If we are in a gathering — not a gathering of knowledge, and we are a group — is it permissible for us to delay the 'Isha' prayer until midnight without praying with the congregation of the mosque?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Al-Huwayni: Yes, very well. Regarding the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he delayed the 'Isha' prayer, he said: Sunan an-Nasa'i 532Sahih (Darussalam).
The Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Huwayni: With the exception, is it permissible to make an exception for the 'Isha' prayer specifically, if — for example — we are in a gathering that is not a gathering of knowledge or the like, and we are a group like this group, is it permissible for us to delay the 'Isha' prayer until midnight as in the hadith?
The Shaykh : I think the answer to this question was included implicitly in the answer to the first question, but from my understanding of what you mentioned, you perhaps raised this question for the sake of clarification. I said that there is no difference between the congregation for 'Isha' and the congregations for the other prayers in that it is obligatory to respond to the invitation to them. This is the answer to this second question, because the hadith you mentioned only clarifies the virtue of delaying the 'Isha' prayer. This is what distinguishes the 'Isha' prayer from the other prayers, where it is prescribed in the other prayers to hasten, whereas in the 'Isha' prayer it is recommended to delay. However, if the matter revolves between losing the congregation in the mosque and performing the 'Isha' prayer at its best time outside the mosque congregation, there is no doubt that the mosque congregation is preferred and takes precedence over a non-mosque congregation at the best time for the 'Isha' prayer. To summarize: if the matter revolves between two things, one of which is obligatory and the other is a recommended practice or recommended, there is no doubt that jurisprudence does not support in any way preferring the recommended over the obligatory. Therefore, one must strive to pray the congregation for 'Isha' in the mosque, even if it is prayed at the beginning of the time, rather than delaying this prayer to its last time outside the mosque.
Al-Huwayni: There is a problem here regarding the report that came from Imam Ahmad. If it is said that the congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory, does the statement of Imam Ahmad regarding the permissibility of delaying mean that it undermines the obligation? I mean, the obligation is perhaps like...
The Shaykh : No, it does not undermine it, because the evidence establishing the obligation of the congregational prayer is so strong that it cannot be shaken from its indication. But it is said only that an exception is made for a lesson like this lesson, which we qualified with the Book and the Sunnah, as a dispensation for missing the obligatory only. As for the impact of the story on the evidence, that is the furthest thing from being correct.
This is (the best) time (for 'Isha'), were it not that this would be too difficult for my Ummah.
إنه للوقت لولا أن أشقَّ على أمتيThe Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Huwayni: With the exception, is it permissible to make an exception for the 'Isha' prayer specifically, if — for example — we are in a gathering that is not a gathering of knowledge or the like, and we are a group like this group, is it permissible for us to delay the 'Isha' prayer until midnight as in the hadith?
The Shaykh : I think the answer to this question was included implicitly in the answer to the first question, but from my understanding of what you mentioned, you perhaps raised this question for the sake of clarification. I said that there is no difference between the congregation for 'Isha' and the congregations for the other prayers in that it is obligatory to respond to the invitation to them. This is the answer to this second question, because the hadith you mentioned only clarifies the virtue of delaying the 'Isha' prayer. This is what distinguishes the 'Isha' prayer from the other prayers, where it is prescribed in the other prayers to hasten, whereas in the 'Isha' prayer it is recommended to delay. However, if the matter revolves between losing the congregation in the mosque and performing the 'Isha' prayer at its best time outside the mosque congregation, there is no doubt that the mosque congregation is preferred and takes precedence over a non-mosque congregation at the best time for the 'Isha' prayer. To summarize: if the matter revolves between two things, one of which is obligatory and the other is a recommended practice or recommended, there is no doubt that jurisprudence does not support in any way preferring the recommended over the obligatory. Therefore, one must strive to pray the congregation for 'Isha' in the mosque, even if it is prayed at the beginning of the time, rather than delaying this prayer to its last time outside the mosque.
Al-Huwayni: There is a problem here regarding the report that came from Imam Ahmad. If it is said that the congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory, does the statement of Imam Ahmad regarding the permissibility of delaying mean that it undermines the obligation? I mean, the obligation is perhaps like...
The Shaykh : No, it does not undermine it, because the evidence establishing the obligation of the congregational prayer is so strong that it cannot be shaken from its indication. But it is said only that an exception is made for a lesson like this lesson, which we qualified with the Book and the Sunnah, as a dispensation for missing the obligatory only. As for the impact of the story on the evidence, that is the furthest thing from being correct.
Source
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