On the story of the two who did not pray with the congregation in the Musjid al-Khaif; they excused themselves by saying they had prayed in their tents, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) approved their prayer and did not say that congregational prayer is obligatory.
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The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ... So it appears that he approved their prayer.
The Shaykh : He approved their prayer in this hadith.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, was the Messenger traveling or not?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The Messenger was traveling and they were travelers. Now, may Allah reward you, this is a specific case. It is possible that they prayed in their tents because they thought they had missed the prayer, as ... often happens. It is also possible that he knew from their condition that they were ignorant, and therefore they did not pray with the Messenger. Specific cases do not establish a general ruling, as is well known. Therefore, you will find that those who discuss the scholars' statements regarding their evidence want to say, "This is a specific case," so we cannot set aside other texts for the sake of a possibility that may or may not exist. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : ...
That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) found two men at the rear of the group who had not prayed with him. He said, "Bring them to me." They were brought to him, and he said, "What prevented you from praying with us?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we had already prayed in our tents." He said, "Do not do that. If you have prayed in your tents and then come to the mosque of the congregation and pray with us, then it is a voluntary prayer for you."
أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم وجد رجلين في آخر القوم لم يصليا معه قال علي بهما فأتى بهما فقال ما منعكما أن تصليا معنا قالا يا رسول الله إنا قد صلينا في رحالنا قال فلا تفعلا إذا صليتما في رحالكما ثم أتيتما مسجد جماعة فصليا معنا فإنها لكما نافلةThe Shaykh : He approved their prayer in this hadith.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Now, was the Messenger traveling or not?
The questioner : ...
The Shaykh : The Messenger was traveling and they were travelers. Now, may Allah reward you, this is a specific case. It is possible that they prayed in their tents because they thought they had missed the prayer, as ... often happens. It is also possible that he knew from their condition that they were ignorant, and therefore they did not pray with the Messenger. Specific cases do not establish a general ruling, as is well known. Therefore, you will find that those who discuss the scholars' statements regarding their evidence want to say, "This is a specific case," so we cannot set aside other texts for the sake of a possibility that may or may not exist. Yes.