The Ruling on Combining Two Prayers Due to Rain

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, recently, due to the falling of rain, it happened that some mosques combined the two prayers of 'Isha'. Is this action permissible? And what is the ruling for the one who did not combine with them and prayed 'Isha' in its time?

Answer:
Combining is not obligatory. So the one who did not combine with them has done well and sought purity for his religion. Combining is permissible if there is heavy rain that wets the clothes. As for if the rain is light, this does not justify combining, because the default is that every prayer is performed in its time. Allah the Exalted said: And only to remove hardship from the Muslims did the Lawgiver permit combining the two prayers for one of three excuses. The first excuse is combining Maghrib and 'Isha' because of rain, and the rain meant is the heavy rain that continues and persists. The second excuse is illness; the sick person for whom it is difficult to pray every prayer in its time and who needs to combine, combines. The third excuse is travel; the one who is in the midst of a journey combines the two prayers in the time of one of them, either combining by advancing or combining by delaying, for the sake of being lenient with him, for the sake of his continuing the journey and not stopping. These are the excuses that permit combining. Yes.