the time of ‘Ishā’, as established by the mass-transmitted Sunnah and the agreement of the Muslims. I know of no scholar who permitted someone in those circumstances to pray ‘Ishā’ on his way there. They differed only over whether he may pray Maghrib on the way, holding two views on this question.

As for delaying a prayer beyond its time, it is like performing it before its time; indeed, the one who delays it is more deserving of blame. If someone sleeps through a prayer or forgets it, its time for him is when he wakes up or remembers it. That is when he is commanded to perform it, and for him it has no other time. Thus, he has prayed it only within its time.

As for someone who prays before the sun passes its zenith or before the dawn that marks the beginning of the prayer’s time, if he does so deliberately, he has done something he was not commanded to do. If, however, he is unable to determine the time—like a prisoner who has no means of knowing it—scholars hold two views on whether his prayer fulfils his obligation. The same applies to his fasting when he cannot determine when Ramadan falls: if, for example, a captive fasts according to his best judgment, then discovers that he fasted before the proper time, scholars hold two views on whether this fulfils his obligation.

As for someone in a town who mistakenly prays before the proper time, he has not done what he was commanded to do. Does his prayer nevertheless count as a voluntary prayer, or is it invalid? There are two views within the school of Ahmad and elsewhere.

The point is that Allah has not permitted anyone, under any circumstances, to delay a prayer beyond its time, just as He has not permitted anyone, under any circumstances, to perform it before its time. Thus, combining prayers at the later prayer’s time is not inherently preferable to combining them at the earlier prayer’s time. Rather, this depends on need and benefit: sometimes one is preferable, and sometimes the other. This is the position of the majority of scholars, and it is