Most of the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) travels were expeditions to meet the enemy or prevent an attack on Madinah. However, prayer in Islam cannot be abandoned or set aside for any reason. They may be offered in a more convenient way, but not omitted altogether. Therefore, it is important to learn the Prophet’s guidance on the concession allowed in travel. We learned last week that the Prophet used to cut short longer prayers, shortening each 4-rak’ah prayer to two rak’ahs only. The Prophet also offered two prayers at the same time, so as to offer all his five daily prayers at three different times.
Mu’adh ibn Jabal reports: “We set out with God’s Messenger in the year of the Tabuk expedition. He used to combine Dhuhr with Asr, and also combine Maghrib and Isha. One day, however, he delayed prayer and when he came out he prayed Dhuhr together with Asr, then he went in, then he came out and prayed Maghrib and Isha together.” (Related by Malik and Muslim.)
This Hadith speaks of combining prayers during travel, which applies to all journeys and all the time a person is deemed to be in travel, including the case when he is staying for a few days in the same place. It is clear from the first part of the Hadith that the Prophet regularly combined the two day prayers of Dhuhr and Asr, as well as the two evening prayers of Maghrib and Isha. Such combination allows a person much time to either cover more distance of his travel or to attend to his business, considering that he is a stranger in the city or place where he is. He may not be used to the place well enough to be able to offer all his five prayers separately, each in its own time. The combination enables him to attend to all his prayers with comfort.
Today, travel has greatly changed from what it used to be during the Prophet’s time. Where a trip could take several weeks between the starting point and the destination, we cover the same distance in a matter of hours. However, our urban life is much more complicated than life used to be 14 centuries ago. Therefore, we need the concession of combining prayers after we arrive at our destination. Indeed our need for the concession is perhaps greater than people needed it at that time. When we look at this we appreciate God’s kindness as he did not attach this concession of combining prayers to any particular situation. He kept it applicable in all travel situations, so that we may benefit by it and attend to our prayers without difficulty.
The second part of the Hadith tells us that all four prayers could be offered over a very short period of time. The Prophet did certain things on one occasion so as to show us that it is permissible and valid. In this case, he delayed Dhuhr prayer until the last part of the time range of Asr. In other words, he offered these two prayers together shortly before Maghrib was due. He then went into his tent for a short while to make the separation between each two prayers very clear. When he came out after a short while, Maghrib had become due and he offered the two night prayers together at the beginning of the Maghrib time range. Thus we can say that the Prophet on this occasion offered all four prayers in a matter of 30 or 40 minutes.
Some scholars, particularly in the Hanafi school of thought, are not keen on prayer combination. They understand this Hadith as meaning that the Prophet delayed Dhuhr until the end of its time range but prayed it in its own time, then he prayed Asr shortly after it, again in its own time but at its start. They argue that this explains why some of his companions thought that he combined prayers when he did not. This view does not seem to benefit by strong evidence in support.
Abdullah ibn Abbas is quoted as saying: “Shall I tell you how the Prophet offered his prayers during travel? If the sun started its decline while he was at a resting place, i.e. if Dhuhr was due, he would pray Dhuhr and Asr at that time. But when he marched before its decline, he would delay Dhuhr, combining it with Asr at Asr time.” The reporter adds: “I think he said the same about Maghrib and Isha.” (Related by Ahmad, Al-Shafie and Al-Bayhaqi.)
This Hadith makes clear the benefit of combining prayer. It provides a facility for a traveler to carry on with his travel as would suit him, having good opportunity to offer his prayers on time. The Prophet marched either before or after a prayer was due, knowing that by the time he would need his next rest, he would still be able to offer his prayers in good time. This is important for us today, because we cannot control the time when we start travel, due to the fact that flights and train departures are determined by factors that are beyond our control. The combination of prayers extends the time range of each two prayers, ensuring that prayers are offered without difficulty during travel.
Sometimes travel is undertaken in a state of fear, as when Muslims are expecting to meet their enemy. They will need to offer prayers in the best form that ensures maximum reward, and brings victory, while not giving the enemy a chance to attack them while they are praying. There are more than one formula where the army could pray in congregation, while still watching out for the enemy, ensuring that they could not be taken by surprise. Ibn Umar gives us one of these forms: “The Prophet led the prayer when Muslims were in a state of fear, with half of the group joining him for the first rak’ah while the other half were facing the enemy. Then the group that prayed took over from the others allowing them to join the Prophet for the second rak’ah. He finished his prayer and each group then completed their second rak’ah on their own.” (Related by Al-Bukhari, Muslim, Al-Nassaie and Al-Tirmidhi.)
Another Hadith gives us the following formula: “One group ranged behind the Prophet while the other group faced the enemy. He prayed one rak’ah with the first group then stood on his own for the second rak’ah while this first group completed their second rak’ah. When they finished, they took over facing the enemy while the second group joined the Prophet in his second rak’ah. When he completed it, he sat down but they stood up to complete their second rak’ah. When they completed this rak’ah, they were with him still and he finished his prayers with them.” (Related by Malik, Al-Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawood.)
This method of praying in congregation at the time of war, when Muslims are in a state of fear, is clearly outlined in Verse 102 of Surah 4. It allows the Muslim army to join their commander in one prayer, while sharing in the guard duty to ensure that no attack was launched while they are prostrating themselves. Whenever a Muslim army offered their prayer in this way, no enemy felt able to attack them. In fact the enemy was in fear because they felt that prayer gave the Muslims additional strength.
The two formulas mentioned in the two Hadiths give different versions that are both acceptable. The difference mainly concerns how each group completes its prayer. There are other formulas, but they all rely on the Qur’anic verse and ensure compliance with it.
