and the sunset and night prayers.” Muslim also narrated in his Sahīh from him:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, combined the noon and afternoon prayers, and the sunset and night prayers, in Medina without fear or rain.”

Ibn ‘Abbās was asked, “What did he intend by that?” He replied, “He intended not to impose hardship on his community.” Mu‘ādh ibn Jabal said the same.

The compilers of the Sunan collections narrated two or three hadiths reporting that he instructed a woman experiencing non-menstrual bleeding to combine two prayers, including the report of Hamnah bint Jahsh and others. Thus, prayers were combined in Medina because of rain and for reasons other than rain. Through this, Ibn ‘Abbās also indicated that prayers may be combined because of fear or rain, and while on the move during a journey. Prayers are combined both while staying in one place and while travelling to relieve hardship.

This shows that travel is not the reason for combining prayers in the same way that it is the reason for shortening them: the number of prayer units is shortened when travelling, but not otherwise. As for combining prayers, he combined them when not travelling. During his travels, he combined them when on the move and at places such as ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah, but did not combine them at his other stopping places. He also instructed a woman experiencing non-menstrual bleeding to combine prayers. It is therefore clear that combining prayers serves to relieve hardship. Whenever performing them separately causes hardship, combining them is permissible. This is the prayer time applicable in cases of a valid excuse or need.

For this reason, Companions such as ‘Abd al-Rahmān ibn ‘Awf and Ibn ‘Umar said concerning a menstruating woman: if she becomes pure before sunset, she should perform the noon and afternoon prayers; if she becomes pure before dawn, she should perform the sunset and night prayers. The scholars who permit combining prayers, such as Mālik, al-Shāfi‘ī, and Ahmad, also held this view. This accords with the “principle of combining prayers”: the time is shared by the two prayers being combined in cases of necessity