Short answer
No, not in the sense of praying two prayers in one prayer's time, except at Arafah and Muzdalifah during Hajj. What Hanafis may do is pray Dhuhr near the end of its time and Asr at the start of its time, back to back. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools allow real combining when travelling and in some other cases.
Joining two prayers in the time of one (jam' haqiqi) is not allowed for travel, rain, work or illness; it is only done at Arafah (Dhuhr and Asr) and Muzdalifah (Maghrib and Isha) in Hajj. A prayer prayed before its time is invalid, and one delayed past its time without excuse is sinful. Praying each at the edge of its own time (jam' suri) is permitted.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A traveller on a qasr-length journey may combine Dhuhr with Asr and Maghrib with Isha in the time of either; combining for rain is also allowed in congregation.
- Maliki
- Combining is allowed for travel, for rain at the masjid between Maghrib and Isha, and for some illnesses.
- Hanbali
- Combining is allowed for travel, illness, rain and other real hardship.
Explanation
Allah says prayer is prescribed at fixed times. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, a close Companion, said he never saw the Prophet ﷺ pray a prayer outside its time except two: Maghrib and Isha joined at Muzdalifah, and Fajr early that morning. The Hanafi school takes this as its basis and reads the other reports of combining as jam' suri: praying the first prayer at the end of its time and the second at the start of its time, so they look joined.
At work or school:
- Dhuhr usually has a window of three hours or more; use your lunch break.
- For Asr, pray at the start of its time if your shift ends later. In winter the gap is short, so plan ahead.
- Ask your employer for a short break and a quiet room. In the US, the UK and Canada employers are generally expected to make reasonable religious accommodation.
- If you cannot step away at all and the time is about to end, pray where you are, briefly, rather than let it pass.
The report from Ibn Abbas that the Prophet ﷺ once combined prayers in Madinah without fear or rain is read by Hanafis as jam' suri, and the other schools also do not take it as a general permission. If you follow another school and combine while travelling, that is a valid position for you to follow.
If a prayer is missed, make it up as soon as possible; see making up missed prayers. For travel, see qasr prayer and our salah tracker.
The evidence
Quran, Surah An-Nisaa 4:103
فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ قِيَٰمًۭا وَقُعُودًۭا وَعَلَىٰ جُنُوبِكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا ٱطْمَأْنَنتُمْ فَأَقِيمُوا۟ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَٰبًۭا مَّوْقُوتًۭا ﴿١٠٣﴾
And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times.
Each prayer has its own fixed time.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1682
Sahih... ما رأيت النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم صلى صلاة بغير ميقاتها إلا صلاتين ...
"I never saw the Prophet pray a prayer outside its time except two prayers."
Combining was limited to the Hajj cases.
Sahih Muslim 705
Sahih... جمع رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بين الظهر والعصر والمغرب والعشاء بالمدينة في غير خوف ولا مطر ...
"The Messenger of Allah combined Dhuhr and Asr, and Maghrib and Isha, in Madinah without fear or rain."
Hanafis read this as praying each at the edge of its own time.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Salah, chapter on times. No two prayers are joined in one time for any excuse except at Arafah and Muzdalifah.
- Bada'i al-Sana'i, Chapter on prayer times, combining. Explains jam' suri and the Hanafi reading of the reports of combining.
- Minhaj al-Talibin, Chapter on shortening and combining. The Shafi'i rules for combining on a journey and for rain.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.