and Ahmad. Moreover, the Prophet’s combining of prayers at Arafah and Muzdalifah indicates that prayers may also be combined elsewhere for a valid excuse. He could have performed Zuhr and delayed Asr until its time began, but Asr was brought forward to accommodate the pilgrimage rites and allow him to devote himself to standing at Arafah.

For this reason, the position accepted by the overwhelming majority of scholars is that prayers may be combined at Muzdalifah and Arafah both by those whose homes are far enough away to permit shortening prayers and by those whose homes are not. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed, all the Muslims prayed with him, including the people of Mecca and others. He did not instruct any of them to delay Asr or to bring Maghrib forward. Thus, the view held by some followers of al-Shāfiʿī and Ahmad that the people of Mecca may not combine prayers is exceedingly weak and contrary to the clear, unequivocal Sunnah about which there is no doubt. Their excuse is that they believed a long journey to be the reason for combining prayers. The correct view, however, is that combining prayers is not restricted to long journeys. Rather, prayers may be combined because of rain or illness, as established in the Sunnah concerning a woman experiencing non-menstrual bleeding: the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) instructed her to combine prayers in two hadiths.

Furthermore, scholars hold two views on whether combining prayers is restricted to long journeys, both of which are represented within Ahmad’s school. One view—the well-known position—is that prayers may be combined on a short journey, whereas al-Shāfiʿī’s position is that they may not. The former is more correct for the reasons already given. And Allah knows best.