Maghrib. It is not recommended to delay the congregation’s Maghrib prayer until the twilight disappears. Rather, this causes people great hardship, whereas combining prayers was prescribed precisely to spare Muslims hardship.

Moreover, the recommended delaying and bringing forward do not require performing the two prayers back to back. Rather, Zuhr should be delayed and ‘Asr brought forward, even if there is an interval between them. The same applies to Maghrib and ‘Ishā’: people may perform one prayer and wait for the other, without needing to go home and then return. Likewise, according to the more correct of the two opinions, performing the prayers in immediate succession is not a condition for combining them, as we have explained elsewhere.

Furthermore, it is established in Sahīh al-Bukhārī that Asmā’ bint Abī Bakr said:

“We broke our fast on a cloudy day in Ramadan during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and then the sun appeared.”

This indicates two things. First, in cloudy weather, it is not recommended to delay breaking the fast until sunset is certain. They did not do so, nor did the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instruct them to do so. The Companions, together with their Prophet, were more knowledgeable and more obedient to Allah and His Messenger than those who came after them.

Second, making up the fast is not obligatory. Had the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed them to make it up, this would have become widely known, just as their breaking the fast was reported. Since no such instruction was transmitted, this indicates that he did not instruct them to do so.

If it is objected, “But Hishām ibn ‘Urwah was asked, ‘Were they instructed to make up the fast?’ He replied, ‘Was there any alternative to making it up?’”