How do we reconcile the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers, without fear or travel?

The questioner : May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace and Allah's mercy and blessings.

The questioner : How do we reconcile the hadith of Ibn 'Abbas in Sahih Muslim: ?

The Shaykh : Yes, This narration is more authentic than the narration: because his statement: is negated by his statement: In any case, the issue you raised was raised by people against Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), and they said: meaning: that she should not be burdened by leaving off the combination.
So, whenever there is hardship in leaving off the combination, it is permissible to combine; but if there is no hardship in it, then combining is forbidden and not permissible, due to the saying of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He): , and because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) set the times for these prayers and defined them: Zuhr from such a time to such a time, and 'Asr likewise, and Maghrib and 'Isha' and Fajr. So, whoever brings something forward before its time or delays something past its time without a valid legal excuse, he is sinful and his prayer is not accepted, due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): .
And there is no proof in this hadith for one who permits combining without need, because Ibn 'Abbas clarified this and said: If he had said: "He intended to be lenient with his Ummah," there would have been a possibility that his meaning was that combining is permissible and leaving it off is better. But when he said: we knew that the intended meaning is when there is hardship and difficulty in leaving off the combination.