‘If you fear that those who disbelieve may attack you’—yet that fear no longer exists today?”

He replied:

“I wondered at the same thing you did, so I mentioned it to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said: ‘It is a charity Allah has bestowed upon you, so accept His charity.’”

The questioner had assumed that shortening prayer in all cases depended upon the absence of safety. The Sunnah therefore clarified that shortening is of two kinds, each with its own condition. The Sunnah has established that prayer, as prescribed during travel, is complete, for this is how the Prophet commanded people to pray. It is not diminished in reward and recompense, even though it is shortened in form and performance, since the worshipper is sometimes commanded to lengthen the prayer and sometimes to keep it brief.

Furthermore, Allah Most High said:

“Then, when you are secure, establish the prayer. Indeed, prayer has been prescribed for the believers at appointed times.”

The early generations explained “appointed” as meaning “prescribed,” and also as “having a specified time.” What is prescribed is measured out and delimited. Appointing times, determining measures, setting limits, and prescribing are terms close in meaning. This entails that prayer has prescribed measures, limits, and appointed times. This applies both to its timing and to its actions. Just as its timing is delimited, its actions have even greater reason to be delimited and precisely prescribed.

This includes determining its number: Allah made the prayers five, making some of them four units while at home and two while travelling, others three, and others two, whether at home or travelling. It also includes determining the actions performed in prayer. Thus, when there is a valid excuse, it is permissible to combine prayers, which involves a degree of advancing or delaying their timing, just as it is also permissible to reduce the number of their units