✦ Ḥadīth:
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them both):
"The Messenger of Allah ﷺ combined Ẓuhr with ʿAṣr and Maghrib with ʿIshā’ in Madinah without fear or rain."
He was asked why the Prophet ﷺ did so, and he replied:
"The Prophet ﷺ intended to spare his Ummah from hardship."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 705]
Another narration adds:
"The Prophet ﷺ led us in combined prayers — Ẓuhr with ʿAṣr and Maghrib with ʿIshā’ — while there was neither fear, nor travel, nor rain."
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 705]
✦ Key Points:
➊ Combining prayers without fear or hardship is a Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ — done on occasion to ease difficulty for the Ummah.
➋ This practice demonstrates the flexibility and compassion within Islamic law. Islam is a religion that removes hardship (rafʿ al-ḥaraj), not imposes it.
➌ The Prophet ﷺ cared deeply for his Ummah’s ease in worship, and this concession shows his concern for facilitating obedience without burden.
➍ In difficult circumstances such as storm, rain, darkness, or mud, combining prayers is clearly allowed.
However, even in normal conditions, occasionally combining prayers to alleviate hardship is also permitted — though not as a regular practice.
