الحمد لله رب العالمين والصلوة والسلام على رسوله الأمين ، أما بعد :
It Is Permissible to Combine Two Prayers While Traveling
Allah the Exalted has made the five daily prayers obligatory upon every accountable person (human and jinn), as established by the widely transmitted (mutawatir) hadiths and the consensus of the Ummah. When the Prophet ﷺ sent Mu’adh bin Jabal to Yemen, he said:
إنك تقدم على قوم من أهل الكتاب فليكن أوّل ما تدعوهم إلى أن يوحدوا الله تعالى، فإذا عرفوا ذلك فأخبرهم أن الله فرض عليهم خمس صلوات في يومهم وليلتهم۔
You are going to a people from the People of the Book, so let the first thing you call them to be the affirmation of the Oneness of Allah. When they know that, inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them in their day and night.
Allah the Exalted says:
إِنَّ الصَّلوةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتبًا مَّوْقُوتًا
Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
From this general ruling are excluded those prayers whose combining, that is, performing one prayer together with another prayer, is established by authentic hadiths, such as:
combining Zuhr and Asr at Arafat, combining Maghrib and Isha at Muzdalifah, and combining two prayers while traveling, etc.
In this brief and comprehensive article, the presentation is of those hadiths and narrations from which the proof of combining two prayers while traveling is found.
❀Proof of General Combining of Prayers (Jam’ bayn al-Salatayn) While Traveling
➊ Nafi’ narrates that Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar said:
When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in a hurry during travel, he would combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers.
A narration with the same meaning is also found with the chain of Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar from his father.
➋ Sayyidna Abdullah bin Abbas narrates that when the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was traveling, he would combine Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha.
➌ Sayyidna Anas bin Malik narrates that the Prophet ﷺ, while traveling, would combine Maghrib and Isha.
Sayyidna Anas said:
When the Prophet ﷺ began travel before the sun had declined (passed the zenith), he would delay Zuhr until the time of Asr and combine the two prayers; and if the sun had declined before his journey, he would pray Zuhr and then mount his ride.
➍ Sayyidna Mu’adh bin Jabal narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, during the Battle of Tabuk, prayed Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha, combined.
The narrator asked his teacher: Why did he do this? He replied: He intended that his Ummah should not face hardship (difficulty).
➎ Umar bin Ali bin Abi Talib, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates that (Sayyidna) Ali, when he traveled at the time of sunset and the onset of darkness, would dismount and pray Maghrib, then eat his evening meal, then pray Isha. After that he would travel and say: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do likewise.
➏ Sayyida Aisha narrates that the Prophet ﷺ, while traveling, would delay Zuhr and hasten Asr, and delay Maghrib and hasten Isha.
❀Narrations of the Companions and Tabi’un
➊ When Sayyidna Abdullah bin Umar was in a hurry during travel, he would combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers after the twilight (shafaq) had disappeared.
When he was in a hurry (during travel), he would pray three rak’ahs of Maghrib and then give the salam, then after a short while the iqamah for Isha would be called, and he would pray two rak’ahs and give the salam. Between these two prayers, and after Isha until the middle of the night, he would not pray any other prayer.
Nafi’ narrates that Ibn Umar, when he traveled, would pray Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha, combined; he would delay one and hasten the other.
➋ Abu Uthman Abdurrahman bin al-Mahdi, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates that I and (Sayyidna) Sa’d bin Malik (Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him) were traveling together; we were in a hurry for Hajj, so we were combining the Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers. We would advance one and delay the other.
➌ Abdurrahman bin Yazid, may Allah have mercy on him, narrates that I was with (Sayyidna) Abdullah bin Mas’ud during Hajj; he would delay Zuhr and hasten Asr, delay Maghrib and hasten Isha, and pray the Fajr prayer in daylight.
Note
From the marfu’ hadiths and the majority of the narrations of the Companions and Tabi’un it is established that the Fajr prayer should be performed in darkness, and that this is the better practice.
➍ Sayyidna Abu Musa al-Ash’ari used to combine the Zuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha prayers, while traveling.
➎ The summary of one statement of Sayyidna Ibn Abbas is that if you are traveling, are far from your destination, and are also in a hurry, then you should combine (two prayers) and begin the journey.
