at the earliest time for the Zuhr prayer, they will combine and shorten (qasr) the Zuhr and Asr prayers, then listen to the sermon, and then continue the standing until sunset. After sunset, they will proceed to Muzdalifah, where the Maghrib prayer will be performed together with the Isha prayer. Ibn al-Mundhir said: There is consensus and agreement among the scholars that the Imam and those praying behind him in Arafat will combine and shorten the Zuhr and Asr prayers. It is universally accepted that the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) combined and shortened the Zuhr and Asr prayers at Arafat during the time of Zuhr. The people of Makkah were also performing Hajj with him (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), and he did not instruct them to abandon combining the two prayers or shortening them. This supports the position of those who, without setting any limits, consider absolute travel as a cause for shortening (qasr) the prayer. However, in this matter, the Hanafis have adopted a peculiar stance, and the following different statements are heard from them regarding Arafat:

1. Whoever performs the Zuhr and Asr prayers with the Imam will combine and shorten them; otherwise, the full prayers will be performed at their respective times.
2. Whoever prays in the mosque will combine and shorten; otherwise, each prayer must be performed in full at its prescribed time.
3. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the Companions combined and shortened due to travel, but since we are residents (muqim) in Arafat, we will neither combine nor shorten.

To make distinctions for combining and shortening based on the Imam, mosque, individual, or non-mosque is such an unreasonable matter that perhaps it cannot be explained to anyone. It is accepted that the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) performed the prayer in congregation and observed both combining and shortening, but how does it necessarily follow from this that whoever does not join the congregation cannot shorten or combine the prayers? Since there was no mosque in existence at that time, to base the distinction of combining and shortening on the mosque also seems to be a self-invented matter. As for the last point, it is submitted that the Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), after arriving at his former city from Madinah Munawwarah, combined and shortened the prayers at Arafat, but when people from Pakistan and other countries go to Arafat for a day or half a day, they become residents (muqim). Subhan Allah!

What is even more astonishing is that when, on the same evening, the Maghrib and Isha prayers are combined and performed at Muzdalifah, all these points are forgotten. There is neither a congregational prayer at Muzdalifah, nor is there any mosque there. Moreover, the distance is even less, because Muzdalifah is closer to Makkah compared to Arafat.