with the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) during the expedition of Tabuk, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) used to combine Dhuhr and 'Asr, and Maghrib and 'Isha'. He said: He delayed the prayer one day, then went out and prayed Dhuhr and 'Asr together, then he entered, then went out and prayed Maghrib and 'Isha' together. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: This is a sahih (authentic) hadith with a confirmed chain of narration. The scholars of biography (siyar) stated that the expedition of Tabuk took place in Rajab, in the year nine. In this hadith are the clearest proofs and strongest arguments in refutation of those who said: 'One does not combine two prayers unless one is pressed by travel,' for he used to combine them while he was settled and not traveling, staying in his tent, going out to pray the two prayers together, then returning to his tent. This hadith was recorded by Muslim in his Sahih, saying: 'And he used to pray Dhuhr and 'Asr together, and Maghrib and 'Isha' together.' Adopting this hadith is mandatory because of its established status, its being explicit regarding the ruling, and because there is no contradictory evidence. Furthermore, combining prayers is a concession (rukhsah) of travel; therefore, it is not restricted to the state of traveling, just like shortening prayers (qasr) and wiping over leather socks (mash). However, delaying the prayer is more virtuous because it is an act of precaution, avoids the disagreement of those who say otherwise, and puts all the hadiths into practice.

Section: It is not permissible to combine prayers except during a journey that permits shortening the prayers (qasr). Malik, and al-Shafi'i in one of his two views, said: