TANYA JAWAB PERMASALAHAN AGAMA

On this occasion, the Sheikh gives the opportunity to the congregation present to ask questions. Questions can relate to deeds, sacrificial offerings, or others. What can be answered will be answered, and what cannot be, wallahu a’lam bisshawab.

Questioner:

Assalamu'alaikum warahmatullah. How is the implementation of combined prayers on Friday? Can we perform the combined Dhuhr prayer with Asr on Friday?

Sheikh:

Wa'alaikumsalam warahmatullah. Regarding the implementation of combined prayers on Friday, there are two types of combination that need to be understood:

1. Jamak Takdim – The second obligatory prayer (for example, Asr) is performed together with the first obligatory prayer (Dhuhr or Friday), or the Isha prayer is performed together with Maghrib.

2. Jamak Takhir – The first prayer (Dhuhr) is performed at the time of the second (Asr), or Maghrib is performed at the time of Isha.

What is the ruling on combining prayers? This combination is permissible. However, there are two types: takdim and takhir. Whether both are permissible, or only one type, is a very important issue. The correct type according to the valid evidence is that the majority of the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) indicate that when the Prophet traveled, he performed all combinations in the form of jamak takhir.

The hadith is narrated by Abdullah, Abu Hurairah, Abdullah ibn Abbas, Abdullah ibn Amr, and many other companions. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) set out before the time of Dhuhr, he postponed the Dhuhr prayer until the time of Asr, then performed the Dhuhr prayer at the time of Asr, followed by the Asr prayer thereafter.

Likewise, when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) heard the call to prayer before departing, he performed two rak'ahs of Dhuhr, then set off. When the time for Asr arrived, he descended and performed the Asr prayer. So, he performed the Dhuhr prayer first, and then performed the Asr prayer at its time, and the same goes for Isha.

There is one narration from Abdullah ibn Abbas narrated by Qutaibah ibn Sa'id (a reliable narrator). However, this narration is problematic because it contains a weakness. Imam Bukhari, Imam Ahmad, and other hadith scholars criticized this narration, stating that there is no authentic hadith about jamak takdim.

Imam Bukhari was a very intelligent scholar in the field of 'Ilal Hadith (the science that studies hidden defects in hadith). He was able to identify errors in the hadith narrated by Qutaibah ibn Sa'id.

At one point, Imam Bukhari asked Qutaibah ibn Sa'id, "From whom did you hear this hadith?" Then Qutaibah mentioned the name of a narrator. This narrator was responsible for writing the hadith in his notebook. However, there was one error that occurred. Sometimes, when we are in a study circle, we write down hadith conveyed by a Sheikh. However, there may be times when we are negligent in recording or leave our notes unattended. In this case, a friend may take our notebook and write down a hadith that did not actually come from that Sheikh.

After some time, when we reopen our notebook, we may not realize that there are additional hadiths that are not from a valid source. We might believe that the entire contents of that notebook are our own writings and came from the Sheikh, while in fact, there was someone else who added that hadith without our knowledge. This is what happened to Qutaibah ibn Sa'id. A friend with poor memorization added hadith to his notes.

The scholars then said that this person had issues with honesty because he stole his friend's notes and added incorrect hadiths. The hadith in question is the one about jamak takdim, which then became invalid. Imam Bukhari was able to identify this error and recorded the weakness in the narration of that hadith.

Other hadith scholars also criticized this hadith and stated that it is not authentic. Imam Bukhari and other hadith scholars such as Imam Al-Uqaili clearly stated that there is no authentic hadith that supports jamak takdim.

In conclusion, the majority of hadith scholars state that there is no authentic hadith regarding jamak takdim, except for one authentic hadith, which is when the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was on the Day of Arafah during Hajj. The Prophet only performed Hajj once in his lifetime, and the Day of Arafah coincided with Friday. When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was at Arafah, after zawal (the time when the sun passes its zenith), he performed two rak'ahs of Dhuhr, not Friday prayer. After the iqamah, he immediately continued with the two rak'ahs of Asr. This is an example of jamak takdim.

According to the scholars of hadith, this was not done because of travel, but because of the nusuk (ritual of Hajj). This is specifically applicable during the Hajj ritual, not for travel in general.

After finishing at Arafah and when the sun set, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) entered Muzdalifah. At the time of Maghrib, after the Maghrib call to prayer, he performed ablution. At that time, Bilal said, "O Messenger of Allah, are we going to pray?" The Prophet replied, "Pray in front," meaning later at the time of Isha. When the Isha call to prayer was announced, the Prophet descended and performed the three rak'ahs of Maghrib, then continued with the two rak'ahs of Isha at the time of Isha (jamak takhir).

If jamak takdim is permissible here, why did the Prophet not perform the Isha prayer together with Maghrib when entering Muzdalifah? The answer is that jamak takdim is not legislated.

This is a matter of khilafiyah (difference of opinion). The majority of scholars hold that both jamak takdim and jamak takhir are permissible. Those who allow jamak takdim also permit combining Asr prayer with Friday prayer after completing the Friday prayer. However, there are also scholars who oppose this because they argue that the type of Friday prayer is different from Asr prayer, unlike Dhuhr prayer, which can be combined with Asr prayer.

The opinion that prohibits combining Friday and Asr prayers argues that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) never did it except in Arafah, and that was due to nusuk (ritual of Hajj), not due to travel.

In travel, what is more commonly practiced is jamak takhir, not jamak takdim. Wallahu a'lam. This is what I see as stronger, and Alhamdulillah Allah has granted me the ability to write a discussion that has been published about jamak takdim. Imam Bukhari, Imam Al-Uqaili, and other hadith scholars rejected all hadiths that support jamak takdim. Wallahu a'lam.