Islam and the Quran

Combining of prayers

Question: Can you please give the proof that it is okay to combine Zuhr/Asr and Maghrib/Isha even when not traveling or sick?

Allah the Almighty commands:

“Offer the prayer in two parts of the daytime and in the hours of the night that are closer to daytime. Surely, good works drive away evil works. This is the correct information for those who use their knowledge.” (Hud 11:114)

“two parts of the daytime” and “the hours of the night that are closer to daytime” are inexplicit expressions which can be understood differently. That’s why the Messenger of God had sometimes combined two pairs of prayers; Dhuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha together sometimes.

The information that reached us about his manners is listed below:

Narrated from Ibn Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah combined Dhuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha. There was no fear, no journey.” (Muslim, Prayer of the travelers, 6/49)

Narrated from Ibn Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah prayed Dhuhr and Maghrib together in Medina. There was no fear, no journey.” Abu Zubayr told: “I asked Said ibn Jubayr: Why did he do that?” He said: “I asked the same thing to Ibn Abbas and he said: ‘He wanted to give no hardship to his people.’” (Muslim, Prayer of the travelers, 6/50)

Narrated from Amr: “Jabir ibn Zayd narrated from Ibn Abbas: ‘I prayed with the Messenger of Allah 8 rakats combined and 7 rakats combined.’ I said, ‘I think he delayed Dhuhr and brought Asr forward. He delayed Maghrib and brought Isha forward.’ He said, ‘I think the same.’” (Muslim, Prayer of the travelers, 6/55)

Narrated from Ibn Abbas: “The Messenger of Allah prayed 8 rakats and 7 rakats in Medina. Dhuhr and Asr together, Maghrib and Isha together.” (Muslim, Prayer of the travelers, 6/56)

Narrated from Ibn Abbas: “We used to combine Dhuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha in the time of the Messenger of Allah.” (Muslim, Prayer of the travelers, 6/58)

According to these, you can combine the dhuhr and asr prayers at the time of either dhuhr or asr; and the maghrib and isha prayers at the time of either maghrib or isha.

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