For example, if a person is travelling and the sun has set, then he begins the Maghrib prayer without intending to combine the prayers. However, during the prayer, it occurs to him to combine them. According to the established position of the madhhab, this is not permissible; according to the correct view, however, it is permissible. This was the view chosen by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him.

Another example: if he finishes the Maghrib prayer and then rain falls which permits combining the prayers, he may combine them.

“And he must not separate the two except by the time required for an iqamah and a brief ablution; and it is invalidated by performing a regular Sunnah prayer between them, ...”

His statement, “And he must not separate the two except by the time required for an iqamah and a brief ablution”: this is the second condition, namely, maintaining continuity between the two prayers.

The verb “separate” is in the accusative case because it is understood to be preceded by “that”; that is, “and that he not separate,” coordinated with the explicit verbal noun in his statement, “the intention to combine.” When a present-tense verb is coordinated with an explicit verbal noun, it takes the accusative case through an implied “that.” An example is the verse: (1)

“Wearing an abayah, and my eye being gladdened,
Is dearer to me than wearing transparent garments.”

Thus, “wearing an abayah, and my eye being gladdened” means, “wearing an abayah and that my eye be gladdened.” Similarly, one may say: “My visiting Zayd and his honoring me is dearer to me than staying away from him”; “my visiting Zayd and his honoring me” means, “my visiting Zayd and that he honor me.”

Thus, his statement, “and he must not separate,” means that it is stipulated that he not separate the two prayers being combined in a combination performed in advance, except by the time required for an iqamah and a brief ablution.