Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “Combining prayers is permissible because of an occupation.” Al-Qādī Abū Ya‘lā explained: “An occupation that excuses a person from attending Friday and congregational prayers.”

Shaykh Muwaffaq al-Dīn ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī clarified who these people are: “They include a sick person; someone who fears that a relative may die; someone resisting the urge to urinate or defecate; someone whose food has been served and who needs to eat; someone who fears being seized by a ruler, or pursued by a creditor when he has nothing with which to pay him; a traveller who fears missing his caravan; someone who fears harm to his property or hopes to find it; someone who fears being overcome by drowsiness and thus missing the prayer time; and someone who fears severe cold. The same applies on a dark night when there is mud. Such people are excused even if they miss Friday and congregational prayers.” This is how Ibn Qudāma related it in his Mukhtasar al-Hidāya. They may therefore combine the two prayers in accordance with the statements of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and al-Qādī Abū Ya‘lā.

If craftsmen and farmers find it difficult to pray within the time allotted to each prayer—for example, because water is far away when they need to pray, and going to it and purifying themselves would interrupt work they need to do—they may pray during the shared time, combining the two prayers. Better still, they should delay the noon prayer until close to the afternoon prayer, combining it with the afternoon prayer and offering them together, even if this means combining them at the end of the noon prayer’s time and the beginning of the afternoon prayer’s time. When water is far away, it is also permissible to perform dry ablution and pray within the time allotted to each prayer. Combining the prayers with purification using water, however, is better. All praise belongs to Allah alone.