Is it permissible for a person praying alone to combine two prayers for an excuse other than a recognized legal excuse (rain, cold, fear, etc.)?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Al-Halabi : Shaykh, we have two questions related to this topic. The first is about a person praying alone combining prayers for an excuse other than rain, which is the excuse that permits combining in the mosque, or naturally cold, or the known excuses for which Muslims combine. Is it permissible... based on the general meaning of the hadith of Ibn Abbas?
The Shaykh : Repeat your question.
Al-Halabi : A person praying alone combining for an excuse other than rain, or for severe cold, which is the reason people combine in mosques.
The Shaykh : What I understood is confusing to me, although your intention is clear. You want to say a person praying alone combining for an excuse that is not an excuse?
Al-Halabi : Since you understood, let it be so.
The Shaykh : We need the attendees to understand.
Another questioner : Yes, we need to understand.
The Shaykh : Do you mean this?
Al-Halabi : Yes, I mean an excuse that is not clear, an excuse in itself.
The Shaykh : We say "for an excuse" because when you did not mention the excuse, the question was confusing to me. Of course, this is what is intended by the hadith of Ibn Abbas; this is the intended meaning. And that is why I objected to Wafi' when he said "to remove hardship."
Al-Halabi: Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is permissible for a person praying alone to combine for an excuse, but this excuse that permits him to delay the prayer from its time or advance the other from its time must be a strong excuse such that it permits neglecting a condition. Do you see? So a fortiori, this excuse would permit neglecting an obligatory duty that is not a condition, meaning neglecting the obligatory congregational prayer.
Al-Halabi: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : So, if we imagine a person who has an excuse to leave the congregational prayer in the mosques of Muslims, and this excuse obligates him to combine the two prayers, then here comes the hadith of Ibn Abbas: he intended not to burden his Ummah.
The questioner : Such as the woman with irregular bleeding, the sick person, and the one with urinary incontinence.
The Shaykh : No, let us give more practical examples, like a traffic police officer, or a soldier who is forced and does not find the time to pray each prayer in its time, and so on.
Al-Halabi : For example, transportation in Cairo, or something like that, meaning it takes two hours for one to reach his home.
The Shaykh : Yes, these things happen often for those praying alone.
The Shaykh : Repeat your question.
Al-Halabi : A person praying alone combining for an excuse other than rain, or for severe cold, which is the reason people combine in mosques.
The Shaykh : What I understood is confusing to me, although your intention is clear. You want to say a person praying alone combining for an excuse that is not an excuse?
Al-Halabi : Since you understood, let it be so.
The Shaykh : We need the attendees to understand.
Another questioner : Yes, we need to understand.
The Shaykh : Do you mean this?
Al-Halabi : Yes, I mean an excuse that is not clear, an excuse in itself.
The Shaykh : We say "for an excuse" because when you did not mention the excuse, the question was confusing to me. Of course, this is what is intended by the hadith of Ibn Abbas; this is the intended meaning. And that is why I objected to Wafi' when he said "to remove hardship."
Al-Halabi: Yes, may Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is permissible for a person praying alone to combine for an excuse, but this excuse that permits him to delay the prayer from its time or advance the other from its time must be a strong excuse such that it permits neglecting a condition. Do you see? So a fortiori, this excuse would permit neglecting an obligatory duty that is not a condition, meaning neglecting the obligatory congregational prayer.
Al-Halabi: In the mosque.
The Shaykh : So, if we imagine a person who has an excuse to leave the congregational prayer in the mosques of Muslims, and this excuse obligates him to combine the two prayers, then here comes the hadith of Ibn Abbas: he intended not to burden his Ummah.
The questioner : Such as the woman with irregular bleeding, the sick person, and the one with urinary incontinence.
The Shaykh : No, let us give more practical examples, like a traffic police officer, or a soldier who is forced and does not find the time to pray each prayer in its time, and so on.
Al-Halabi : For example, transportation in Cairo, or something like that, meaning it takes two hours for one to reach his home.
The Shaykh : Yes, these things happen often for those praying alone.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.