Legal Status of Combining Maghrib and Isha Prayers Due to Bad Weather in Islam
السَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُ
بِسْـــــــــــــــــــــــمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِیْمِ
السَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
The Three Ways of Combining Two Prayers (Jam’ bain al-Salatain)
❶ Jam’ Taqdim (Combining by Advancing):
To pray the second prayer along with the first prayer, such as praying the Asr prayer with the Zuhr prayer, and the Isha prayer at the time of the Maghrib prayer.
❷ Jam’ Ta’khir (Combining by Delaying):
To pray the first prayer at the time of the second prayer, such as combining and praying Zuhr with Asr, and Maghrib with Isha.
❸ Jam’ Suri (Apparent Combining):
To pray the first prayer at its very last prescribed time and the second prayer at its very first prescribed time. This is called “Jam’ Suri” (Apparent Combining).
The mention of all three forms of combining prayers is found in the Hadith:
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ ” أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ إِذَا زَالَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَهُوَ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ، وَإِذَا لَمْ تَزَلْ حَتَّى يَرْتَحِلَ سَارَ حَتَّى إِذَا دَخَلَ وَقْتُ الْعَصْرِ نَزَلَ [ص:233] فَجَمَعَ الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ، وَإِذَا غَابَتِ الشَّمْسُ وَهُوَ فِي مَنْزِلِهِ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ۔
(سنن کبری بیھقی: باب جمع الصلاتین فی السفر ج۳ص۱۶۳)
“It is narrated from Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that if the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) started his journey after the sun had declined (Zawal), he would combine Asr with Zuhr. If he started his journey before Zawal, he would combine Zuhr with Asr. If he started his journey after sunset, he would perform Isha with Maghrib at that time, and if he set out on a journey before sunset, he would pray Maghrib with Isha.”
This Hadith mentions both Jam’ Taqdim and Jam’ Ta’khir.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ صَلَّى بِالْمَدِينَةِ سَبْعًا وَثَمَانِيًا: الظُّهْرَ وَالعَصْرَ وَالمَغْرِبَ وَالعِشَاءَ “، قَالَ أَيُّوبُ: لَعَلَّهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مَطِيرَةٍ،
(صحیح البخاری: باب تاخیر الظھر الی العصر۔ ج۱ص۷۷)
“Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) says that the Prophet (ﷺ) offered seven and eight rak’ahs together in Madinah, meaning Zuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha. Ayyub (may Allah be pleased with him) says, ‘Perhaps it was a rainy night.'”
This Hadith mentions Jam’ Suri.
- Question:
What is the legal status (in Shari’ah) of offering the Isha prayer immediately after the Maghrib prayer due to bad weather, when the adhan (call to prayer) for Isha was not given, nor were the Sunnah prayers of Maghrib offered? We have heard from our scholars that during travel, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers in such a way that he would delay the Maghrib prayer and offer it together with the Isha prayer. In such situations, can prayers be combined with another prayer even when not traveling? - The Answer:
The foundation of the religion of Islam is ease and facilitation; no one is put into hardship and difficulty without reason. Allah the Almighty says: “and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.” (22/Al-Hajj:78)
“Allah wishes to lighten (the burden) for you; and man was created weak.” (4/An-Nisa:28)
And He also says: “Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship.” (2/Al-Baqarah:185)
In the matter of prayers, this facilitation and ease have also been kept in consideration, such that two prayers can be combined due to travel, illness, fear, rain, etc., or some important engagement. There are two ways to perform them combined:
(1) To perform one prayer combined at the time of another prayer is called Jam’ Haqiqi (Real Combining). It has two types:
(a) Jam’ Taqdim: A prayer is combined before its time with another, for example, offering the Asr prayer with Zuhr and the Isha prayer with Maghrib.
(b) Jam’ Ta’khir: A prayer is delayed after its time and combined with the next prayer, for example, offering the Zuhr prayer with Asr and the Maghrib prayer with Isha.
(2) Jam’ Suri (Apparent Combining): To delay the first prayer to its last prescribed time and to offer the second prayer at its first prescribed time. In this way, both prayers are apparently combined, but they are offered within their own respective times.
It is proven from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) that he offered combined prayers during travel in both ways, Jam’ Taqdim and Jam’ Ta’khir. As narrated by Mu’adh ibn Jabal (RA), during the expedition of Tabuk, if the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) began his journey after the sun had declined, he would pray Zuhr and Asr at that time. And if he began his journey before the sun had declined, he would delay Zuhr and perform it with Asr. Similarly, if he began his journey after sunset, he would pray Maghrib and Isha at that time. (Abu Dawood, Al-Salat: 1220)
Similarly, there are narrations from Anas (RA) (Bayhaqi, p:162, vol.3) and Ibn Abbas (RA) (Musnad Imam Ahmad, p:367, vol.5) about performing prayers in the aforementioned manner.
Besides travel, two prayers can also be combined while resident (Hadar) in unavoidable circumstances, provided it is not made a regular habit. As Ibn Abbas (RA) states, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed eight rak’ahs of Zuhr and Asr, and seven rak’ahs of Maghrib and Isha together in Madinah. (Sahih Bukhari, Mawaqit: 543)
In another narration, the narrator of the hadith asked Ibn Abbas (RA) why the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) did so. He replied that it was done for the ease of the Ummah, so that this Ummah would not be afflicted with difficulty and hardship. (Musnad Imam Ahmad, p:223, vol.5)
However, combining two prayers can be done out of severe necessity, such as rain and strong winds. It is a common practice among businessmen in our society to combine two prayers due to laziness or business engagements; this is not correct, and according to some narrations, doing so is a grave sin. Apart from unavoidable circumstances, it is necessary to offer every prayer at its prescribed time.
When two prayers are offered together due to a severe necessity other than travel, the Sunnah prayers, etc., of the first prayer are not offered because this defeats the purpose of combining. Furthermore, for the second congregation, only the Iqamah is sufficient; there is no need to give the Adhan. (Sahih Muslim, Al-Hajj: 1218)
It should be clear that if two prayers are combined due to rain, the Adhan should be given for the second prayer in the mosque. If the rain is still falling, the words “alaa sallu fi rihalikum” (Pray in your dwellings) should be said, and those residing in the mosque should arrange for the congregation. And if the rain has stopped, the Adhan should be called as usual so that those who could not attend the first prayer due to rain can offer the second prayer with the congregation in the mosque.
Fatawa Ashab al-Hadith / Volume: 2 / Page: 109
وَبِاللّٰہِ التَّوْفِیْقُ
ھٰذٙا مٙا عِنْدِی وٙاللہُ تٙعٙالیٰ اٙعْلٙمْ بِالصّٙوٙاب
وَالسَّــــــــلاَم عَلَيــْـــــــكُم وَرَحْمَــــــــــةُاللهِ وَبَرَكـَـــــــــاتُه
