If the reason for combining prayers is present, is it permissible to combine if one intends to do so after entering the first prayer, and the imam did not intend to combine?
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The questioner : Some people were on a journey of more than 150 kilometers. After they prayed Maghrib, they said to the imam, “We want to combine.” They consulted, and they combined. When the prayer ended, one person said, “The imam did not intend to combine.”
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : So you must repeat it, or you must pray it in its proper time.
The Shaykh : Yes, the correct view is that if the reason for combining is present, whether it is travel, illness, rain, or any other reason that permits combining, then combining is permissible, whether one intends it before the prayer or after the prayer. Accordingly, the action of these brothers is permissible, and no one should object to them as long as they are on a long journey.
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : So you must repeat it, or you must pray it in its proper time.
The Shaykh : Yes, the correct view is that if the reason for combining is present, whether it is travel, illness, rain, or any other reason that permits combining, then combining is permissible, whether one intends it before the prayer or after the prayer. Accordingly, the action of these brothers is permissible, and no one should object to them as long as they are on a long journey.