Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Question:
When travelling I have heard that we can join Salatuz Zuhr with Salatul Asr and Salatul Maghrib with Salatul Isha, as well as only offering two rakah fardh, and not offering Sunnah. Is this correct, please? J
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
One should pray Salah at the prescribed times.
Allah (سبحانه و تعالى) says in the Quran:
إِنَّ الصَّلاَةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا ﴿١٠٣﴾
“Verily prayer has been ordained upon the believers at its appropriate time”. (Surah Nisa, Verse 103).
Sayyiduna Abdullah Bin Umar ( رضى الله عنهما ) reported:
ما رَأيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ صَلّى صَلاةً إلّا لِمِيقاتِها، إلّا صَلاتَيْنِ: صَلاةَ المَغْرِبِ والعِشاءِ بِجَمْعٍ، وصَلّى الفَجْرَ يَوْمَئِذٍ قَبْلَ مِيقاتِها
I have never seen Allah’s Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) but observing the prayers at their appointed times except for two players, sunset and Isha, at Muzdalifah (where he deferred the sunset prayer to combine it with Isha’ and he observed the dawn prayer before its stipulated time on that day (10th of Zul-Hijjah). 1
Also, Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Masud ( رضى الله عنه ) states:
«ما رَأيْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ صَلّى صَلاةً قَطُّ إلّا لِوَقْتِها، إلّا أنَّهُ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ والعَصْرِ بِعَرَفَةَ، والمَغْرِبِ والعِشاءِ بِجَمْعٍ».
“The Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) of Allah (عز و جل) combined two prayers whilst on a journey. He would combine Maghrib and Isha by delaying Maghrib until just before its expiry time and performing Isha immediately as its time entered”. 2
These Ahadith indicates that the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) never performed any Salah out of its time except on 2 occasions in His (صلى الله عليه وسلم) life.
It is not permissible to combine Salah with the exception of Arafah and Muzdalifah, because the timings of Salah have been prescribed undoubtedly. Hence, it is not permissible to take Salah out of its time. 3
Irrespective of one is travelling or not.
Therefore, Salah should not be performed out of the prescribed times and likewise, it should not be deemed as a Sunnah to do so.
In the aforementioned case, according to the Hanafi madhab, it would be permissible for a person to combine Zuhr and Asr prayers and Maghrib and Isha in a way that both are offered in their specified times.
Zuhr will be delayed till a short while before Asr starts and then one will pray Zuhr and by the time one is free from Salah, Tasbeeh, Zikr, dua etc, the time of Asr starts and one prays Asr at its beginning time.
The same scenario will follow with Maghrib and Isha as one will pray Maghrib close to the end time and will keep a gap between the two prayers until Isha starts and then pray Isha.
This is allowed as both prayers are performed in their times, which is a requirement for the validity of Salah.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Sahih Muslim, Hadith Number 1289, 938/2, Dar Ihyat Turath, Beirut, Lebanon. 1412 H.
2 Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, 4420, 551/2, Al-Maktabul Islami, Beirut, Lebanon, 1403 H.
3(ولا جمع بين فرضين في وقت بعذر) سفر ومطر خلافا للشافعي، وما رواه محمول على الجمع فعلا، لا وقتا (فإن جمع فسد لو قدم) الفرض على وقته (وحرم لو عكس) أي أخره عنه (وإن صح) بطريق القضاء (إلا لحاج بعرفة ومزدلفة) كما سيجئ.
Durrul Mukhtar, Haskafi, 55/1, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1423 H.
لا يَجُوزُ الجَمْعُ فِي غَيْرِ عَرَفَةَ ومُزْدَلِفَةَ؛ لِأنَّ أوْقاتَ الصَّلاةِ قَدْ ثَبَتَتْ بِلا خِلافٍ، ولا يَجُوزُ إخْراجُ صَلاةٍ عَنْ وقْتِها إلّا بِنَصٍّ غَيْرِ مُحْتَمَلٍ؛
Raddul Muhtar, Ibn Abidin, 382/1, Darul Fikr, Beirut, Lebanon, 1412 H.