is that one may combine two prayers because of rain in any locality—Medina included—although another view holds that such combining is not allowed anywhere except in the Prophet’s Mosque.

Mud and intense darkness, when they occur together, are treated by Mālik like rain, so the two prayers may likewise be combined for that reason. The method of combining because of rain is to delay the earlier prayer and bring the later one forward, so that both are performed halfway between their two times. They may be announced with two adhāns and two iqāmas, or with a single adhān and two iqāmas; all of these arrangements are reported from Mālik. Whoever fails to catch the first prayer should not perform the second until its own time begins, although Mālik expressed more than one opinion on this point.

There is also a difference over the time at which the worshippers disperse: some say they leave when the twilight has disappeared, while others say they depart while some asfār (lingering light) is still upon them. Ibn al-Qāsim preferred that anyone who joins the congregation for ʿishāʾ after having already prayed maghrib at home should nonetheless pray ʿishāʾ with the congregation; if he misses ʿishāʾ with them, he must not pray it until the twilight is gone. According to Mālik and his associates, ẓuhr and ʿaṣr are not combined because of rain.

For a traveller it is permissible to combine ẓuhr with ʿaṣr, and maghrib with ʿishāʾ, in the time of either prayer, whether or not the journey is pressing. Some maintain that only one who is actually on the move may combine—he delays the first prayer and brings the second forward—and this was the view adopted by Ibn al-Qāsim. The first opinion is sounder, for there is unanimous agreement on combining the two prayers in the same manner at ʿArafah and Muzdalifah, and that too is while on a journey.