What is the ruling on combining prayers in the rain for the sake of easing the burden?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on combining prayers on a rainy day to ease the burden on the worshippers?
The Shaykh : It is a dispensation.
The questioner : A dispensation.
The Shaykh : A dispensation that is permissible!
The questioner : Likewise, there are hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari that he used to announce to the Muslim army, "Pray in your camps if the weather is rainy." Does this imply that it is permissible to pray in one's homes and not go to the mosque on a rainy day, and that this is the true dispensation which eases the burden on Muslims, rather than combining prayers in the mosque?
The Shaykh : Yes, but his saying or his question, does this imply that it is the true dispensation? There is no need to add the word "true," because that one is also a true dispensation.
The questioner : So this is a dispensation and that is a dispensation?
The Shaykh : And that is a dispensation.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : In the sense of how do we envision the application of the two hadiths? People are in their homes, the rain falls, and the mu'adhdhin calls to prayer, saying, "Pray in your camps, pray in your camps," so they pray in their camps and their homes. This is the dispensation that our companion calledThe questioner : the true dispensation. The dispensation of combining in the rain: the Muslims are in the mosque waiting for the iqamah of the first prayer, Zuhr for 'Asr, or Maghrib for 'Isha'. Then the rain falls heavily, so they pray Zuhr and combine 'Asr with it, or they pray Maghrib and combine 'Isha with it. This is a dispensation for the sake of the rain, and that is a dispensation for praying in the homes for the sake of the rain. But the situation is different. In the first situation, as we mentioned, they are in their homes, so the rain falls. This is an excuse not to go to the mosque. An excuse not to go to the mosque does not mean it is not permissible to go. It is an excuse not to go. Similarly, when the rain falls and they are in the mosque waiting for the iqamah of the prayer, they were granted a dispensation to combine the two prayers. Here, I must seize this opportunity to point out a jurisprudence that deviates from the Sunnah. Those who deviate from the Sunnah have lost this dispensation. They are praying the Zuhr prayer, the rain falls heavily, so is it permissible to combine 'Asr with it? Many jurists and some schools of jurisprudence whose opinions were recorded in the books say that combining is not permissible in this situation. Why? Because one should intend to combine before entering the first prayer. This has no basis. Therefore, and this has many forms: a man comes to the mosque, for example, and finds the people praying the 'Isha prayer as a combined prayer in advance, and he intended to pray Maghrib, meaning combining did not cross his mind. So it is said to him, "It is not permissible for you to combine 'Isha because you did not intend to combine when you prayed Maghrib." This is strictness and making difficult what Allah the Exalted has made easy through this dispensation.
The Shaykh : It is a dispensation.
The questioner : A dispensation.
The Shaykh : A dispensation that is permissible!
The questioner : Likewise, there are hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari that he used to announce to the Muslim army, "Pray in your camps if the weather is rainy." Does this imply that it is permissible to pray in one's homes and not go to the mosque on a rainy day, and that this is the true dispensation which eases the burden on Muslims, rather than combining prayers in the mosque?
The Shaykh : Yes, but his saying or his question, does this imply that it is the true dispensation? There is no need to add the word "true," because that one is also a true dispensation.
The questioner : So this is a dispensation and that is a dispensation?
The Shaykh : And that is a dispensation.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : In the sense of how do we envision the application of the two hadiths? People are in their homes, the rain falls, and the mu'adhdhin calls to prayer, saying, "Pray in your camps, pray in your camps," so they pray in their camps and their homes. This is the dispensation that our companion calledThe questioner : the true dispensation. The dispensation of combining in the rain: the Muslims are in the mosque waiting for the iqamah of the first prayer, Zuhr for 'Asr, or Maghrib for 'Isha'. Then the rain falls heavily, so they pray Zuhr and combine 'Asr with it, or they pray Maghrib and combine 'Isha with it. This is a dispensation for the sake of the rain, and that is a dispensation for praying in the homes for the sake of the rain. But the situation is different. In the first situation, as we mentioned, they are in their homes, so the rain falls. This is an excuse not to go to the mosque. An excuse not to go to the mosque does not mean it is not permissible to go. It is an excuse not to go. Similarly, when the rain falls and they are in the mosque waiting for the iqamah of the prayer, they were granted a dispensation to combine the two prayers. Here, I must seize this opportunity to point out a jurisprudence that deviates from the Sunnah. Those who deviate from the Sunnah have lost this dispensation. They are praying the Zuhr prayer, the rain falls heavily, so is it permissible to combine 'Asr with it? Many jurists and some schools of jurisprudence whose opinions were recorded in the books say that combining is not permissible in this situation. Why? Because one should intend to combine before entering the first prayer. This has no basis. Therefore, and this has many forms: a man comes to the mosque, for example, and finds the people praying the 'Isha prayer as a combined prayer in advance, and he intended to pray Maghrib, meaning combining did not cross his mind. So it is said to him, "It is not permissible for you to combine 'Isha because you did not intend to combine when you prayed Maghrib." This is strictness and making difficult what Allah the Exalted has made easy through this dispensation.
Source
www.al-albany.com
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