The other view is adopted by some of Ahmad’s followers and is also the position of al-Shāfiʿī.

Combining two prayers is permissible for a valid excuse. Thus, a traveller pressing on with his journey may combine the noon and afternoon prayers, and the sunset and night prayers. If travellers are overcome by drowsiness and find it difficult to wait for the night prayer, they may combine it with the sunset prayer. Even if the imam himself stays awake, it is better for him to lead them in the two prayers combined than to pray alone without combining them.

If a farmer fears that seeking water will expose his property to theft or interrupt work that he needs to do, he should pray with dry ablution. If he can combine the two prayers with ablution using water, that is better than offering them separately. The same applies to all others whose valid excuses permit them to perform dry ablution: if they can combine the two prayers after purifying themselves with water, that is better than offering them separately with dry ablution.

For those with an excuse such as rain or a strong, cold wind, as well as those suffering from urinary incontinence and women experiencing non-menstrual bleeding, offering the two prayers combined in a state of complete purification is better than offering them separately in a state of incomplete purification.

A sick person may also combine two prayers, especially when combining them allows him to pray more fully, whether through complete purification or through being able to stand. Even if the two prayers would be the same either way, he may combine them if offering them separately would worsen his illness.