Joining Prayers

Combining two prayers before travelling

It is permissible for the person who is not travelling to combine two prayers if it will be too difficult for him to perform the second prayer on time. Permission to join prayers is broader than permission to shorten them, because shortening them is allowed only to travelers, but both travelers and non-travellers are permitted to join prayers when it will be difficult to perform the second prayer, whether on time or in congregation.

Based on this, it is permissible for you to bring ‘Asr forward and pray it with Zuhr in your home city, if you think it most likely that you will not be able to pray it on time because of travelling. 

If the airport is outside your city, you can pray in the airport and shorten your prayers. If you live near the airport, then you can join the prayers but you cannot shorten them. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

Question: 

If a person is in Qaseem and goes out to the airport, can he shorten his prayers in the airport? 

Answer: 

Yes, he may shorten his prayers, because he has left the built-up area of his town, and all the villages that are around the airport are separate from the town. But if a person lives near the airport, he should not shorten his prayer, because he has not yet left the built-up area of his town. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/514 

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbaas said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed Zuhr and ‘Asr together in Madeenah, at a time when there was no fear and he was not travelling. Abu’l-Zubayr said: I asked Sa’eed [i.e., ibn Jubayr], Why did he do that? He said, I asked Ibn ‘Abbaas the same question, and he said, He did not want anyone among his ummah to suffer hardship.

Narrated by Muslim, 705. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: 

The specific reason for shortening the prayers is travelling, and it is not permissible to shorten prayers when not travelling. With regard to joining prayers, the reason for it is if there is a need or an excuse. So if a person needs to do so, he may join prayers whilst travelling, whether he is travelling a long distance or a short one, and he may join prayers because of rain etc., or because of sickness etc., or for any other reason, because the point is to spare the Muslims any difficulty or hardship.

Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 22/293; published by King Fahd Complex.

Doing one prayer straight after the other when combining two prayers

Ruling on giving two adhaans and two iqaamahs when joining prayers

The scholars differed concerning giving two adhaans and two iqaamahs when joining prayers. The correct view is that one adhaan should be given for both prayers, then two iqaamahs, one iqaamah for each prayer. 

This is the view of the Hanafis and Hanbalis, and it the favoured view of the Shaafa’is, and it is the view of some of the Maalikis.  

See al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah, 2/370 

The evidence for that is what it is proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did during the Farewell Pilgrimage, when he prayed Zuhr and ‘Asr in ‘Arafah, joining them at the time of the earlier prayer, with one adhaan and two iqaamahs, and he prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha’ in Muzdalifah, joining them at the time of the later prayer, also with one adhaan and two iqaamahs. 

It was narrated that Jaabir ibn ‘Abd-Allaah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said, describing the hajj of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): 

Then he gave the adhaan and the iqaamah, then prayed Zuhr, then he gave the iqaamah and prayed ‘Asr, and he did not offer any other prayer between them… Then he came to Muzdalifah where he prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one adhaan and two iqaamahs. Narrated by Muslim, 1218. 

The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked: 

Some of the fuqaha’ say that Maghrib and ‘Isha may be joined together with two adhaans in the case of rain. What is the ruling on that? 

They replied: 

The Sunnah is to join Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one adhaan and two iqaamahs, if there is a justification for doing so, such as travelling, sickness, and rain when one is not travelling. This is what is clearly indicated by the saheeh Sunnah, based on the actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). End quote. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 8/142 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

If a person joins prayers, he should say the adhaan for the first one, and the iqaamah for each obligatory prayer. This applies if he is not in a city; if he is in a city then the adhaan of the city is sufficient, and he should say the iqaamah for each obligatory prayer.

 The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated in Saheeh Muslim from Jaabir, according to which the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave the adhaan in ‘Arafah, then he said the iqaamah and prayed Zuhr, then he said the iqaamah and prayed ‘Asr, and he did likewise in Muzdalifah when he gave the adhaan and iqaamah and prayed Maghrib, then he said the iqaamah and prayed ‘Isha’. End quote. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/78, 79 

With regard to the ruling on the adhaan and iqaamah, they are fard kifaayah (a communal obligation) and it is sufficient for a group if one of their number says the adhaan and iqaamah. It is not required of each person in the group. We have quoted above the view of Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said that if they are in a city in which the muezzins in the mosque have already given the adhaan, that is sufficient for them and they should say the iqaamah for each prayer. 

Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 

The evidence that they – the adhaan and iqaamah – are obligatory is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined them in a number of ahaadeeth, and he always said them whether he was travelling or not. And in most cases it cannot be known whether the time for prayer has come without them and because they serve a purpose, as they are two of the outward symbols of Islam. 

They are obligatory whether one is travelling or not. The evidence for that is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to Maalik ibn Huwayrith and his companions: “When the time for prayer comes, let one of you give the adhaan to you.” Agreed upon.

They had come to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and were now travelling back to their families, and the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) instructed that one of them should give the adhaan for them. And the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not neglect the adhaan or iqaamah whether he was travelling or not. When he was travelling he would tell Bilaal to give the adhaan. 

The correct view is that it is obligatory for those who are travelling and those who are not. They should give the adhaan for each of the five obligatory prayers, so long as prayers are not being joined. If prayers are being joined then one adhaan is sufficient for two prayers, but it is essential to say the iqaamah for each prayer. 

