Combining Prayers in the Rain and Combining Prayers in Severe Cold
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The questioner : Regarding combining prayers in the rain and in severe cold, it is obligatory in the Sunnah that people combine, meaning... is there rain where they combine?
The Shaykh : It is the well-known hadith of Ibn Abbas in Sahih Muslim: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha' prayers, in Madinah, out of neither fear nor rain." They asked: What did he intend by that? He said: He intended to not burden his Ummah. So the meaning of this hadith is that combining for rain was known among them, just as combining for fear was known, and even shortening the prayer due to fear. In addition to this, in a Sunnah that is neglected today, when there is rain, the mu'adhdhin says, either instead of "Hayya 'ala al-salah, hayya 'ala al-falah," or along with them: "Pray in your homes, pray in your homes." The meaning of that is that in the state of falling rain, the obligation of congregation is lifted. So combining was legislated in the state of rain so that the reward of congregation in the second prayer would not be lost for people; because it is assumed that when rains are usually falling, it is not guaranteed that they will clear up now so that they can assume they will not combine, and in the second prayer—for example, Asr or Isha'—they might come down and pray in congregation as usual. So the legislation of the mu'adhdhin saying "Pray in your homes" means it is a dispensation for people, even those who were not able to combine, that if it is the time of the adhan for the second prayer and it is raining, they do not have to come down and pray in the mosque. So this means, from the perspective of what? A dispensation. So combining is a dispensation, and praying at home when it is raining is a dispensation. Without this, it would not be permissible to be absent.
Another questioner : I mean, what is the degree of the dispensation in terms of easing... or is its ruling a recommended practice... like the rulings?
The Shaykh : We do not have, my brother, this precise definition that you are asking about, except his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Ibn Hibban 6:48. In the other hadith: Bulugh al-Maram 2:341; so the meaning of this is that it is better for the Muslim to maintain the dispensations, and not to disdain them and stay away from them.
The questioner : Yes, I do.
Another questioner : I mean, like the dispensation for the traveler... or the breaking of the fast of the sick person in Ramadan?
The Shaykh : Exactly like it, but the shortening for the traveler is different from combining. Combining for him is a dispensation, as we are saying now for the resident, whereas shortening is an obligation, and it is not permissible for him to complete the prayer.
The Shaykh : It is the well-known hadith of Ibn Abbas in Sahih Muslim: "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) combined the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha' prayers, in Madinah, out of neither fear nor rain." They asked: What did he intend by that? He said: He intended to not burden his Ummah. So the meaning of this hadith is that combining for rain was known among them, just as combining for fear was known, and even shortening the prayer due to fear. In addition to this, in a Sunnah that is neglected today, when there is rain, the mu'adhdhin says, either instead of "Hayya 'ala al-salah, hayya 'ala al-falah," or along with them: "Pray in your homes, pray in your homes." The meaning of that is that in the state of falling rain, the obligation of congregation is lifted. So combining was legislated in the state of rain so that the reward of congregation in the second prayer would not be lost for people; because it is assumed that when rains are usually falling, it is not guaranteed that they will clear up now so that they can assume they will not combine, and in the second prayer—for example, Asr or Isha'—they might come down and pray in congregation as usual. So the legislation of the mu'adhdhin saying "Pray in your homes" means it is a dispensation for people, even those who were not able to combine, that if it is the time of the adhan for the second prayer and it is raining, they do not have to come down and pray in the mosque. So this means, from the perspective of what? A dispensation. So combining is a dispensation, and praying at home when it is raining is a dispensation. Without this, it would not be permissible to be absent.
Another questioner : I mean, what is the degree of the dispensation in terms of easing... or is its ruling a recommended practice... like the rulings?
The Shaykh : We do not have, my brother, this precise definition that you are asking about, except his saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
Indeed, Allah loves that His dispensations be taken, just as He loves that His strict rulings be taken
إن الله يحبُّ أن تُؤتى رُخَصُه كما يحبُّ أن تُؤتى عزائمهjust as he dislikes that disobedience to Him be committed
كما يكره أن تُؤتى معصيتُهThe questioner : Yes, I do.
Another questioner : I mean, like the dispensation for the traveler... or the breaking of the fast of the sick person in Ramadan?
The Shaykh : Exactly like it, but the shortening for the traveler is different from combining. Combining for him is a dispensation, as we are saying now for the resident, whereas shortening is an obligation, and it is not permissible for him to complete the prayer.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.