First: he did not intend to combine the prayers at the opening takbir of the first prayer.

Second: he allowed an interval to come between them.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—cited texts from Imam Ahmad indicating the view he adopted: that continuity is not a condition when combining the two prayers in advance, just as it is not a condition when combining them at a later time, as will be discussed. The more cautious course is not to combine them if continuity between them has not been maintained, though Shaykh al-Islam’s view is a strong one.

Issue: A man travels by airplane. The airport is outside the town, and after boarding the aircraft, it circles and passes above the town while he is praying. Must he complete the prayer, on the grounds that the airspace follows the ground?

Answer: What appears correct to me is that he does not have to complete it, because this is merely the passing of a traveller, not the passage of one who has settled or whose journey has ended. Moreover, the period is generally brief.

And that the excuse be present at the commencement of both prayers and at the salam of the first . . .

His statement, “And that the excuse . . .” to the end, means: the excuse that permits combining the prayers. This is the third condition.

His statement, “be present at the commencement of both prayers and at the salam of the first,” means: at the commencement of the first and second prayers, and at the salam of the first. This is because the commencement of the first prayer is the point at which the intention is made, and it has previously been stated that intending to combine is stipulated at the opening takbir (1). If intending to combine is stipulated at the opening takbir, then this condition entails that the excuse must also be present at the opening takbir, because the intention