" I said to Ibn 'Abbas: What prompted him to do that? He said: So that his (Prophet's) Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship." And in the hadith transmitted by Mu'awiya (the words are):" It was said to Ibn 'Abbas: What did he intend thereby? He said he wanted that his Ummah should not be put to unnecessary hardship."
The Book of Prayer - Travellers
Sahih Muslim 705 d
Contextual Explanation
This narration concerns the Prophet's practice of combining prayers during travel. When questioned about the wisdom behind this concession, Ibn 'Abbās explained that the Messenger of Allāh intended to prevent undue hardship upon his Ummah.
Scholarly Commentary
The primary objective of Islamic legislation is to facilitate ease while maintaining religious obligations. The Prophet's combination of prayers exemplifies the principle of removing hardship (rafʿ al-ḥaraj) from the Muslim community.
This ruling demonstrates that the Sharī'ah considers human circumstances and capabilities. Travel represents a legitimate excuse (ʿudhr) that justifies certain concessions in worship, reflecting Allāh's mercy toward His servants.
The repetition of this explanation through different chains of transmission emphasizes the importance of this legal principle and ensures its preservation for future generations of Muslims.
Legal Implications
This hadith establishes the permissibility of combining Dhuhr with ʿAṣr and Maghrib with ʿIshāʾ during travel without being considered sinful or deficient in reward.
The concession applies specifically to journeys meeting the minimum distance requirement (approximately 48 miles or 80 kilometers according to most scholars), demonstrating the precision of Islamic jurisprudence in applying concessions appropriately.