Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer)

Sahih al-Bukhari - Hadith 1110

Hadith Text

Whenever the Prophet (ﷺ) started a journey before noon, he used to delay the Zuhr prayer till the time of `Asr and then offer them together; and if the sun declined (at noon) he used to offer the Zuhr prayer and then ride (for the journey).

Commentary on the Timing of Prayer Combination

This noble hadith establishes the prophetic practice of combining prayers during travel. When the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) commenced his journey before midday, he would postpone the Zuhr prayer until the commencement time of Asr, then perform both prayers consecutively. This demonstrates the flexibility granted to travelers in the Shariah.

The wisdom behind this practice is to alleviate hardship upon the ummah during journeys. Travel inherently involves difficulty and preoccupation with transportation and routes. By permitting combination, the Lawgiver has shown mercy to His servants, making the religion easy rather than burdensome.

Jurisprudential Rulings

The scholars have derived from this hadith that combining prayers while traveling is permissible, and this represents a concession (rukhsah) from the normal requirement to pray each prayer in its prescribed time. The combination mentioned here is of the type known as "jam' al-ta'khir" (delayed combination), where the first prayer is delayed to the time of the second.

If the journey began after midday, the Prophet (ﷺ) would pray Zuhr first before departing. This indicates that the traveler has the choice either to combine prayers or to pray each in its time, depending on what is most convenient. The permissibility applies to both shortening the prayers (qasr) and combining them (jam').

Conditions and Application

The majority of scholars hold that the journey must meet the minimum distance requirement (approximately 80 km or two marhalah) for these concessions to apply. The combination should be performed with the proper sequence - Zuhr before Asr - and with continuity between the two prayers without lengthy interruption.

This prophetic practice demonstrates that the combination of prayers is not limited to specific circumstances of extreme difficulty, but is a general concession for travelers. The wisdom of Islamic jurisprudence shines through such rulings, balancing between maintaining the obligations of worship and recognizing human needs during travel.