The reason the Prophet did not impose a discretionary punishment on Ibn Umm Maktum, who was blind
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Question:
Honorable Shaykh, why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not impose a discretionary punishment? Why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not impose a discretionary punishment on someone like Ibn Umm Maktum? And given that he was blind, and it is not as if he said, “The city is full of medicine,” and you say, “Out of modesty, this is not a matter you wish to discuss regarding the congregational prayer?”
Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider it an excuse for him, because Ibn Umm Maktum, and Allah knows best, was able to seek a guide for himself. He was able to seek a guide for himself. And if he had a guide with him, the obstacles would be removed: the fear of wild beasts, the fear of insects, and falling into pits. Were it not that, and Allah knows best, Ibn Umm Maktum had the ability to seek a companion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have prevented him from praying in his house. This is what appears to be the case, and Allah knows best.
Honorable Shaykh, why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not impose a discretionary punishment? Why did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) not impose a discretionary punishment on someone like Ibn Umm Maktum? And given that he was blind, and it is not as if he said, “The city is full of medicine,” and you say, “Out of modesty, this is not a matter you wish to discuss regarding the congregational prayer?”
Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider it an excuse for him, because Ibn Umm Maktum, and Allah knows best, was able to seek a guide for himself. He was able to seek a guide for himself. And if he had a guide with him, the obstacles would be removed: the fear of wild beasts, the fear of insects, and falling into pits. Were it not that, and Allah knows best, Ibn Umm Maktum had the ability to seek a companion, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have prevented him from praying in his house. This is what appears to be the case, and Allah knows best.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، بداية من باب صلاة الجماعة والإمامة — islamhouse.com (57:55)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.