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Fatwa CenterFour year student in US wants to join prayers
Question
I am a student in USA. I just came from my country (Jordan) to study in USA for 4 years. My question: Can I pray Al-Zuhr and Al-Asr at the same time and the same thing for Maghrib and Isha? I spend most of my time at the university and it is difficult for me to find a place to pray there. The best way I find is to pray Zuhr and Asr at the same time.
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The Hanbali Fuqaha allow combining between Zuhr and Asr or Maghrib and Isha while not traveling if the purpose is to overcome some difficulties or embarrassment. The author of Kashshaf al-Qina'a says while listing the excuses for combining prayers: 'The seventh and eighth situation is for the person who has some work or some excuse that allows him to leave praying Jumu'ah or praying in congregation and who fears for his life, his honour, or his belongings, or if not combining prayers might harm his livelihood … etc.' .
It is also stated in Al-Insaf (338 vol 2): 'Ibn Taymiyyah chose combining prayers for the cook, the baker and similar professions whose members fear the loss of their own wealth or somebody else's property. But other scholars are inclined to denying combining for such reasons' .
The evidence put forward by some of them is the Hadith that says that the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) combined prayers while he was not on a journey and there was no rain. Ibn Abbas was asked: 'Why did the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) do that?' He said: 'He wanted not to embarrass his Ummah" . al-Bukhari and Muslim reported from Ibn Abbas that he said: "'I offered with Allah's Apostle eight Rakahs (of Zuhr and 'Asr prayers) together and seven Rakat (the Maghrib and the 'Isha' prayers) together.' " I said, "O Abu Ash-Sha'tha! I think he must have prayed the Zuhr late and the 'Asr early; the 'Isha early and the Maghrib late." Abu Ash-sha'tha' said, "I also think so." .
So, if sometimes there is embarrassment of praying each prayer in its fixed time, then it is lawful to combine prayers as stated in the question. But this should not become a habit and the lawfulness is limited to the status of embarrassment and difficulty that face the person. To conclude, we think that any person who finds some difficulty and embarrassment in praying each prayer in its fixed time, can combine prayers. For more benefit, please refer to fatwa 118984.
Allah knows best.
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