Hanafis explaining Hadith about combining prayers without travel

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ

In the Name of Allah Most Merciful Most Kind

Short Answer

Any Hadith indicating the permissibility of combining prayers without travelling are understood in the same way as other Hadith about joining prayers. Meaning, the first prayer is prayed towards its end time and the second one is prayed at the beginning of its time. Therefore, each prayer is in its own time.

Explanation

عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ شَقِيقٍ، قَالَ: خَطَبَنَا ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ يَوْمًا بَعْدَ الْعَصْرِ حَتَّى غَرَبَتِ الشَّمْسُ، وَبَدَتِ النُّجُومُ، وَجَعَلَ النَّاسُ يَقُولُونَ: الصَّلَاةَ الصَّلَاةَ، قَالَ: فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ، لَا يَفْتُرُ، وَلَا يَنْثَنِي: الصَّلَاةَ الصَّلَاةَ، فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: أَتُعَلِّمُنِي بِالسُّنَّةِ؟ لَا أُمَّ لَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ: رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ، وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ. قَالَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ شَقِيقٍ: فَحَاكَ فِي صَدْرِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ، فَأَتَيْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ، فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَصَدَّقَ مَقَالَتَهُ

Abdullah bin Shaqiq said: One day Ibn ‘Abbas addressed us after Asr utill the sun set and the stars appeared. So the people began to say: Prayer, prayer. A person from Banu Tamim came, he neither relented nor stopped (saying): Prayer, prayer. Ibn ‘Abbas said: Will you teach me the Sunnah? There is no mother for you. Then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ combining the Dhuhr and Asr prayers and the Maghrib and Isha. Abdullah bin Shaqiq said: I had some doubt in my heart about it. So I came to Abu Hurairah and asked him (about it). He testified his assertion. (Sahih Muslim, 705 – 57).

 

The Hadith above does not explicitly mention combining prayers without travelling. However, some scholars have understood it to be so. In any case, this does not contradict the Hanafi understanding of joining prayers. Since the Hanafis say you cannot delay a prayer outside of its time unless there is a necessity. In the narration above, Sayidina Ibn Abbas is not delaying Maghrib to outside of its time.

Apparent combination

The Hanafi position is that combining prayers is only permitted at Arafah and Muzdalifah for the Hajji. Other than that it is never permitted. Irrespective of travel, sickness or rain. They believe that there is no evidence for joining prayers in other than those two places. All other Hadith that seem to permit combining prayers are understood to mean apparent combination (Jam’ Suri).

Apparent combination (Jam’ Suri) is when one prayer is delayed to its end time and the other is prayed at its beginning time. In such a case, the prayers are prayed one after the other, but each one is in its own time.

This understanding is more in line with the general obligation of praying each prayer in its own time. Hanafis believe all Hadith about combining prayers can be understood like this except for those regarding Arafah and Muzdalifah. Therefore, true joining of prayers is only permitted there. In all other cases only Jam’ Suri is permitted.

 

وَالْجَوَاب عَن هَذِه الْأَحَادِيث الَّتِي فِيهَا الْجمع فِي غير عَرَفَة، وَجمع، مَا قَالَه الطَّحَاوِيّ فِي (شرح مَعَاني الْآثَار): أَنه صلى الأولى فِي آخر وَقتهَا، والثَّانِيَة فِي أول وَقتهَا، لَا أَنه صلاهما فِي وَقت وَاحِد، وَيُؤَيّد هَذَا الْمَعْنى حَدِيث ابْن عَبَّاس، رَضِي الله تَعَالَى عَنهُ. (عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري)

The answer to these narrations in which there is combination in other than Arafah, is what (Imam) al-Tahawi said in Sharh Maani al-Aathaar: He ﷺ prayed the first one at the end of its time, and the second one at the beginning of its time. Not that he ﷺ prayed them both in the time of one.  This is supported by the Hadith of Ibn Abbas (May Allah Most High be pleased with him). (Imam Badr al-Deen al-Ayni 855H, Umdatu al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari). 

Consistency

The Hanafi position leads to greater consistency because it aligns with the command in the Quran and Sunnah. Each prayer has its own time and we are commanded to pray in those times. Therefore, the Hanafis certainly do not permit combining prayers without travelling. Since they will not permit it even if one is travelling.

إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَوْقُوتًا

Indeed prayer is a time specific obligation upon the believers. (Surah al-Nisa, 103).

 

أَمَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِيَّ النَّوْمِ تَفْرِيطٌ، إِنَّمَا التَّفْرِيطُ عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يُصَلِّ الصَّلَاةَ حَتَّى يَجِيءَ وَقْتُ الصَّلَاةَ الْأُخْرَى، فَمَنْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَلْيُصَلِّهَا حِينَ يَنْتَبِهُ لَهَا

The Prophet ﷺ said, ‘There is no neglect in sleeping. Rather neglect is that one does not pray until the time of another prayer enters. The one who done that should pray when he realises he has missed prayer.’  (Sahih Muslim,681 -311).

