Combining the Noon Prayer with the Mid-Afternoon Prayer before travelling

Question: I travel almost every week a distance of 350 kilometres, and I usually set out at noon. The vehicle does not stop along the way for prayer. May I combine the noon (ẓuhr) prayer with the mid-afternoon (ʿaṣr) prayer, performing them together at the time of ẓuhr in my home before I depart? Please advise.

Answer: Once the time for ẓuhr has begun and you have not yet started your journey, you must offer ẓuhr at its proper time in full, without shortening. As for ʿaṣr: if your journey will end before the close of ʿaṣr time, then you pray ʿaṣr at its appointed time after you arrive, even if that is at the very end of the period.

However, if the journey continues from noon until after sunset so that the time for ʿaṣr will expire while you are still on the road—and you cannot stop because, as you said, the driver refuses to pull over—then in that case there is no objection to combining the two prayers, for this is a legitimate excuse that permits combining. You must, however, perform them in full. If you perform ʿaṣr together with ẓuhr as an advance combination (jamʿ taqdīm) while you are still at home and intend to leave immediately thereafter, then pray both ẓuhr and ʿaṣr in full, each consisting of four rakʿahs, and there is no harm in combining them, because combining is permissible in such circumstances. As for shortening, its time has not yet commenced, for shortening is only allowed after you have left the built-up area that is your place of residence.