– ʿUsfān: a populous village whose name begins with a ḍammah, followed by a sukūn, then an fāʾ and ends with a nūn, on the pattern of “ʿUthmān.” It lies to the north of Mecca, about 80 km away. The express highway between Mecca and Medina passes through it. The village has an administrative office, a police station, schools, a clinic, and other public services. It is encircled by black volcanic ridges. Its present inhabitants are the Banū Bishr, from Banū ʿAmr of the Ḥarb tribe. ʿUsfān is also mentioned in the prophetic sīrah.
- Lessons drawn from hadiths 354, 355, and 356:
1 – Hadith no. 354 indicates the permissibility of combining the Zuhr and ʿAsr prayers into one time while traveling.
2 – It shows that these two prayers may be combined either in advance (jamʿ al-taqdīm) or in delay (jamʿ al-taʾkhīr); both forms are allowed.
3 – The Shaykh said: Combining is a transient concession granted when there is a need, for the Prophet ﷺ practiced it only a few times. Therefore, the hadith jurists—such as Aḥmad and others—recommend refraining from it except when necessity demands, in emulation of the Prophet ﷺ.
The most accommodating school regarding combining is that of Aḥmad, for he explicitly ruled that it is permissible whenever there is a need or pressing occupation. The Shaykh judged it sound that combining is lawful even on a short journey, and held that the effective cause is need, not travel itself; thus it is not tied to travel, unlike the shortening (qaṣr) of the prayer.
The Shaykh further said that the correct view is that the Prophet ﷺ did not combine at ʿArafah and Muzdalifah merely because of traveling, but because his continuous standing at ʿArafah precluded dismounting and because he was occupied with the ride to Muzdalifah. Accordingly, combining is recommended whenever a comparable need exists.
4 – The Shaykh said: Combining is permissible within the time shared by the two prayers: sometimes at the very beginning of the time, sometimes at the end, and sometimes in the middle between them; on occasion the two prayers may even coincide together at the end—