 

Hanafis do not believe that the blessed Prophet ﷺ prayed prayers outside of their own appointed times. Since, the Hadith that suggest such behaviour are open to interpretation, Hanafis will interpret them to mean Jam’ Suri. When there is no room for such interpretation then we will accept the narrations as they are. But that is only the case for the narrations about Arafah and Muzdalifah.

 

فَاسْتَحَالَ أَنْ يَكُونَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الصَّلَاتَيْنِ. بِمَا كَانَ بِهِ مُفَرِّطًا. وَلَكِنَّهُ جَمَعَ بَيْنَهُمَا بِخِلَافِ ذَلِكَ، فَصَلَّى كُلَّ صَلَاةٍ مِنْهُمَا فِي وَقْتِهَا. (شرح معاني الآثار)

So it was inconceivable for the Messenger of Allah ﷺ to combine two prayers. Because it would be neglectful. Rather he ﷺ  combined them in a different manner. He ﷺ prayed each prayer at its proper time. (Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi 321H, Sharh Maani al-Aathaar)

 

Interpretation

 

عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ، وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ، فِي غَيْرِ خَوْفٍ، وَلَا مَطَرٍ. فِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ: قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ: لِمَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ: كَيْ لَا يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ

(Sayidina) Ibn Abbas narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ combined the Dhuhr  and Asr prayer, (also) the Maghrib and Isha prayer in Medinah. There was no fear nor rain. And in the Hadith transmitted by Waki: I said to Ibn Abbas, why did he ﷺ do that? He said: So that he does not cause hardship for his Ummah. (Sahih Muslim 705 – 54).

 

It is important to note that the Hanafis are not alone in their interpretation. Sometimes all four Madhabs will agree with the Hanafis to a degree. For example, the narration above would permit combining prayers without travelling, fear or rain. None of the four Madhabs of Ahl al-Sunnah took this narration as it is. Rather they all interpreted it one way or another.

 

قَالَ: وَلم يقل أحد منا وَلَا مِنْهُم بِجَوَاز الْجمع فِي الْحَضَر، فَدلَّ على أَن معنى الْجمع مَا ذَكرْنَاهُ من تَأْخِير الأولى إِلَى آخر وَقتهَا وَتَقْدِيم الثَّانِيَة فِي أول وَقتهَا. (عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري)

He (Imam al-Tahawi) said: Neither anyone from us nor them said that it is permissible to combine when resident. So it indicates that the meaning of combining is what we have mentioned. Namely, delaying the first until the end of its time and hastening the second to the beginning of its time. (Imam Badr al-Deen al-Ayni 855H, Umdatu al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari).

 

The following Hadith from Sahih Muslim supports the Hanafi interpretation. It is an example of Jam’ Suri. Meaning apparent combination of the prayers whilst each prayer is prayed in time. So Dhuhr was prayed in a manner then it ended at the beginning of Asr time. Thereafter Asr was prayed immediately.

 

عَنْ أَنَسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِذَا عَجِلَ عَلَيْهِ السَّفَرُ، يُؤَخِّرُ الظُّهْرَ إِلَى أَوَّلِ وَقْتِ الْعَصْرِ، فَيَجْمَعُ بَيْنَهُمَا، وَيُؤَخِّرُ الْمَغْرِبَ حَتَّى يَجْمَعَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ الْعِشَاءِ، حِينَ يَغِيبُ الشَّفَقُ

(Sayidina) Anas narrated: When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had to set out on a journey hurriedly, he delayed the Dhuhr prayer to the beginning of Asr time, so he ﷺ combined them.  And he ﷺ would delay the Maghrib prayer to the time when the twilight disappeared (beginning of Isha) and then combine it with the Isha’ prayer.’ (Sahih Muslim, 704 -48).

 

فَثَبَتَ بِمَا ذَكَرْنَا أَنَّ مَا رَوَيْنَا عَنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنَ الْجَمْعِ بَيْنَ الصَّلَاتَيْنِ أَنَّهُ تَأْخِيرُ الْأُولَى, وَتَعْجِيلُ الْآخِرَةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ كَانَ أَصْحَابُ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ يَجْمَعُونَ بَيْنَهُمَا. (شرح معاني الآثار)

Thus it is established from what we have mentioned that what was narrated on from Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding combining the two prayers is to delay the first and hasten the latter. In the same manner the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to combine them after him. (Imam Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi 321H, Sharh Maani al-Aathaar)

Conclusion

Hanafis do not permit combining prayers without travelling. This is an obvious point, since Hanafis do not even permit joining prayers if one is traveling. Rather they only consider it permitted to join the prayers for a Hajji at Arafah and Muzdalifah. This is how the Hanafis have understood the related Hadith narrations.

And Allah Most High Knows Best.

–Answered by Shaykh Noorud-deen Rashid (04.08.24)