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 2/42-46 

Is it permissible to join ‘Isha’ with Maghrib in countries where ‘Isha’ is very late

The basic principle is that each prayer should be offered at the time appointed for it by sharee’ah, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Verily, As‑Salaah (the prayer) is enjoined on the believers at fixed hours” [al-Nisa’ 4:103] 

Joining two prayers is not permissible unless there is a reason such as travelling, rain or hardship. If the time for ‘Isha’ is very late and the time for Fajr is early, such that it will cause hardship to offer ‘Isha’ on time, in that case there is nothing wrong with joining it to Maghrib at the time of the earlier prayer. 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked about a country in which the disappearance of the red afterglow which signals the onset of the time for ‘Isha’ comes very late and it is too hard for them to wait for it. 

He replied:

If the red afterglow does not disappear until dawn comes, or it disappears at a time when there is not enough time to pray ‘Isha’ before dawn comes, then they come under the rulings of those who have no time for ‘Isha’. They should estimate its time based on the nearest country to them where there is considerable time to pray ‘Isha’, and it was also suggested that they should base it on the prayer times in Makkah, because it is the mother of cities (Umm al-Qura). 

If the red afterglow disappears a long time before ‘Isha’ and there is enough time to pray ‘Isha’, then they must wait until it disappears, unless waiting for it will cause them hardship. In that case it is permissible for them to join ‘Isha’ with Maghrib at the time of the earlier prayer, so as to ward off hardship and difficulty, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“Allaah intends for you ease, and He does not want to make things difficult for you” [al-Baqarah 2:185] 

“and [Allaah] has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [al-Hajj 22:78] 

In Saheeh Muslim it is narrated from ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) joined Zuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’, in Madeenah at a time when there was no fear and no rain. They said: What did he intend by that? He said: “He intended that his ummah should not be put in difficulty” i.e., that they should not be faced with hardship due to not joining prayers. May Allaah help us all to do that which is good and right. End quote from Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (12/206). 

And Allaah knows best.

Joining two prayers because of sickness?

Yes, it is permissible for him to join prayers, so he may join Zuhr and ‘Asr, and Maghrib and ‘Isha’, at the time of the earlier or later prayer, depending on what is easiest for him. Difficulty caused by sickness is one of the excuses which make it permissible to join prayers. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) granted a concession to the woman who suffered from istihaadah (non-menstrual bleeding), and he allowed her to join prayers. Narrated by Abu Dawood (287) and al-Tirmidhi (128);classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi. 

Istihaadah is a kind of sickness, and Imam Ahmad quoted as evidence for it being permissible for a sick person to join prayers the fact that sickness is worse than travel. He was treated with cupping after sunset, then he ate supper then he joined Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers. End quote. Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (2/5). 

Note:

It should be noted that the sick person for whom it is permissible to join prayers should offer each prayer in full without shortening it, because shortening the prayers is only permitted for the traveller. What some people think, that if a person joins the prayers at home because of sickness he is also allowed to shorten them, is not correct. 

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: The reason for shortening prayers is travel only, and it is not permitted when one is not travelling. As for joining prayers when one has an excuse or a need, if he needs to, he may join them when travelling short or long distances, and he may join them when it is raining and the like, or when he is sick and the like, or for other reasons. The aim behind this is to spare the ummah from hardship. End quote from Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (22/293).  

We ask Allaah to heal the sick Muslims and to bless them with patience and contentment, and compensate them with good. 

And Allaah knows best.

Joining prayers because of rain

There is a concession allowing Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers to be joined at the time of Maghrib, with one adhaan and iqaamah for each of them, when there is rain that soaks people’s clothes, when going back to the mosque for ‘Isha’ will cause hardship. This is according to the more correct of the two scholarly opinions. 

Similarly it is permissible to join them when it is very muddy, according to the correct scholarly view, so as to avoid hardship and difficulty. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship” [al-Hajj 22:78] 

“Allaah burdens not a person beyond his scope” [al-Baqarah 2:286]

 Abaan ibn ‘Uthmaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) joined Maghrib and ‘Isha’ on rainy nights, when there was a group of senior scholars from among the Taabi’een, and it is not known that any of them objected, so that meant there was consensus. 

That was mentioned by Ibn Qudaamah in al-Mughni. It is also allowed for a person who is very sick to join Zuhr and ‘Asr at the time of either of them, depending on what is easier for him, and he can join Maghrib and ‘Isha’ likewise, so as to avoid hardship. 

Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhoot al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 8/135. 

If it is asked: can we join prayers because of rain in the mosque or at home? The answer is: 

What is prescribed is for the people who pray in the mosque to join their prayers if there is a reason that justifies joining them, such as rain, so as to attain the reward of praying in congregation whilst also being kind to the people. This is what it says in the saheeh ahaadeeth. 

With regard to joining the prayers at home for the reason mentioned, that is not permissible because it is not narrated in sharee’ah and there is no excuse that would permit joining the prayers. 

 Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah wa’l-Ifta’, 8/134.

Joining Zuhr and ‘Asr because of military manoeuvres

It is permissible to join Zuhr and ‘Asr at the time of the earlier or later prayer in cases such as this, because joining prayers is a concession that is granted. So whenever one needs to join them, one may join them. Hence it is proven in al-Saheeh from Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) joined prayers in Madeenah at times other than times of fear or rain. It was said to Ibn ‘Abbaas: Why did he do that? He said: So that his ummah would not be faced with hardship., i.e., that they should not suffer hardship because of offering each prayer on time. End quote from Fataawa Noor ‘ala al-Darb by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him). 

You have to advise those who are in charge of these manoeuvres to choose times for them that do not conflict with the prayer, so that the soldiers can join Zuhr and ‘Asr at the time of either the earlier or later prayer. 

May Allaah be pleased with ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab, who wrote to his governors in the regions: The most important of your affairs in my view is the prayer. Whoever prays regularly has protected his religious commitment, but whoever is careless about it will be more careless about other things. Narrated by Maalik in al-Muwatta’ (6). 

And Allaah knows best.