49 - Chapter: How the Combining [of Prayers] Is Done

609 - We were informed by al-Husayn(1) ibn Hurayth, who said: Sufyan narrated to us, from Ibrahim ibn 'Uqbah and Muhammad ibn Abi Harmalah, from Kurayb, from Ibn 'Abbas, from Usamah ibn Zayd — and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had seated him behind him on the ride from 'Arafah. When he reached the mountain pass, he dismounted and urinated — and he did not say "he relieved himself of water" — [Usamah] said: Then I poured water over him from a small waterskin, and he performed ablution.

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And among what strengthens his statement is that 'Abd al-Razzaq narrated it in al-Musannaf (4420) from Sufyan al-Thawri, from al-A'mash, with this chain of transmission, with the wording: "I never saw the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, pray any prayer except at its time, except that he combined the noon and afternoon prayers at 'Arafah, and the sunset and night prayers at Muzdalifah." Then he cited after it from Ibn 'Uyaynah something similar, who said: "And he prayed the dawn prayer that day before its time."

Likewise, the hadith has been narrated through another chain with the wording: "The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to pray each prayer at its time except at Muzdalifah and 'Arafat." This will come at number (3010). So the statement of al-Sindi — that it seems Ibn Mas'ud was not aware of combining at 'Arafah — is not correct.

And al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath 3/526: The restriction in it is not to be taken literally, due to their consensus on the legitimacy of combining the noon and afternoon prayers at 'Arafah.

Furthermore, restricting combining to 'Arafah and Muzdalifah in this hadith is not a decisive proof, because someone other than Ibn Mas'ud recorded from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, that he combined two prayers during travel at places other than 'Arafah and Muzdalifah, and one who has recorded [something] is a proof against one who has not recorded it and was not present. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said this in al-Tamhid 12/198-199.

And Ahmad narrated it (3893), (3969), (4293), and (4399), and al-Bukhari (1675) and (1683), via Abu Ishaq al-Sabi'i, from 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Yazid, with similar wording, and in it is the story of Ibn Mas'ud combining the sunset and night prayers and taking his dinner between them.

The hadith will come at number (3010) via the chain of Shu'bah, and at number (3027) via the chain of Dawud ibn Nusayr al-Ta'i, and at number (3038) via the chain of Abu Mu'awiyah — all three of them from al-A'mash, with it.

His statement: "before its time" — meaning: before the customary time in which it is performed in residence. See Fath al-Bari 3/525-526.

(1) In (R) and (M): Abu 'Ammar al-Husayn...