The Book of Prayer - Travellers

Sahih Muslim 703 d

Hadith Text

"I saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) delaying the sunset prayer till he would combine it with the 'Isha' when he hastened to set out on a journey."

Commentary on the Permissibility of Prayer Combination

This narration from Sahih Muslim establishes the legal precedent for combining prayers during travel, which is a concession (rukhṣah) granted by the Shari'ah to alleviate hardship. The Prophet's action demonstrates that combining Maghrib and 'Isha' is permissible when undertaking a journey that involves genuine travel (safar).

Conditions and Wisdom

Scholars stipulate that the journey must be of substantial distance (typically exceeding approximately 80km) to qualify for this concession. The wisdom behind this ruling includes preventing difficulty for travelers, facilitating their journey, and maintaining the spiritual connection with Allah without undue burden.

The combination mentioned here is "jam' al-ta'khīr" (delayed combination), where Maghrib is delayed until the time of 'Isha', then both are performed together. This differs from "jam' al-taqdīm" (advanced combination) where 'Isha' is advanced to Maghrib's time.

Legal Methodology

The majority of scholars from the Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools permit prayer combination during travel, though they differ on specific conditions. This hadith serves as a primary evidence for this position, showing the Prophet's practical implementation of this concession.