Warning Against the Imams’ Laxity in Combining Two Prayers Without a Valid Excuse

Question:
May Allah reward you. This questioner says: I prayed behind an imam who combined the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers because of the rain. When we went out, we found that the rain had stopped. The question is: Do we have to repeat the prayer?

Answer:
By Allah, my brothers, these imams have started playing with the mosques. If he sees a little dust, he combines; if a light drizzle falls, he combines; if he sees dust, he combines. My brothers, this is a breach of trust; it is not permissible to play with the prayer. The prayer is not valid except in its proper time, and combining is not permissible except for a valid religious excuse. The valid religious excuses are limited and well known, so it is not permissible to play with this. Therefore, the congregation should take hold of this imam’s hand, or else they should not pray with him. If he wants to combine, they should not pray behind him; they should go out and leave him alone.