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‘Asr and the traveller

21-06-2009

Question 5975

A person is travelling and at a given destination he offers salaatul 'Asr. Then he continues his journey and when he arrives at his destination, he discovers that the time of 'Asr has not even entered yet. Does he now have to offer 'Asr again? Please note that there are several such scenarios and so I would appreciate that you shed some light on the topic.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

He does not have to pray Asr a second time, because when he combined Asr with Zuhr, he was in a state when doing so is permitted, and he did not know for sure when he combined the two prayers that he would reach his destination before Asr. Even if he did know for sure when he combined Asr with Zuhr that he would reach his destination before Asr, it is still permissible for him to join the two prayers, as was stated in a fatwa by many of the scholars.

This scenario resembles another, which is when a man cannot find water, so he prays with tayammum (dry ablution performed with sand or earth), then he finds water before the time for that prayer is over: he does not have to repeat the prayer.

In the case of the traveller, the time of Zuhr is in fact the time of Zuhr and Asr, and the time of Asr is the time of Asr and Zuhr. And Allaah knows best.

Prayer of the Traveler
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