6/6. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 706b — Combining Prayers to Avoid Hardship
Joining two prayers when not traveling
Hadith About Combining Prayers and Avoiding Hardship
Sahih Muslim : 706b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 706b
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ حَبِيبٍ، حَدَّثَنَا خَالِدٌ، - يَعْنِي ابْنَ الْحَارِثِ - حَدَّثَنَا قُرَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ، حَدَّثَنَا عَامِرُ بْنُ وَاثِلَةَ أَبُو الطُّفَيْلِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ، قَالَ جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَبَيْنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ . قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مَا حَمَلَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ .
Mu'adh bin Jabal Narrated from:
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) combined in the expedition to Tabuk the noon prayer with the afternoon prayer and the sunset prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. He (one of the narrators) said: What prompted him to do that? He (Mu'adh) replied that he (the Holy Prophet) wanted that his Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 706bIn-book reference : Book 6, Hadith 63USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1519
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 706b
This Hadith gives both the action and the reason behind it. Muadh ibn Jabal reported that during the Tabuk expedition, the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلم combined Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha. When asked what led him to do this, Muadh said that the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم wanted his Ummah not to face unnecessary hardship. This is why the hadith about combining prayers is often searched by people who want to understand ease in Salah during hard situations. The text does not ask us to ignore prayer. Instead, it shows prayer being kept with care while hardship is reduced. The lesson is simple: worship remains firm, and Allah’s Messenger صلى الله عليه وسلم cared for the Ummah.
What we learn from this hadith
- The Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم combined two pairs of prayers during Tabuk.
- The reason given was to avoid unnecessary hardship for the Ummah.
- The Hadith connects prayer practice with care and mercy.
- It shows that ease can exist while prayer is still maintained.
