Can I Combine Prayers Due to a Busy College Schedule?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz A. Khan

Question: My Question is about combining salaah. The conditions of it and when it could be done.

My situation is that I’m a college student and I start a bit late in the day around 12 noon and then other days even later and arrive home by maghrib time. So far I’ve been able to get out of class to pray, but as winter is getting closer, the times for salaah are getting closer. Another problem is that doing wudhu takes me some time to do and sometimes it breaks  so I have to keep repeating wudhu and then I go to pray. By the time I’m done more than 10 minutes have passed. The last time I did this, I think it took me about 20 minutes to get all that done and get back to class. I’m fearing that this may affect my grades in school.   I only face this sitaution on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. My classes start around Zuhr time and end close to maghrib. I get home when Maghrib starts.  

Basically, I want to know if this situation is one that allows me to combine my prayers, like Zuhr with Asr.

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray this finds you in the best of health and states.

The short answer is that it would not be permissible for you to combine prayers due to your class schedule.

Try your very best to pray each prayer in its appointed time, ask Allah to make this easy for you, take the means to facilitate the prayer while on campus, and realize that praying on time despite the difficulty is of the most pleasing acts of worship to Allah Most High.

The Prayer: Our Appointment with the Divine

The prayer (salat) is our connection (sila) with Allah Most High. It is the most important practice in our faith, and it gives meaning to our worldly endeavors, which are empty and meaningless without the prayer.

One of the most salient features of the prayer is that it be performed in its proper time, as to delay a prayer past its time without a valid excuse is a major sin.
Allah Most High states in the Qur’an: “Verily the prayer has been enjoined on believers as an obligation in fixed, appointed times.” (4:103)

In addition, the very first chapter of Imam Malik’s renowned hadith collection, the Muwatta’, is “The Book of the Prayer Times.” According to the commentator Imam Zurqani, Imam Malik placed it at the beginning before the chapters on purification since the prayer time is the very basis of the prayer being obligatory. Once the time enters, then purification becomes obligatory, so the time is of utmost importance. [Zurqani, Sharh al-Muwatta’]

And within that chapter, Imam Malik relates a beautiful hadith in which our Master Umar (Allah be well pleased with him) wrote to his governors:
“Verily, the most important of your affairs in my estimation is the prayer. So whoever learns it properly and vigilantly performs it within its appointed times has preserved his very religion. And whoever fails to perform it on time, he will be even more careless with everything else.” [Muwatta’]

This is very telling insight on the part of our Master Umar, who saw that if one is neglectful of the prayer with respect to performing it on time, such a person will be even more neglectful with his other tasks, whether relating to this life or the next. The prayer grounds our affairs and provides stability whereby all our endeavors will fall into place and be successful, inshaAllah.

And recall that our Master Umar is the one about whom our Messenger (Allah bless him and send him peace) said, “Had there been a prophet after me, it would have been Umar.” [Tirmidhi, Ahmad]

Some Practical Tips

(a) Wear khuffs (or thick socks that fulfill the conditions for wiping), and wipe over them instead of washing your feet. This will save time in wudu.

(b) With respect to your difficulty keeping wudu, do not assume wudu is broken unless you are absolutely certain. If you make wudu and then have doubt as to whether you broke it or not, then return to your default that you have wudu, and think nothing of the doubt.

(c) Related to that, be vigilant against obsessive whisperings (waswasa), especially with regards to wudu. Give no weight to waswasa, and seek refuge in Allah against it.

(d) Have someone record the lectures for you, so that even if you end up missing a good amount, you can go through the material later. That way, your absence will not affect your studies, inshaAllah.

(e) If things are too hectic, then omit the sunna prayers and just do the obligatory prayers (fard): in that case, you may simply pray the four obligatory rakas of zuhr. This is better than delaying the prayer past its time, which is a major sin.

I know it is difficult, but try your best. This is spiritual struggle (mujahada) for the sake of Allah alone. He loves to see us put our full effort to serve him, especially with the prayer. You will find immense blessings (baraka) in your life, inshaAllah. Be patient and steadfast, and show Allah you love Him. In return, you get nothing short of His love, and eternal bliss.

I pray Allah makes it easy for you to establish your prayer, and that you find its fruits in both abodes. Amin.

And Allah knows best.
wassalam
Faraz

Checked & Approved by Faraz Rabbani