The Difference Between Combining and Shortening Prayers While Traveling
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, one of them asks about travel and the ruling on shortening prayers in it. He says: What is the criterion or evidence for distinguishing between combining and shortening?
The Shaykh:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayers and not combine them when he stopped over, except for a short time, except in some instances. In the Farewell Pilgrimage, he stopped over in Mina and shortened the prayers but did not combine them on the days of Mina; he prayed two rak'ahs, and each prayer was in its proper time. And at Tabuk, he combined some of the times while he was stopped over.
The questioner:
Never mind.
The Shaykh:
He found that combining while stopped over is permissible, but leaving it is better.
The questioner:
Meaning,
The Shaykh:
If one is on the verge of travel, on the journey, or just after the journey, if he intends to depart, there is no harm by consensus. If he departs before sunset, he delays the Maghrib prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. If he departs from a place before the sun passes its zenith, he delays the Zuhr prayer with the 'Asr prayer, which is combining by delay. Or if he departs after sunset, he brings forward the 'Isha' prayer with the Maghrib. Or if he departs after the sun passes its zenith, he brings forward the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr, which is combining by anticipation. There is no harm. As for the one who is stopped over and resting, it is better not to combine.
The questioner:
Shaykh, if it was...
The Shaykh:
(peace and blessings be upon him) in the Farewell Pilgrimage, in Mina he shortened and did not combine.
Honorable Shaykh, one of them asks about travel and the ruling on shortening prayers in it. He says: What is the criterion or evidence for distinguishing between combining and shortening?
The Shaykh:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) used to shorten the prayers and not combine them when he stopped over, except for a short time, except in some instances. In the Farewell Pilgrimage, he stopped over in Mina and shortened the prayers but did not combine them on the days of Mina; he prayed two rak'ahs, and each prayer was in its proper time. And at Tabuk, he combined some of the times while he was stopped over.
The questioner:
Never mind.
The Shaykh:
He found that combining while stopped over is permissible, but leaving it is better.
The questioner:
Meaning,
The Shaykh:
If one is on the verge of travel, on the journey, or just after the journey, if he intends to depart, there is no harm by consensus. If he departs before sunset, he delays the Maghrib prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. If he departs from a place before the sun passes its zenith, he delays the Zuhr prayer with the 'Asr prayer, which is combining by delay. Or if he departs after sunset, he brings forward the 'Isha' prayer with the Maghrib. Or if he departs after the sun passes its zenith, he brings forward the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr, which is combining by anticipation. There is no harm. As for the one who is stopped over and resting, it is better not to combine.
The questioner:
Shaykh, if it was...
The Shaykh:
(peace and blessings be upon him) in the Farewell Pilgrimage, in Mina he shortened and did not combine.
Source
لقاءات لابن باز - لقاء مع إخوة في الله - ابن باز - ٤ — archive.org (49:51)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.