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,

I read your answer to the question: Why combine 5 times prayers to 3 times? at

http://www.islamhelpline.com/view_answers.asp?QAID=4369 and I noticed that your answer was full of mistakes and ignorance. I don`t want to accuse you of lying because I don`t know what is in your heart, but you are surely an ignorant and you should stop giving fatawa out of ignorance because this would lead you to hell fire.

Regarding combining the prayers, it was the messenger of Allah who allowed and he practiced it himself.

Please check the following references from Sunnis sources:

Ibn Abbas reported that the messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him) combined the noon prayer with the afternoon prayer and the sunset prayer with the Isha prayer in Medina without being in a state of danger or rainfall. And in the hadith transmitted by Waki(the words are): "I said to Ibn Abbas: What prompted him to do that? He said: So that his(prophet`s)Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship." Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter CCL, Tradition #1520

Ibn Abbas reported: The messenger of Allah(may peace be upon him)

observed the noon and the afternoon prayers together, and the sunset and Isha prayers together without being in a state of fear or in a state of journey Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter CCL, Tradition #1515

And there are much more if you need them

(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:

Muslim Hadith for combining prayers

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.

My beloved brother in Islam, the hadiths that you have quoted (Sahih Muslim 1515 and 1520) are indeed both considered valid and authentic.

But my beloved brother in Islam, one must understand that it was not the norm of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to combine his Dhuhr/Asr and Magrib/Isha prayers everyday. There is plenty of evidence in the Glorious Quran and there are tens of authentic narrations whereby it is unanimously agreed by all the scholars of all the schools of thought that the Messenger of Allah (saws) prayed the five obligatory prayers at their specific appointed times; five times a day.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) led the believers in the obligatory prayers in Medina literally thousands of times; and there is absolutely no doubt that he (saws) led them at five different times of the day in following the Specific Command of the All-Mighty.

Allah says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verse 103:Indeed the Salaat is a prescribed duty that should be performed by the believers at (their) appointed times.

Even after the death of the Noble Prophet (saws), the Rightly Guided Khalifas including Hadrat Ali ibn Abi Taalib (r.a.) and the noble Ahle-Bayt prayed the five obligatory prayers at their five different appointed times of the day; and there are literally thousands of evidences to the same in the books of history.

Thus it is not considered guidance to take one hadith from one narrator and make it a norm to consistently combine the prayers and pray only three times a day! It is also possible that the narrator was not aware of the reason of why exactly did the Messenger of Allah (saws) combine his prayers! And it is accepted in the science of the collectors of the authentic narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws) that when there are multiple evidences from the Quran and Sunnah to a particular deed; then it would not be correct to take the one hadith that states otherwise as the norm!

To relate a simple example; it was the norm and is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to urinate in a sitting position; but there is one authentic hadith whereby the Messenger of Allah (saws) did urinate in a standing position. But that does not mean that the believers take this one exception, and start urinating in a standing position at all times and consider urinating in the sitting position as wrong and inappropriate! That would indeed be deriving misguidance from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

In light of the hadith which you have quoted from Hadrat Ibn Abbas (r.a.), it is indeed true the Messenger of Allah (saws) might have combined his prayers on this occasion without fear, or rain, or being on a journey; but in light of the various Aayahs of the Glorious Quran, and the various narrations of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and the numerous accounts of the thousands of his noble companions … it is an accepted fact that the Prophet (saws), the noble companions, the Ahle-Bayt and all the believers prayed the five obligatory prayers at their five different appointed times of the day; and that is practiced upto this day and until the Day of Judgement, Insha Allah.

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

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan