Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamu Alaikum,

On Qasr prayer (when travelling), can you combine your prayers? I have read on some sites that you can't (I know you can read at the end of one prayer time and beginning of the next so it seems combined) but I am certain I have read Fiqh that says you can combine Zuhr-Asr and Maghrib-Isha during Qasr prayers. Please confirm (and from what madhab)

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Combine prayers traveling Qasr

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Hadrat Mu'adh (r.a.) reports that while the Prophet (saws) was at Tabuk and the sun had passed the meridian, the Prophet (saws) combined the shortened zuhr and 'asr prayers before he started his journey. If he (saws) started his journey before the sun passed its meridian, he would delay the zuhr prayer until the time when he stopped for the 'asr prayer. He (saws) would do likewise for the maghrib prayer. If the sun set before he began his journey, he (saws) would combine the shortened maghrib and his 'isha prayers. If he (saws) began a journey before the sun had set, he (saws) would delay the magrib and then combine them at the time of 'isha.

Related by Abu Dawud and at-Tirmidhi.

Kuraib reported that Ibn 'Abbas said: "Shall I not inform you of the salah of the Prophet (saws) during a journey?" We said: "Certainly." He said: "If the sun passed its meridian while he stopped, he (saws) would combine the (shortened) zuhr and 'asr prayers before remounting [i.e., moving on]. If the sun had not passed its meridian while he (saws) had stopped [i.e., before breaking camp], he (saws) would travel until the time of the 'asr prayer and then he would combine the (shortened) zuhr and 'asr prayers. If the sun set while he had stopped, he would combine the (shortened) magrib and 'isha prayers. If the sun had not set while he (saws) had stopped, he (saws) would ride until the 'isha time and then combine them."

Related by Ahmad.

The scholars of the major schools of thought are unanimous in their opinion that it is absolutely permissible to combine two prayers (dhuhr/asr and magrib/isha) during the time of either one of them while traveling, regardless of whether the person is actually on the road or has stopped at a place for some time.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan