What is the ruling on combining two prayers without a valid religious excuse?
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The questioner : The listener also asks: What is the ruling on one who combines the obligatory prayer without a valid religious excuse?
The Shaykh : The ruling on one who combines two prayers without a valid religious excuse is that the prayer he combined with the one before it is not valid. For example, if he combines the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr prayer during the time of Zuhr, the 'Asr prayer here is not valid because he prayed it before its time. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established specific, detailed times for the prayers, so it is not permissible for a person to bring a prayer forward before its time except for a valid religious excuse that permits it.
As for if his combining is a combining of delay, where he delays the first prayer until the time of the second, then delaying the first prayer until the second is a great and major sin.
The scholars differed in this case as to whether the prayer is valid or not. The majority of scholars hold that it is valid despite the sin, but the correct view is that it is not valid. That is, if he delays the prayer from its time without an excuse, it is not valid, even if he prays it a thousand times. This is because taking it out of its time without an excuse is like bringing it forward before its time, or rather, it is like doing so without an excuse that permits it, because all of this falls under contradicting the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and indeed, because all of this falls under contradicting the limits of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), about which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 1718b Therefore, a person must be cautious about delaying the prayer from its time without an excuse, because if he delays it, it will never be accepted from him, even if he prays it thousands of times.
The Shaykh : The ruling on one who combines two prayers without a valid religious excuse is that the prayer he combined with the one before it is not valid. For example, if he combines the 'Asr prayer with the Zuhr prayer during the time of Zuhr, the 'Asr prayer here is not valid because he prayed it before its time. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established specific, detailed times for the prayers, so it is not permissible for a person to bring a prayer forward before its time except for a valid religious excuse that permits it.
As for if his combining is a combining of delay, where he delays the first prayer until the time of the second, then delaying the first prayer until the second is a great and major sin.
The scholars differed in this case as to whether the prayer is valid or not. The majority of scholars hold that it is valid despite the sin, but the correct view is that it is not valid. That is, if he delays the prayer from its time without an excuse, it is not valid, even if he prays it a thousand times. This is because taking it out of its time without an excuse is like bringing it forward before its time, or rather, it is like doing so without an excuse that permits it, because all of this falls under contradicting the saying of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and indeed, because all of this falls under contradicting the limits of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), about which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: