A traveler who intended to combine Maghrib and 'Isha' by delaying them, but upon arriving at the mosque found them praying 'Isha', so he prayed with them and then prayed Maghrib after the prayer; is this permissible?

The questioner : , O Shaykh: Combining the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers by delaying them. Then, when he arrived in the city, he found that the call to prayer for 'Isha' was being made. Then he entered the mosque and prayed 'Isha' with the imam. Then, afterwards, he stood up to lead the prayer alone and prayed Maghrib. Is his prayer valid in this case?

The Shaykh : How did he pray Maghrib after 'Isha', when he had combined the two prayers as you say?

The questioner : That is, he traveled from a region and intended to combine by delaying, and when he arrived at the city...

The Shaykh : He did not pray.

The questioner : No, he did not pray. When he arrived in the city, he found that it was the time for 'Isha', then he entered the mosque and prayed 'Isha' with the imam. Then, when he finished the prayer, he left and prayed Maghrib alone, standing up to lead the prayer and praying Maghrib. Is his action correct? And likewise, if he did this with 'Asr and Zuhr?

The Shaykh : No. It is not valid because it involves a clear violation of the order. When he entered the mosque and the people were praying 'Isha', he should have intended to pray Maghrib behind the imam who was praying 'Isha'. Then, after finishing the prayer of Maghrib behind the imam—and it does not concern us whether he caught the prayer from the beginning or from the middle, for there is a known detail regarding this—the important thing is that after he prays Maghrib, starting with it and observing the known timing in that regard, he then stands up and prays 'Isha' alone. As for what you mentioned, he prayed 'Isha' before Maghrib and Maghrib after it, so this is a reversal of the timing. Therefore, he must repeat the prayer of Maghrib and then follow it with the prayer of 'Isha' if he did what you mentioned. The principle is that he should start with the prayer of Maghrib behind the imam who is praying the prayer of 'Isha', and then, after he finishes the prayer of Maghrib, he prays the prayer of 'Isha'. This is because the timing is a condition for the validity of the prayer, on the one hand, and on the other hand, it does not harm the follower if his intention differs from the intention of his imam, for there are several pieces of evidence indicating that the validity of the prayer is not compromised even if the intention differs. Yes.