Azhar Ahmad Goraya, Missionary, USA
In our worldly lives, we are governed by the clock. We respect the doctor’s appointment. We rush to catch the train. We are punctual for our meetings with bosses or teachers. Yet, when it comes to the daily prayers, how often do we seek to bend the schedule to suit our comfort?
Allah the Almighty declares in Surah an-Nisa in the Holy Quran:
إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
“Surely, prayer is a prescribed duty that should be performed at its appointed times.” (Surah an-Nisa, Ch.4: V.104)
The word used here is mauquta. It is derived from waqt (time). Just as the sun rises and sets according to a rhythm, our spiritual life is meant to be attuned to the sun’s rising and setting through the daily prayers.
Then, Allah the Almighty tells us in Surah al-Baqarah:
حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ
“Guard strictly your prayers, especially the middle prayer.” (Surah al-Baqarah, Ch.2: V.239)
In this verse, believers are called to “guard” their prayers. One primary means of guarding them is ensuring they are offered separately at their specific times. The verse specifically highlights the “middle prayer” (salat al-wusta). According to Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra, the middle prayer is defined as the one that occurs when a person is most occupied with worldly engagements. Therefore, simply having a busy schedule is not a sufficient reason to combine prayers; rather, the Quranic command is to break away from those very engagements to bow before Allah the Almighty.
The most beloved action
The importance of punctuality in prayer is further emphasised in the ahadith. Hazrat Abdullahra narrates:
“I asked the Prophetsa about the dearest deed to Allah. The Prophetsa replied: ‘To offer the prayers at their appointed times.’
“Then I asked, ‘After that?’ He replied, ‘Kindness to parents.’
“Then I asked, ‘And after that?’ He said, ‘Jihad in the path of Allah.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 527)
Notice, the Holy Prophetsa did not just say “to pray.” He specified praying at the appropriate time.
The Prophetsa also elevated its importance beyond kindness to parents and even jihad in the path of Allah the Almighty. It cannot, therefore, be treated trivially.
The natural inclination of a believer
The Promised Messiahas came to restore the perfect balance of Islam. He taught us that while Islam is a religion of ease, it is not a religion of laziness.
There was a companion named Hazrat Sheikh Karam Ilahira Patialvi, who, before accepting Ahmadiyyat, subscribed to the Ahl-e-Hadith school of thought. He was accustomed to frequently combining prayers. He asked the Promised Messiahas about this habit. The Promised Messiahas explained:
“Regarding the combining of prayers, in my view, both the opposing and agreeing parties have resorted to extremes. On the one hand, the state of those who practice this is such that they combine prayers without any legal excuse or permissible necessity. It reaches the point that if they are smoking a hookah or playing cards, etc., and the Azan is called, they think, ‘who can leave such activities to go to offer Salat?’ They immediately resolve to combine the prayers, without regard to whether the second prayer is offered or even whether both are abandoned.”
He stated: “This is a very bad thing. Shortcomings and negligence in a necessary obligation, such as prayer, are indicative of a weakness of faith. And on the other hand, the state of the Hanafis is such that no matter how necessary and valid the excuse may be, they will allow the prayer to be offered beyond its permitted time (qada) but will not combine them out of stubbornness and opposition to the Ahl-e-Hadith.” (Seerat-ul-Mahdi, Part 4, Vol. 2, p. 87)
The Promised Messiahas further illuminated his own personal love offering of each prayer separately at its appropriate time, when he stated:
“The non-muqallidin have a tendency to combine the prayers even at the slightest of rain or if they must go to court. In fact, they even consider it permissible to combine the prayers when there is no rain or any apparent reason. However, I truthfully proclaim that we have no need to concern ourselves with this argument, nor do I wish to engage in such a debate, because inherently it is my nature that I prefer to offer the prayers at their own time, and I hold very dear the teaching of offering the prayers at their appointed time. In fact, even in heavy rain, I naturally desire that the formal prayer be offered at its own time. Although the Shi‘as and non-muqallidin have had lengthy debates on this issue, I have no concern with this. Others do this only out of indolence.” (Malfuzat [English], Vol. 4, pp. 133-134)
Understanding the exceptions
So, when is it permissible to combine the prayers?
Combining prayers is a rukhsah – a concession from Allah the Almighty – intended for times of genuine hardship, not simple convenience. This can include:
- Travel: when one is on a journey that disrupts normal routine.
- Sickness: when physical frailty makes separate prayers a hardship.
- Extreme weather: torrential rain or dangerous conditions that make the journey to the mosque perilous.
- Critical professional constraints: situations where leaving one’s post causes harm (e.g., a surgeon in the middle of an operation, a soldier on guarding a critical location).
- Job constraints: where an employer does not permit their employee to take breaks for separate prayers. A standard busy work schedule is not generally an excuse; a believer should strive to negotiate with employers to protect their religious rights.
- Communal activity or event: a large gathering which makes it difficult for everyone to prepare and offer the next prayer on time.
The distinction between mosque and home
A common misunderstanding arises regarding combining prayers due to short daylight hours (winter) or late nights (summer). In these seasons, prayers may be combined in the mosque to facilitate the congregation, as it is impractical for men to return to the mosque twice within a very short window.
However, this concession does not apply to the person sitting comfortably at home.
If a person is not attending the mosque and has no other personal impediments, they must offer the prayers separately at their appointed times. As the Holy Prophetsa declared:
جُعِلَتْ لَنَا الأَرْضُ كُلُّهَا مَسْجِدًا
That the entire earth has been made a mosque for his followers. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 522) If a person cannot reach the mosque, their home becomes their place of worship and the standard timing rules apply.
