Question: Is it permissible
to combine prayers without any excuse?
Shaykh al-Uthaymeen: It is
not permissible to combine prayers without any excuse based on the saying of
Allaah the exalted: “But
when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been
decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.” The Prophet
(sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) has fixed the time for the prayers, and he has
set a specific time for each prayer. So advancing the prayer before its time or
delaying it without a legislated excuse is a form of transgressing the limits
of Allaah. Allaah the exalted said: And whoever transgresses the limits of
Allah - it is those who are the wrongdoers.” [Soorah al-Baqarah: 229] And
whoever transgresses the limits of Allah has certainly wronged himself” [Soorah
at-Talaaq: 1]
Therefore, it is obligatory upon an individual
to perform each prayer at its stipulated time. However, if there is a need such
as if it becomes difficult for a person to perform each prayer at its stipulated
time, in this case, there is no harm if he combines Dhuhr and Asr at the time
of the former or later depending on that which is easier for him; or he combines
Maghrib and Ishaa at the time of Maghrib or at the time of Ishaa depending on
that which is easier for him. This is based on the statement of Ibn Abbaas (may
Allaah be leased with him): “The Prophet (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) combined
the Dhuhr and Asr (prayers) and the Maghrib and Ishaa (prayers) in Madeenah
without being in a state of fear nor due to rain.” When he was asked the reason
why he did that, he said: “So that there
would not be any hardship on his ummah.” Meaning, so that he would not cause
any hardship to his ummah by avoiding combining the prayers.
This is an indication from Ibn Abbaas
that it is not permissible to combine prayers except if leaving it would cause
difficulty and hardship [on the people]. This is because if a person combines
two prayers without a legislated excuse, the prayer that was combined to the
other time will not be accepted by Allaah. It is not valid because the person
did an action that was not enjoined by Allaah and His Messenger. It is
established from the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu alayhi wasallam) that he
said: ‘Whoever does a deed which we have
not commanded will be rejected.”
Source: Fataawaa Noor alaa ad-Darb, tape no. 142
Shaykh al-Albaanee also stated: “… Some scholars of
both old and recent times hold that this combining is permissible for a
resident without any excuse, and I don’t consider this correct because the
narrator of the hadeeth justifies the Messenger’s ﷺ combining
without an excuse with another excuse: which is to legislate and explain to the
people, as Ibn `Abbaas said, ‘So he ﷺ would
not put his ummah to difficulty.’ This means that the ruling of combining as a resident is
restricted to the presence of difficulty if one were not to combine. So when there is
difficulty in performing the prayers in their known appointed times, it is
permissible to combine to avoid the difficulty, which Allaah negated in the
likes of His Statement: “He has not placed upon you in the religion
any difficulty”.[1] But
if there is no difficulty, it is obligatory to maintain performing the five
prayers, each prayer in its time, because there is no difficulty.[2]