The ruling on combining two prayers when the congregation is missed or when traveling

The questioner : For example, I came to the prayer and the imam had already combined the Maghrib prayer with the 'Isha' prayer. Is it permissible in this case to combine them, meaning one prayer? First of all.

The Shaykh : Even the congregation, so you combine them. It is valid, but do you know the reason? This is different from that.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : I mean, here now there is no congregation. I mean, like a person in normal circumstances enters the mosque and finds that I have not prayed. What does he do? He prays alone. If he is excused, he is excused; and if he is negligent, he is sinful, because the congregational prayer has passed him, and it is an obligation. Likewise, this situation is known to all scholars: as long as the Friday prayer has passed him, he combines, because the dispensation is still in effect, but the obstacle present in his question is not present here. Is that clear?

The questioner : By Allah, my Shaykh, no problem, Sulayman.

The Shaykh : No problem, but is the answer clear? I am not...