(Q. 1) To my knowledge offering Salāh is forbidden at sunset and sunrise. Is it also forbidden to pray at zawāl (mid noon)? Are other forms of worship like reading the Qur’ān, remembering Allah, saying Du‘ā also forbidden at these times?

(Q. 2) I have seen some people saying their Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers and Maghrib and ‘Ishā prayers together at one time either when they are travelling or when they are very busy. They say that it is a Sunnah. Could you please tell me if this is permissible, and in what circumstances is it permissible?.

(Q. 3) Can the various supplications (Ad‘iyā) generally said at the end of the Salāh be uttered in one’s native language?

(Q. 4) Is it permissible to say Al-hamdulillāh if one sneezes during Salāh and say Yarhamukallāh during Salāh if another person sneezes?

(A. 1) According to the Sunnah established by the Prophet (sws), offering any kind of Salah or Sajdah (prostration) is prohibited at the times of sunrise and sunset only since it is at these times that certain polytheists worship the sun. Other forms of worship are not prohibited at these times.

(A. 2) In religious parlance, combining the Zuhr and ‘Asr prayers and Maghrib and ‘Ishā prayers, is called ‘Jam‘a bayn al-salātayn’. It is only allowed during travel. In no other circumstances is it allowed.

(A. 3) Yes they can be uttered so since the Prophet (sws) has positively bound us at five specific places to say certain Adhkār (utterances to remember Allah) in Arabic, and the Ad‘iyā are not one of them. They are: (i) Saying Allāhu Akbar at the beginning of the Salāh and at every point of ascent or descent during the course of the Salāh, (ii) Reciting Sūrah Fātihah at the beginning of each Rak‘at, (iii) Reciting some portion of the Qur’ān after Sūrah Fātihah and (iv) saying Sam‘i Allāhu Liman Hamidah and Rabbana Laka al-Hand when one rises to stand up after doing Ruk‘ū, (v) saying Al-salāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāh to signal the end of the Salāh.

(A. 4) Though there is no ruling in the Sharī‘ah about the situation you have stated, common sense dictates that when standing before the Almighty in Salāh, this should be avoided. Though both Salāh and saying certain words at the time of sneezing are forms of remembering Allah, one feels that since in doing the former one is already involved in remembering Allah in a formal way, other forms of remembering Allah should be left to circumstances when one is not praying.