Under what circumstances can I COMBINE my Prayers

by Asma bint Shameem

ANSWER

Combining prayers without any valid reason is of course NOT allowed. 

Each prayer has to be prayed at its own time. 

🍃Allaah says:

“Verily, the prayer is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours.” 

(Surah an-Nisaa:103)

🍃And Umar ibn al-Khattaab radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“Putting prayers together without any excuse is a major sin.” 

(Ibn Abi Shaybah 2/346)

However if there’s a shar’ee REASON to combine the prayers, then it’s allowed to do so.

The Sharee’ah allows us to combine prayers in the following situations:

1. During travel

📌 Proof:

🍃 Mu’aadh radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“We went out with the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ on the campaign of Tabook, and he used to pray Dhuhr and ‘Asr together, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together. (Saheeh Muslim)

2. During RAIN or severe weather or SICKNESS, FEAR or ANY other HARDSHIP that makes it difficult to pray each prayer on its own time. 

📌 Proof:

🍃 Ibn Abbaas radhi Allaahu anhu said:

“The Messenger of Allaah ﷺ put together Dhuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’, when there was no fear and he was not traveling and it was not raining 

They asked:

What made him do that? 

He said: 

“He wanted not to make things difficult for his ummah.” (Muslim)

🍃Also the Prophet ﷺ granted a concession to the woman who suffered from istihaadah (non-menstrual bleeding), and he allowed her to join the prayers.” (Abu Dawood and al-Tirmidhi -hasan by al-Albaani) 

🍃 Ibn Qudaamah said:

“Abaan ibn ‘Uthmaan radhi Allaahu anhu joined Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’ on RAINY nights, when there was a group of senior scholars from among the Taabi’een, and it is not known that any of them objected, so that meant there was consensus.” 

(al-Mughni)

🍃 The scholars of the Standing Committee said:

“It is also allowed for a person who is very sick to join Dhuhr and ‘Asr at the time of either of them, depending on what is easier for him, and he can join Maghrib and ‘Isha’ likewise, so as to avoid hardship.” (Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhoot al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 8/135)

🔺 CAUTION!

Do keep in mind that it’s allowed to combine the prayers ONLY IF there’s some kind of GENUINE difficulty. 

The difficulty must be REAL in order for us to combine the prayers. 

For example, a woman experiencing Istihaadhah or a person with urinary incontinence/catheter or the one who passes continuous wind or a doctor in the middle of his surgery who cannot leave his patient for prayer, a soldier at an army post, a security guard, or you’re at the airport of your home town about to take off, or you’re in the middle of an important exam, etc. 

Such people have a VALID EXCUSE and may combine prayers IF it’s impossible for them to pray on time.  

But we can NOT combine prayers just because of ‘laziness’ or ‘convenience’ or just because we’re out ‘shopping’, or sitting at a restaurant or at a wedding or too ‘tired‘ or some other non-shar’ee excuse. 

NOR can we take this concession of combining as a HABIT. 

That’s NOT what the hadeeth is about. 

Rather there has to be a “TRUE” difficulty in order to combine the prayers. 

🍃 Ibn Taimiyyah said regarding this:

“Ibn Abbaas was not traveling nor was there any rain, but he mentioned this narration as justification for combining his prayers. 

He knew that there was no rain, but Ibn Abbaas was involved in something IMPORTANT for the Muslims as he was teaching the people what they needed to know about their religion and he believed that if he stopped at that time and came down from the pulpit, the opportunity would be lost. 

He deemed that the activity he was engaged in permitted him to combine prayers as the Prophet ﷺ combined prayers in Madinah without there being fear or rain but for some other NECESSITY…

All the hadeeth indicate that he combined prayers to make things easy for his people. 

Therefore, combining prayers is permissible if otherwise there would be some HARDSHIP that Allaah had lifted from His nation. 

Combining prayers due to debilitating illness is all the more permissible. 

