Abū al-Tufayl; however, the hadith critics objected to Qutaybah’s narration. Al-Bayhaqī said: “Qutaybah alone narrated it from al-Layth.” He related that al-Bukhārī said: “I asked Qutaybah, ‘With whom did you write down al-Layth ibn Sa‘d’s narration from Yazīd ibn Abī Habīb, from Abū al-Tufayl?’ He replied, ‘I wrote it down with Khālid al-Madā’inī.’” Al-Bukhārī said: “This Khālid used to insert hadiths into the shaykhs’ narrations.”

Al-Bayhaqī said: “Their objection concerned only Yazīd ibn Abī Habīb’s narration from Abū al-Tufayl. As for Abū al-Zubayr’s narration from Abū al-Tufayl, it is well established and authentic.”

I say: The combining of prayers detailed by Hishām ibn Sa‘d, narrating from Abū al-Zubayr, and mentioned by Mālik falls within the general account of combining prayers given by al-Thawrī and others who narrated from Abū al-Zubayr, from Abū al-Tufayl, from Mu‘ādh:

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, combined Zuhr with ‘Asr and Maghrib with ‘Ishā’ during the year of Tabūk.”

This combining at the earlier prayer’s time is not mentioned in the well-known version of Anas’s hadith. If a traveller sets out after the sun has passed its zenith and has not stopped when ‘Asr becomes due, this is not a situation that requires combining prayers; rather, he prays ‘Asr at its proper time. His journey may, however, continue uninterrupted until sunset, in which case he needs to combine prayers. This resembles combining prayers at ‘Arafah: since the standing there continued until sunset, he prayed ‘Asr together with Zuhr, for prayers were combined according to need. Understood in this way, the Prophet’s hadiths, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, are consistent with one another.

Otherwise, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, would not treat two equivalent situations differently. No one has reported that he combined prayers at Minā