during the prayer, he is overcome by the urge to relieve himself of urine or stool, he may leave the congregation and complete his prayer alone—unless separating from the congregation would not benefit him in any way. For example, if the imam is already shortening the prayer to the extent required, then, if he were to pray alone, he would gain nothing, since he could not shorten it any more than the imam has.

May he terminate the prayer?

Answer: Yes, he may terminate the prayer if he cannot complete it in the manner required of him—unless terminating it would not benefit him in any way, in which case he should not terminate it. For example, if he hears a creditor calling for him during the prayer, then, if he were to leave, the creditor would seize him. Thus, he gains nothing by terminating the prayer, so he should not terminate it.

Question: Are these excuses grounds for allowing the prayer to be performed after its prescribed time?

Answer: They are not grounds for that. A person must pray it within its prescribed time, whatever his circumstances. Some scholars, however, have said that the urgent need to relieve oneself of urine or stool is an excuse for performing the prayer after its prescribed time, because retaining them causes harm to a person. Some people also experience, when holding back urine or stool—especially urine—a severe pounding of the heart, and so fear for themselves because of it.

However, we say: if these excuses arise during the time of the first prayer that may be combined with the one after it, then they permit combining the prayers. This is an important benefit: the excuses that permit one to miss Friday prayer and the congregational prayer also permit combining the prayers. Thus, if one of them arises for you during the time of the first prayer, you intend to combine the prayers and delay the prayer until the time of the second, due to the general import of the hadith of Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them both: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ combined …”