shortening them; however, some of his followers, such as al-Khiraqī and al-Qādī, stipulated this. As for Abū Bakr ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz and others, they adopted the position consistent with the unrestricted wording of his statements: no intention is required for either combining or shortening prayers. This is the view of the majority of scholars, including Mālik, Abū Hanīfah and others. Indeed, Ahmad expressly stated that a traveller may offer the night prayer before the twilight disappears, explaining that this is because he is permitted to combine prayers. Abū Tālib and al-Marwadhī transmitted this from him, and al-Qādī mentioned it in al-Jāmiʿ al-Kabīr. It is therefore clear that an intention is not a condition for combining prayers.

Nor is “close succession” a condition. Since he permitted the night prayer to be offered before the twilight disappears, explaining that this is because the traveller may combine prayers, he cannot have meant the white twilight. His position, transmitted from him through numerous reports, is that a traveller offers the night prayer after the red twilight disappears. According to him, that marks the beginning of its time and the end of the sunset prayer’s time. Thus, the traveller would be offering the night prayer within its own allotted time, not during the time of the sunset prayer.

When not travelling, however, he recommended delaying the night prayer until the white twilight disappears. He explained: “Walls may conceal the redness, so a person may think that the red twilight has disappeared when it has not. Once the whiteness disappears, he can be certain that the redness has disappeared.”

Thus, in his view, twilight means the redness in both situations. However, because walls may conceal the twilight when one is not travelling, creating uncertainty, he exercised caution by waiting for the onset of the white twilight. This is his position, transmitted through his many explicit statements.