What is your opinion of the imam who prayed Maghrib, then left the mosque, then returned and combined 'Isha' due to the rain, having separated between the two prayers?
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The questioner : His EminenceThe Shaykh : In one of the mosques, on a Friday last week, it rained in the city of Riyadh. We prayed Maghrib, and after the prayer the imam stood up, then returned a second time and called for the 'Isha' prayer, intending to combine, so we combined. What is the ruling on this combination in your view, especially since there was a separation in the prayer, and some of them even performed the sunnah between the two prayers?
The Shaykh : It is well known among most scholars that if the combination is a combination of advancing, then it is necessary to keep the two prayers consecutive, but consecutiveness is not invalidated by light rain or a light sitting.
And some scholars said: If combining is permissible, then there is no harm in separating between the two prayers, even if one prays the first at the beginning of its time and the second at the end of its time.
And this second opinion was chosen by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and he said: "The meaning of combining does not mean joining the two prayers such that the second follows the first, but rather it is joining the times, not joining the actions". So whenever the cause for combining exists, such as travel, rain, or illness, there is no harm on you to pray the first at the beginning of the time and the second at the end of the time. He held, (may Allah have mercy on him), that combining is joining the two times to each other, not joining the two prayers to each other. Do you understand now?
So based on this, we say: regarding the incident that occurred, where the imam, after he left and saw the rain, returned and combined, we say: there is nothing wrong with this and there is no harm in it.
The questioner : He did not realize that until after the prayer.
The Shaykh : Even if he did not realize it until after the prayer, it does not harm, because the condition of intending to combine before the takbir of ihram in the first prayer is weak. The correct view is that it is not a condition, but if the rain occurs after he has said the taslim from Maghrib, he is allowed to combine.
The Shaykh : It is well known among most scholars that if the combination is a combination of advancing, then it is necessary to keep the two prayers consecutive, but consecutiveness is not invalidated by light rain or a light sitting.
And some scholars said: If combining is permissible, then there is no harm in separating between the two prayers, even if one prays the first at the beginning of its time and the second at the end of its time.
And this second opinion was chosen by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and he said: "The meaning of combining does not mean joining the two prayers such that the second follows the first, but rather it is joining the times, not joining the actions". So whenever the cause for combining exists, such as travel, rain, or illness, there is no harm on you to pray the first at the beginning of the time and the second at the end of the time. He held, (may Allah have mercy on him), that combining is joining the two times to each other, not joining the two prayers to each other. Do you understand now?
So based on this, we say: regarding the incident that occurred, where the imam, after he left and saw the rain, returned and combined, we say: there is nothing wrong with this and there is no harm in it.
The questioner : He did not realize that until after the prayer.
The Shaykh : Even if he did not realize it until after the prayer, it does not harm, because the condition of intending to combine before the takbir of ihram in the first prayer is weak. The correct view is that it is not a condition, but if the rain occurs after he has said the taslim from Maghrib, he is allowed to combine.