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:

Dear Bro Burhan,

Assalamu Alikum

First of all i thank you very much for your previous respond and it really did clear my doubts on the maids. This time my doubt about prayer hope you can help me with this.

I was informed by a friend of mine that we can Join prayers if we think that we will be short of time for the next and fear that we might make it Qadah, like for example Dhhor and Asar. It is really true that we are allowed to make jamah Dhhor and Asar if we fear that we might make it Qadah and in that case we can pray at Zohor both prayers. I hope i have made my question clear to you.

Yours early response to this will be highly appreciated.

(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:

The combining of 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 none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 4 Surah Nisaa verses 101-102:

101 When ye travel through the earth there is no blame on you if ye shorten your prayers.

Respected brother in Islam, to make the observance of the deen easy, the Lord Most Merciful has permitted the believers, men and women, to shorten their prayers when they are on travel as stated in the above Verse of Surah Nisaa.

There are several authentic narrations that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would shorten and even combine his prayers whenever he (saws) was on a journey.

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 or on a journey.

Your Question: I was informed by a friend of mine that we can Join prayers if we think that we will be short of time for the next and fear that we might make it Qadah, like for example Dhhor and Asar. It is really true that we are allowed to make jamah Dhhor and Asar if we fear that we might make it Qadah and in that case we can pray at Zohor both prayers. I hope i have made my question clear to you.

It is permissible for one to join their prayers only when they are in the state of travel or journey….but to join one’s prayers merely because one fears that one is short of time for the next prayer and fears it might become Qada when one is stationed in one’s city of residence, that would not be permissible.

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