➏ Abu al-Sha’tha Jabir bin Zayd, may Allah have mercy on him, used to combine two prayers while traveling.
➐ According to Ata bin Abi Rabah, there is no harm in delaying the Zuhr and Maghrib prayers while traveling.
➑ Imam Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri asked Salim bin Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah have mercy on him) about combining the Zuhr and Asr prayers while travelling, and he said: There is no harm in it.
➒ Zayd bin Aslam, Rabi’ah bin Abi Abd al-Rahman, Muhammad bin al-Munkadir and Abu al-Zinad (may Allah have mercy on them) would combine the Zuhr and Asr prayers (while travelling).
➓ When Sayyidina Usamah bin Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) was in a hurry, he would combine two prayers while travelling.
In the above report, Abu Usamah Hammad bin Usamah, the student of Sa’id bin Iyas al-Jurayri, heard from him before his (al-Jurayri’s) mixing (ikhtilat), as is shown by his narration from him in Sahih Muslim.
From the above narrations and the statements of the Companions and Successors, it is established that combining two prayers while travelling is permissible.
❀ Jam’ Ta’khir (Delaying Combination)
Jam’ ta’khir means that the Zuhr prayer is delayed and performed within the time of Asr, and the Asr prayer is then performed immediately after it or after some time.
➊ Sayyidina Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Prophet ﷺ set out before the sun declined, he would delay Zuhr until the time of Asr and then combine the two prayers.. etc.
➋ Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) combined the Maghrib and Isha prayers while travelling, performing them one hour after the disappearance of the twilight, and said that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to do likewise.
After the twilight disappeared, the stars had become clearly visible.
It is thus known that Jam’ ta’khir is permissible.
❀ Jam’ Taqdim (Advancing Combination)
➊ Imam Qutaybah bin Sa’id al-Thaqafi reports:
حدثنا ليث عن يزيد بن أبي حبيب عن أبي الطفيل عامر بن واثلة عن معاذ أن النبي كان في غزوة تبوك إذا ارتحل قبل زيغ الشمس أخر الظهر حتى يجمعها إلى العصر يصليها جميعًا ، و إذا ارتحل بعد زيغ الشمس صلّى الظهر والعصر جميعًا ثم سار.
Al-Layth (bin Sa’d) narrated to us from Yazid bin Abi Habib, from Abu al-Tufayl Amir bin Wathilah, from Mu’adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet ﷺ, during the Battle of Tabuk, when he set out before the sun declined, would delay Zuhr and combine it with Asr, performing both together; and if he set out after the sun had declined, he would perform Zuhr and Asr together and then set off.
All the narrators of this hadith are thiqah and saduq, and there is no harmful defect (illah qadihah) present. The following scholars have declared it sahih or hasan:
◈ al-Tirmidhi
After narrating this hadith, Imam al-Tirmidhi says:
وبهذا الحديث يقول الشافعي وأحمد وإسحاق يقولان : لا بأس أن يجمع بين الصلوتين فى السفر في وقت إحداهما
In accordance with this hadith, (Imam al-Shafi’i issued fatwas, Ahmad bin Hanbal) and Ishaq (bin Rahwayh) both said: It is permissible, while travelling, to combine two prayers in the time of either one of them (for example, Asr in the time of Zuhr and Zuhr in the time of Asr).
◈ Ibn Hibban
◈ Ibn al-Qayyim
Against them, Abu Hatim al-Razi declared it mu’allal (defective).
Abu Abdullah al-Hakim, refuting the defect, declared it shadh and mawdu’.
Against them, Abu Hatim al-Razi declared it mu’allal (defective).
To support the ruling of fabrication, al-Hakim reported from Abu al-Hasan Muhammad bin Musa bin Imran al-Faqih that Muhammad bin Ishaq bin Khuzaymah narrated to us, who said: I heard Salih bin Hafsawayh al-Nisaburi, who was a man of hadith, say: I heard Muhammad bin Isma’il al-Bukhari say: I said to Qutaybah bin Sa’id: With whom did you write this hadith? He said: With Khalid al-Mada’ini. Al-Bukhari said: Khalid al-Mada’ini used to write hadiths into the books of the muhaddithun and insert them.
The first narrator in this critical account, Muhammad bin Musa bin Imran al-Faqih al-Saydalani, was heedless (mughaffal) despite his understanding.
