Permissibility of combining prayers without being fearful or in travel

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed the noon and afternoon prayers together, and the sunset and Isha' prayers together without being in a state of fear or in a state of journey.  

صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ جَمِيعًا وَالْمَغْرِبَ وَالْعِشَاءَ جَمِيعًا فِي غَيْرِ خَوْفٍ وَلاَ سَفَرٍ  

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed the noon and afternoon prayers together in Medina without being in a state of fear or in a state of journey. (Abu Zubair said: I asked Sa'id [one of the narrators] why he did that. He said: I asked Ibn 'Abbas as you have asked me, and he replied that he [the Holy Prophet] wanted that no one among his Ummah should be put to [unnecessary] hardship.)  

صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ جَمِيعًا بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي غَيْرِ خَوْفٍ وَلاَ سَفَرٍ قَالَ أَبُو الزُّبَيْرِ فَسَأَلْتُ سَعِيدًا لِمَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ سَأَلْتُ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ كَمَا سَأَلْتَنِي فَقَالَ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أَحَدًا مِنْ أُمَّتِهِ  

What prompted him to do this? He said: He wanted that his Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الصَّلاَةِ فِي سَفْرَةٍ سَافَرَهَا فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ فَجَمَعَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ قَالَ سَعِيدٌ فَقُلْتُ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ مَا حَمَلَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ  

We set out with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ on the Tabuk expedition, and he observed the noon and afternoon prayers together and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers together.  

خَرَجْنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ فَكَانَ يُصَلِّي الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ جَمِيعًا وَالْمَغْرِبَ وَالْعِشَاءَ جَمِيعًا  

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.  

جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَبَيْنَ الْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ مَا حَمَلَهُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَقَالَ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ  

" I said to Ibn 'Abbas: What prompted him to do that? He said: So that his (Prophet's) Ummah should not be put to (unnecessary) hardship." And in the hadith transmitted by Mu'awiya (the words are):" It was said to Ibn 'Abbas: What did he intend thereby? He said he wanted that his Ummah should not be put to unnecessary hardship."  

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو كُرَيْبٍ وَأَبُو سَعِيدٍ الأَشَجُّ وَاللَّفْظُ لأَبِي كُرَيْبٍ قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ كِلاَهُمَا عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ حَبِيبِ بْنِ أَبِي ثَابِتٍ عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ جَمَعَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فِي غَيْرِ خَوْفٍ وَلاَ مَطَرٍ فِي حَدِيثِ وَكِيعٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ لِمَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ قَالَ كَىْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ وَفِي حَدِيثِ أَبِي مُعَاوِيَةَ قِيلَ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ مَا أَرَادَ إِلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَرَادَ أَنْ لاَ يُحْرِجَ أُمَّتَهُ  

I observed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ eight (rak'ahs) in combination, and seven rak'ahs in combination. I (one of the narrators) said: O Abd Sha'tha', I think that he (the Holy Prophet) had delayed the noon prayer and hastened the afternoon prayer, and he delayed the sunset prayer and hastened the 'Isha' prayer. He said: I also think so.  

صَلَّيْتُ مَعَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ثَمَانِيًا جَمِيعًا وَسَبْعًا جَمِيعًا قُلْتُ يَا أَبَا الشَّعْثَاءِ أَظُنُّهُ أَخَّرَ الظُّهْرَ وَعَجَّلَ الْعَصْرَ وَأَخَّرَ الْمَغْرِبَ وَعَجَّلَ الْعِشَاءَ قَالَ وَأَنَا أَظُنُّ ذَاكَ  

Ibn 'Abbas reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ observed in Medina seven (rak'ahs) and eight (rak'ahs), i. e. (be combined) the noon and afternoon prayers (eight rak'ahs) and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers (seven rak'ahs).  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلَّى بِالْمَدِينَةِ سَبْعًا وَثَمَانِيًا الظُّهْرَ وَالْعَصْرَ وَالْمَغْرِبَ وَالْعِشَاءَ  

Ibn 'Abbas one day addressed us in the afternoon (after the afternoon prayer) till the sun disappeared and the stars appeared, and the people began to say: Prayer, prayer. A person from Banu Tamim came there. He neither slackened nor turned away, but (continued crying): Prayer, prayer. Ibn 'Abbas said: May you be deprived of your mother, do you teach me Sunnah? And then he said: I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ combining the noon and afternoon prayers and the sunset and 'Isha' prayers. 'Abdullah b. Shaqiq said: Some doubt was created in my mind about it. So I came to Abu Huraira and asked him (about it) and he testified his assertion.  

فَجَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ لاَ يَفْتُرُ وَلاَ يَنْثَنِي الصَّلاَةَ الصَّلاَةَ فَقَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ أَتُعَلِّمُنِي بِالسُّنَّةِ لاَ أُمَّ لَكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ جَمَعَ بَيْنَ الظُّهْرِ وَالْعَصْرِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ وَالْعِشَاءِ قَالَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ شَقِيقٍ فَحَاكَ فِي صَدْرِي مِنْ ذَلِكَ شَىْءٌ فَأَتَيْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ فَسَأَلْتُهُ فَصَدَّقَ مَقَالَتَهُ  

A person said to Ibn 'Abbas (as he delayed the prayer): Prayer. He kept silence. He again said: Prayer. He again kept silence, and he again cried: Prayer. He again kept silence and said: May you be deprived of your mother, do you teach us about prayer? We used to combine two prayers during the life of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.  

رَجُلٌ لاِبْنِ عَبَّاسٍ الصَّلاَةَ فَسَكَتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ الصَّلاَةَ فَسَكَتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ الصَّلاَةَ فَسَكَتَ ثُمَّ قَالَ لاَ أُمَّ لَكَ أَتُعَلِّمُنَا بِالصَّلاَةِ وَكُنَّا نَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ الصَّلاَتَيْنِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