of excuses that entail comparable hardship. This is the preferred explanation in light of the plain wording of the ḥadīth, of the practice of Ibn ʿAbbās and the concurrence of Abū Hurayrah, and because the hardship involved in illness is greater than that caused by rain … (1)
Our teacher, Imām ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Bāz (may Allah have mercy on him), said: “The correct view is that the Prophet ﷺ combined the prayers mentioned in this ḥadīth because of a temporary hardship that day—such as a prevailing illness, severe cold, deep mud, and the like. This is supported by the statement of Ibn ʿAbbās, when he was asked about the reason for that combination: ‘So that he would not burden his community.’ This is a magnificent, well-chosen, and satisfactory answer. Allah knows best.” (2)
It is authentically established that the Prophet ﷺ instructed Ḥamnah bint Jahsh, when she was experiencing non-menstrual bleeding, to delay Dhuhr and pray ʿAsr early, and to delay Maghrib and pray ʿIshāʾ early. (3) This is the so-called “apparent” combination. (4)
The type of illness that permits combining is