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 warahmatullah wabarakatuhu, I must confess it has been hard for me on this, so i really need an explanation on how to join or joining salat as in like joining magrib and ishah prayers may be for a purpose like rain or so. so please i need full explanation about it thank you may Allah reward you abundantly for your help. 

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Answer:

Join combine 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 Nisa verse 101:

When you go on a journey, there is no harm, if you shorten your salaat, (especially) when you fear that the disbelievers might harass you, for the disbelievers are openly bent upon enmity against you.

To make the observance of the deen easy, the Lord Most Merciful has permitted the believers 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 always shorten his prayers whenever he (saws) was on a journey. At times he (saws) would offer the shortened prayers individually at their appointed times, and at times he (saws) would combine the shortened ‘dhuhr and asr’ together, and the ‘magrib and (shortened) isha’ together. Thus regardless of whether one prays their shortened prayers while on a journey separate, or combines the ‘dhuhr and asr’ and/or the ‘magrib and isha’ prayers, he would be in accordance with the Sunnah or practice of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

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.

There is evidence in the authentic and established Sunnah that the Messenger of Allah (saws) would combine the ‘magrib’ and ‘isha’ prayers during rain when resident in his city of Madinah (ie. he (saws) was not in the state of travel).

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 2.117

Al-Athram records in his Sunnan that Abu Salamah ibn 'Abdurrahman (r.a.) said: "It is a Sunnah to combine the ‘maghrib’ and 'isha’ prayers when it is raining." Al-Bukhari records that the Prophet (saws) combined the ‘maghrib’ and 'isha’ prayers on a rainy night.

If it was raining around the vicinity where the ‘masjid’ is located, and the ‘imam’ fears that the rain might continue and it might hamper or obstruct people from attending the ‘isha’ prayers, the ‘imam’ is well within his rights and authority to combine the ‘isha’ prayers in congregation after the ‘magrib’ prayers.

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