from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: “When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, pressed on with his journey, he would combine Zuhr and ‘Asr.” It is also based on the report from Ibn ‘Abbās, who said: “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, prayed Zuhr and ‘Asr together, and Maghrib and ‘Ishā’ together, when there was neither fear nor travel.” Mālik said: “I believe that this occurred during rain.” Another version states: “When there was neither fear nor rain.” Ibn ‘Abbās said: “He did that so as not to cause hardship for his community.” There are other similar reports.

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Mālik and all his companions agreed that combining the two prayers that share a time is permissible in principle on account of travel, illness, or rain, although they differed over the details. They disagreed, however, over whether combining them without an excuse is permissible. The well-known position is that it is not, whereas Ashhab held that it is, according to the apparent meaning of the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbās and other reports. They also differed over how the prayers are to be combined and over many related rulings, according to the different excuses permitting this. A full account of the matter requires an understanding of the precise times of the two prayers and how they share those times.

Zuhr begins when the sun passes the zenith. Its preferred, recommended time ends when the shadow of an object equals its height, in addition to the shadow present when the sun passed the zenith, whose length varies between summer and winter. That same point marks the beginning of ‘Asr’s preferred, recommended time. Its preferred, recommended time ends when the shadow of an object equals twice its height, again in addition to the shadow present when the sun passed the zenith, whose length varies between summer and winter. The shadow present when the sun passes the zenith is not counted under any circumstances or in any land.

For a valid excuse, ‘Asr may be brought into Zuhr’s preferred, recommended time and thus share it: according to one view, from the moment the sun passes the zenith; according to another, after enough time has elapsed to perform Zuhr. Likewise, for a valid excuse, Zuhr may be brought into ‘Asr’s preferred, recommended time and share it until its end, when the additional shadow reaches twice the object’s height. They disagreed over whether Zuhr shares ‘Asr’s preferred time at the point when the additional shadow equals the object’s height. One view is that they do not share that time