The same applies to the one who cannot maintain his purity for two prayers, like the woman whose bleeding continues past her menstrual cycle and the like. 

At the same time, we have a saying from `Umar b. al-Khattāb that combining of two prayers without an excuse is one the grievous sins."

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawaa)

🍃 Sheikh Sulaymaan al-‘Isaa said:

“The saying of Ibn Taymiyyah on this issue is correct in my opinion. 

It is permissible to combine between prayers for a VALID REASON, but this should not be taken as a HABIT. 

Whoever combines prayers without a valid reason and continues to do on the basis of Ibn Abbaas' hadeeth has violated the Sunnah of our Prophet ﷺ and gone against his guidance.”

🍃 Shaikh Ibn Baaz said: 

“The correct way to interpret the hadeeth mentioned is that he ﷺ put together the prayers mentioned because of some DIFFICULTY that occurred on that day, such as widespread sickness, severe cold or mud and the like. 

This is indicated by the fact that when he was asked about this putting the prayers together, Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “so that he would not make things difficult for his ummah.” 

This is a clear answer which indicates that there was an EXCUSE.” 

[Fath al-Baari (2/24)]

So as you can see from the above statements of the scholars, you cannot combine your prayers for “slight inconveniences”. 

Rather the hardship must be “real”. 

🔺HOW to COMBINE the prayers ?

The ONLY prayers we’re allowed to combine are Dhuhr with Asr 

And Maghrib with Ishaa. 

We cannot combine any other prayer. 

So for example we cannot combine Ishaa with Fajr. 

Or we cannot combine Fajr with Dhuhr. 

Or Asr with Maghrib. 

We can ONLY combine Dhuhr with Asr. 

And Maghrib with Ishaa. 

🔺WHY this combination ONLY ?

Thats because this is what the Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam did and taught us to do. 

📌 Proof:

🍃 Mu’aadh radhi Allaahu anhu said: 

“We went out with the Messenger of Allaah ﷺ on the campaign of Tabook, and he used to pray Dhuhr and ‘Asr together, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’ together. (Saheeh Muslim)

Remember, ALL acts of Ibaadah HAVE to have PROOFS from the Qur’aan and/or authentic ahaadeeth. 

And since we have proof for 

combining prayers in THIS COMBINATION ONLY, we will pray this way ONLY as well. 

🔺HOW TO PRAY  ?

We are allowed to combine  Dhuhr with Asr, in two ways;

1. Combine and pray at the EARLY TIME 

We can combine Dhuhr with Asr at the time of DHUHR (and it doesn’t matter if Asr time hasn’t started yet)

OR 

2. Combine and pray at the LATER TIME 

We may DELAY Dhuhr and combine it with Asr at the time of ASR. 

And it doesn’t matter if you didn’t pray Dhuhr at it’s time. Your Dhuhr prayer is NOT counted as ‘qadha’ or ‘late’. 

SIMILARLY, it’s allowed that we MAY combine Maghrib with Ishaa if that’s easier. 

So we may combine Maghrib with Ishaa in two ways;

1. Combine and pray at the EARLY TIME 

Here we can pray Maghrib with Ishaa at the time of MAGHRIB (and it doesn’t matter if Ishaa time hasn’t started yet)

OR 

2. Combine and pray at the LATER TIME 

So we may DELAY Maghrib and pray it with Ishaa at the time of ISHAA’. 

And it doesn’t matter if you didn’t pray Maghrib at it’s time.  

Your Maghrib is NOT counted as ‘qadha’ or ‘late’. 

🔺Important point

Do keep in mind that we have to pray the FULL prayer, meaning FOUR rak’aat if we’re combining the prayers due to hardship EXCEPT when we’re traveling. 

The only time when we may COMBINE and also SHORTEN our prayer, is during TRAVEL. 

May Allaah enable us to be of those who strictly guard their prayers at ALL times. 

And Allaah knows best