The malady of habitually combining prayers
We must be careful that the exception does not become the rule. Hazrat Musleh-e-Maudra identified the habit of combining prayers without justification as a spiritual disease. He stated:
“Prayer should be offered on time. Yes, if a special occasion arises and the prayer must be combined, then it is permissible. But I see that in our Jamaat, people hastily combine the prayer. This malady of combining the prayers has spread widely; it should not be so. If someone takes offence at your getting up to offer prayer while talking, then let him take offence; do not care for such a person and offer the prayer on time. The words يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلوةَ [they observe Prayer] have appeared in the Holy Quran because prayer should be offered at its appropriate time.” (Nasa‘ih Muballighin, Anwar-ul-Ulum, Vol. 3, p. 390)
When prayers are habitually combined to “get them over with,” they demonstrate to Allah the Almighty that our worldly engagements take precedence over His commandments. This negligent attitude is opposite to the condition of a believer.
Allah the Almighty warns us against this negligence in Surah al-Ma‘un, where he states:
فَوَیۡلٌ لِّلۡمُصَلِّیۡنَ ۙ۔ الَّذِیۡنَ ہُمۡ عَنۡ صَلَاتِہِمۡ سَاہُوۡنَ ۙ۔
“So, woe to those who pray, but are unmindful of their Prayer.” (Surah al-Ma‘un, Ch.107: V.5-6)
Being “unmindful” is not just forgetting to pray. It refers to those who treat the prayer as a burden, delaying it without cause, or robbing the daily payers of their distinct identity by merging them casually with another.
Our prayers will only benefit us if they are done in the proper manner. If we are weak in guarding our prayers, our prayers will be weak in guarding us.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Ira warned against this laziness in his commentary on Surah al-Fatihah. He explained that when we say iyyaka nasta‘in (Thee alone do we implore for help), we are making a pledge against laziness:
“In نستعین [We seek help], it has been intimated that a person should not be lazy; rather, he should be an active worker. Satan deceives man that, ‘you are weak; you cannot perform this or that religious service’. Several unworthy excuses arise in the heart, such as ‘we have a legitimate excuse; we cannot go to the mosque,’ or ‘we cannot fast,’ or ‘the prayer should be combined.’ One should avoid such excuses. One should draw their attention towards the worship and obedience of Allah with alertness. What connection is there between the statement نعبد [We worship You, O Allah] and laziness?” (Irshadat-e-Nur, Vol. 3, pp. 103-104; Haqaiqul Furqan, Vol. 1, p. 35)
We see this discipline in the life of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih Vaa. Despite an incredibly demanding schedule, Huzooraa does not combine prayers due to work or fatigue. Furthermore, those who visit the markaz in the UK observe that, despite significant variations in daylight, prayers are not combined in the mosque for most of the year – only during the most extreme weeks of winter and summer.
Guarding our frontiers via salat at its appropriate time
Instead of looking for excuses to delay or escape prayer, a believer should look forward to the next one. This state of spiritual anticipation is what the Holy Prophetsa called ribat – the active guarding of one’s spiritual frontiers. The Prophetsa declared:
أَلاَ أُخْبِرُكُمْ بِمَا يَمْحُو اللَّهُ بِهِ الْخَطَايَا وَيَرْفَعُ بِهِ الدَّرَجَاتِ إِسْبَاغُ الْوُضُوءِ عَلَى الْمَكَارِهِ وَكَثْرَةُ الْخُطَا إِلَى الْمَسَاجِدِ وَانْتِظَارُ الصَّلاَةِ بَعْدَ الصَّلاَةِ فَذَلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ فَذَلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ فَذَلِكُمُ الرِّبَاطُ
“Shall I not tell you of that by means of which Allah erases sins and raises (people) in status? Doing wudhu properly even when it is inconvenient, taking many steps to the mosque and waiting for one prayer after another. That is the ribat for you, that is the ribat for you, that is the ribat for you.” (Sunan an-Nasa‘i, Hadith 143)
The verdict of the heart
Whenever we are tempted to combine prayers on questionable premises, let us apply the test given by the Holy Prophetsa to Wabisah bin Ma‘badra. Wabisahra once asked the Prophet, “What is righteousness?” The Prophetsa replied:
استفت قلبك، الْبِرُّ مَا اطْمَأَنَّتْ إلَيْهِ النَّفْسُ، وَاطْمَأَنَّ إلَيْهِ الْقَلْبُ، وَالْإِثْمُ مَا حَاكَ فِي النَّفْسِ وَتَرَدَّدَ فِي الصَّدْرِ، وَإِنْ أَفْتَاك النَّاسُ وَأَفْتَوْك
“Consult your heart. Righteousness is that about which the soul feels at ease and the heart feels tranquil. And wrongdoing is that which wavers in the soul and causes uneasiness in the breast, even though people have repeatedly given their legal opinion [in its favour].” (40 Hadith of Imam Nawawi, Hadith 27)
Conclusion
The balance in Islam is therefore perfect. It allows the combining of prayers for genuine, unavoidable hardship – be it extreme weather, travel or a professional duty beyond our control. But for the normal course of life, the call is for vigilance, discipline and separation of the prayers.
Let’s remember that a believer does not offer prayer when they have time; rather, a true believer makes time to offer the prayers.