sunset by a traveller who sets out from a watering place, by agreement, and by someone who fears losing consciousness, though this is disputed. They may be combined at midnight by a traveller whose journey begins before sunset and ends before midnight, by agreement; and, according to a disputed view, by a sick person whose illness is present when Maghrib’s time begins and who hopes it will abate at the end of ‘Ishā’s time—one-third or one-half of the night, according to the differing views. They may be combined when the twilight disappears by a sick person for whom combining is easier, and by a traveller whose journey extends from before sunset until after ‘Ishā’s time has ended—one-third or one-half of the night. According to one view, this applies only when he is pressing on with his journey; according to another, it applies even when he is not.
None of these excuses permits delaying Zuhr and ‘Asr until sunset or beyond the point when the additional shadow reaches two object-heights, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prohibited this in his words, “That is the prayer of the hypocrites”—to the end of the hadith. Likewise, none of them permits delaying Maghrib and ‘Ishā’ until dawn or beyond midnight, unless the sick person’s illness is so severe that he cannot pray even by gestures without hardship that he is not required to bear. In that case, he may do so. If he were entirely unable to make that effort, his case would resemble that of an unconscious person, except that the obligation to pray would not lapse when its time expired, according to Ibn al-Qāsim’s position and his transmission from Mālik, since he retains his reason.
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There is disagreement concerning combining Maghrib and ‘Ishā’ because of rain, mud and darkness. One view is that they are combined before the twilight disappears. This is Ibn al-Qāsim’s position and his transmission from Mālik, and it is the well-known position in the school. Another view is that they are combined at sunset. This is the position of Ibn ‘Abd al-Hakam and Ibn Wahb, and the latter’s transmission from Mālik. The first view is based on the position that Maghrib’s preferred time