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Is it permissible to combine the Maghrib and Isha prayers by performing them both at the time of Maghrib, given the difficulty of observing them at their prescribed times due to the long nights in the Netherlands, breastfeeding, and lack of sleep? And is it permissible for a breastfeeding woman to break her fast in Ramadan?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Prayer must be performed on time, and it is not permissible to combine two prayers except for a legitimate reason. Sleep is not an excuse for combining prayers.

Some breastfeeding mothers have been granted a concession to combine prayers due to the difficulty of separating prayers because of frequent handling of impurities. However, you do not have a concession to combine prayers due to sleep.

If you are able to stay awake until the time of Isha, that is preferable. If sleep overtakes you, you must take measures to wake up, such as setting an alarm. If you wake up, that is what is required. If you do not wake up after taking all necessary measures, there is no sin upon you.

As for Ramadan, a breastfeeding mother is permitted to break her fast, and she must make up the days she missed. She also must pay a fidyah (expiatory feeding) of one poor person for each day she broke her fast if the breaking of the fast was out of fear for the child.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

Read the full answer on Ftawy