The second narrator in this account, Salih bin Hafsawayh, is unknown? Therefore this account is not established from Imam al-Bukhari at all, and to think that the trustworthy and retentive Imam Qutaybah bin Sa’id had Khalid al-Mada’ini (matruk) add to his book without his knowing is entirely rejected.
Conclusion
That the above hadith is sahih, and that Nimawi the Taqlidi’s saying in Athar al-Sunan that it is حدیث ضعیف جدا is wrong and baseless.
Note
All the narrators of the above report are thiqah.
In Sunan Abi Dawud there is no criticism of the narration reported by Imam Qutaybah; it only states that this hadith was narrated by Qutaybah alone. We submit that Qutaybah is thiqah thabt.
His narrations are found abundantly in the Sahihayn, so his sole narration (tafarrud) does not harm it in any significant way.
➋ From Sayyidina Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Jam’ taqdim during rain is also established, as will come next. (ان شاء اللہ) Analogizing from this, and keeping in view the hadith narrated by Imam Qutaybah, Jam’ taqdim is also permissible while travelling.
❀ Jam’ Suri (Apparent Combination)
Performing the Zuhr prayer at the end of its time and the Asr prayer at the beginning of its time is called Jam’ Suri. There is no difference of opinion regarding its permissibility.
From Sayyidina Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), evidence for Jam’ Suri is found both as a mawquf and as a marfu’ report.
Summary of the Research
That is: in travelling, all three forms of Jam’ bayn al-Salatayn: Jam’ ta’khir, Jam’ taqdim and Jam’ suri are permissible to act upon.
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked: Can two prayers be combined during travel and while at home, and how should they be combined? He said: The Zuhr should be delayed until the time of ‘Asr begins, then he should dismount and combine the two prayers; and similarly, Maghrib should be delayed. If he combines them by bringing forward (jam’ taqdim), then in my opinion there is no harm in it. Imam Ishaq ibn Rahwayh said: The matter is as Ahmad has said, except for the words “in my opinion”, meaning that this matter is definitely correct.
From the words “then he should dismount” it is known that the combining of two prayers is not connected to residence (hadar) but to travel (safar).
Imam al-Shafi’i (may Allah have mercy on him) also held the view that two prayers may be combined during travel.
❀ Combining two prayers in rain
It is narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ combined Zuhr with ‘Asr and Maghrib with ‘Isha’ in Madinah, without any fear and without rain. Ibn ‘Abbas was asked why he did so. He said: He intended that his Ummah should not face hardship.
From the meaning of this hadith it is known that combining two prayers in rain and in a state of fear is permissible; otherwise, what need was there to negate them in this narration?
➋ Imam Ayyub al-Sakhtiyani (may Allah have mercy on him), a narrator of one of the narrations in Sahih al-Bukhari, is of the view that it is possible the Prophet ﷺ combined prayers in rain.
➌ When the rulers combined the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers in rain, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) would combine them along with them.
It is narrated from Nafi’ that when our rulers delayed the Maghrib prayer on a rainy night and prayed the ‘Isha’ early before the twilight disappeared, Ibn ‘Umar would pray along with them, and he did not consider there to be any harm in it. I have seen al-Qasim (ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr) and Salim (ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar) pray along with them on such a night.
From this athar it is known that combining by bringing forward (jam’ taqdim) in rain is also permissible, because the time of ‘Isha’ does not enter before the twilight disappears.
➍ On a rainy night, Sa’id ibn al-Musayyab (may Allah have mercy on him) would combine the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers along with the rulers.
➎ Aban ibn ‘Uthman (ibn ‘Affan), ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, Abu Bakr ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman and Abu Salamah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman would combine the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers on a rainy night, and no one would reject this practice.
➏ Abu Mawdud ‘Abd al-Aziz ibn Abi Sulayman (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated that I combined the Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers with Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad on a rainy night.
Note
Some people continually combine two prayers at home (in their house, village or city) without any legitimate excuse. This practice is not proven from the Qur’an and Sunnah but is entirely contrary to them; therefore such matters should always be avoided.
From the statements of Ibn ‘Abbas and others, “He intended that his Ummah should not face hardship”, it is established that combining two prayers is permissible in a state of excuse, for the removal of hardship; otherwise, it is obligatory to pray each prayer at its own time.
وما علینا الا البلاغ
