An Examination of Jurists' Views on Combining Two Prayers

Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and holds significant importance for specific conditions and pillars. One of the prerequisites for the validity of prayer is knowledge of its designated times. Numerous Quranic verses and narrations emphasize the necessity of performing prayers at prescribed times and highlight their preference for doing so. Combining the two prayers has long been a contentious ijtihadi issue, with jurists and scholars offering various perspectives. Each school of thought supported its position through distinct arguments. The central question is whether combining these two prayers is permissible. The significance of this research lies in addressing practical issues. It is often heard that some people assume the permissibility of combining two prayers, particularly during travel, by analogy with breaking the fast or shortening prayers. However, acts of worship cannot be established through analogy. The research method was analytical and descriptive, as the topic did not involve fieldwork. Trusted and authoritative sources, including hadith collections and reliable jurisprudential texts of the four Sunni schools of thought, were used. The findings of this study support and give preference to the Hanafi position, which holds that combining these two prayers is impermissible.