A traveler who delayed the midday prayer to combine it with the afternoon prayer, then forgot and prayed the afternoon prayer, and then remembered the midday prayer: what is required of him, and what is better in combining, advancing or delaying?

The questioner : Peace be upon you.
Your Eminence, a traveler combined the midday and afternoon prayers, and he did not remember the midday prayer until after the afternoon prayer, after he had prayed the afternoon prayer in congregation. What is the ruling?

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : He prayed.

The Shaykh : A man who combines by delaying the midday prayer to the afternoon prayer.

The questioner : Yes, exactly.

The Shaykh : So he prayed the afternoon prayer.

The questioner : Before the midday prayer (Zuhr).

The Shaykh : Before the midday prayer, while forgetting.

The questioner : It was a forgetfulness on his part.

The Shaykh : He owes nothing; there is nothing on him. He prays the midday prayer, and there is nothing on him.

The questioner : And what is better, combining by advancing or combining by delaying?

The Shaykh : The best in combining is what is easiest for him. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in travel: . Likewise, the sick person who is permitted to combine does what is easier for him. It may be easier for him to hasten and combine by advancing, such as combining the night prayer with the sunset prayer to sleep early. Or it may be the opposite, such as the time for the midday prayer coming upon him while he is sleeping, and he delays the midday prayer to the afternoon prayer. The important thing is that the reason for combining is hardship, the hardship of praying at every time. So if this is the reason, then what is easiest in combining is better.