The ruling on combining the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers without a reason
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Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, one of the imams combined the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers yesterday, even though there was no rain at the time of prayer, and the roads were not muddy. As a result, some of the congregation left the mosque after the Maghrib prayer because they did not agree with the imam’s combining, some combined with him, and some were in a state of hesitation. Who is correct among these people? And what is your guidance on this, since this matter is frequent?
Answer:
Combining prayers is not permissible except for one of three things. The first is the time when rain falls that wets the clothes; when the rain falls heavily, it wets the clothes. The second situation is if there is mud on the ground; if there is mud and clay on the ground that makes it difficult for people to wade through the mud, and the roads are dark at that time, a person might fall into the mud without realizing it due to the darkness of the night.
The third situation is if there is a severe, cold wind. These are the conditions for combining, and none of these conditions existed yesterday: no mud, no cold wind, no falling rain. So the one who combined has erred, because he combined without a reason, and those who opposed him hit the truth, while he erred. So the prayer of those who prayed with him is accepted. And I told you that these young people commit strange things and do not ask anyone; rather, they do not acknowledge anyone. They do not acknowledge anyone; they follow their own opinions, and it is not a voluntary act for them. These are matters of religion in which it is not permissible to play, and they are not a place for personal independent legal reasoning. Matters of religion are constrained by evidence and by knowledge. So if you do not know, ask the people of knowledge. Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nahl 16:43] As for you taking your own opinion, it is not enough that you clear yourself, but you also clear the Muslims behind you and mislead them. This is a matter that is not permissible. Yes.
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, one of the imams combined the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers yesterday, even though there was no rain at the time of prayer, and the roads were not muddy. As a result, some of the congregation left the mosque after the Maghrib prayer because they did not agree with the imam’s combining, some combined with him, and some were in a state of hesitation. Who is correct among these people? And what is your guidance on this, since this matter is frequent?
Answer:
Combining prayers is not permissible except for one of three things. The first is the time when rain falls that wets the clothes; when the rain falls heavily, it wets the clothes. The second situation is if there is mud on the ground; if there is mud and clay on the ground that makes it difficult for people to wade through the mud, and the roads are dark at that time, a person might fall into the mud without realizing it due to the darkness of the night.
The third situation is if there is a severe, cold wind. These are the conditions for combining, and none of these conditions existed yesterday: no mud, no cold wind, no falling rain. So the one who combined has erred, because he combined without a reason, and those who opposed him hit the truth, while he erred. So the prayer of those who prayed with him is accepted. And I told you that these young people commit strange things and do not ask anyone; rather, they do not acknowledge anyone. They do not acknowledge anyone; they follow their own opinions, and it is not a voluntary act for them. These are matters of religion in which it is not permissible to play, and they are not a place for personal independent legal reasoning. Matters of religion are constrained by evidence and by knowledge. So if you do not know, ask the people of knowledge. Allah the Exalted said:
So ask the people of the message if you do not know.
فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Source
الجمع بين الصلوات بغير حاجة — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.