Explaining the Conditions of Prayer: First: The Entry of the Time.

The Shaykh : The situation is clear now. A man thought the sun had set, so he prayed Maghrib, but the sun had not set. Does he get reward for this or not? Does he get reward?
The student: He gets reward.

The Shaykh : Perfect, may Allah reward you. He gets reward, but does this prayer suffice him for Maghrib?
The student: No.

The Shaykh : No, because one of the conditions of prayer is the entry of the time.
The time for prayer came, but they did not find water. The assumption is that if they do not find water, they should perform tayammum (dry ablution). So they did, they performed tayammum and prayed. Then they found water within the time. One of them repeated the prayer; he performed wudu (ablution) and repeated the prayer. The other did not repeat it. Which one is more correct, the one who did not repeat it or the one who did? The one who did not repeat it is the correct one, because the one who did not repeat it built upon the original state, which is that he did what he was commanded to do. So when the time for prayer came and he did not find water, he performed tayammum. The second one repeated it, but did he repeat it as a mujtahid (one exercising independent legal reasoning) or not? As a mujtahid. What did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say to them? He said to the one who did not repeat it: , and he said to the one who repeated it: . The first time, because he prayed it as an obligatory prayer, and the second time he prayed it because the first one was not valid, so he has reward for the first and for the second.
So which is better? To hit the Sunnah (recommended practice) or to exert effort and make a mistake? To hit the Sunnah, without a doubt.
And for this reason, if someone repeats the prayer after hearing this hadith, we would not say to you that you get reward twice. Rather, we would say you burdened yourself with what was not obligatory, and we would say do not repeat it for this reason.
If the prayer is before the time, it is not valid, whether the person is knowledgeable or ignorant. But the knowledgeable person commits a sin, and the ignorant person does not commit a sin and he gets reward. And he has to repeat the prayer after the time enters. And if he prays after the time has exited, is the prayer valid or not? There is a detail here, my brothers: If he is excused, it is valid, and if he is not excused, it is not valid.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned two excuses. How many? Brother, yes, stand up. Sleep overtook you, correct? And yawning? Is that a habit? Rest. Please.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Well done, may Allah reward you. So, sleep and forgetfulness.
If a person sleeps and does not wake up until after the time has entered, what do we tell him? We say: Pray, because you are excused. You have no one to wake you up, and you did not wake up. This is an excuse. We say: Pray it when you wake up. Is it valid or not valid? Valid? Valid? What is the evidence? . It did not say "so he does not pray it because the time has exited." It did not say that. It said: . So he prays it when he remembers it.
And here is a question: If a person sleeps through Fajr (the dawn prayer) and does not wake up until after the sun has risen in the morning, does he pray it? If they are in congregation and one of them leads them, does he recite aloud or recite quietly?
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Does he recite aloud? The evidence? The evidence? From this hadith that I mentioned: .
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Well done, may Allah reward you. His saying: includes the prayer itself and its manner. If it is a prayer of loud recitation, then recite loudly, and if it is a prayer of quiet recitation, then recite quietly. Okay, let us give another example to verify the rule. A man forgot a prayer while traveling and remembered it while resident. What does he pray? Two rak'ahs (units of prayer) or four? He forgot the Zuhr (midday prayer) while traveling and remembered it while resident. How many does he pray? Two rak'ahs, because of his saying: . And this includes the number as well as the description.
Okay, if he delays the prayer from its time without an excuse, is it valid or not valid? Give an answer.
The student: ... .

The Shaykh : Not valid? Not valid, okay.
If it is not valid, do we order him to make it up after its time has exited intentionally? No, no, yes, no, we do not order him to make it up, because if we ordered him to make it up, we would be ordering him to do a useless act, since it is not valid. And how do we order him to do an act that is not valid?
- Listen, boy - Make your speech based on a rule: This man left the prayer intentionally until its time exited without an excuse. Do we say: Pray? There is no power in your answer, my brothers?
The student: No.

The Shaykh : No, we say he does not pray, because if he prays, it will not be accepted from him, and he will not benefit from it.
The evidence? - This is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said - . Meaning: It is rejected from him.
And taking the prayer out of its time without an excuse is not in accordance with the command of Allah and His Messenger, so it is rejected. And if it is rejected, Allah does not accept it, so we do not order him to do it. Why would he do it, to be tormented only without it being accepted?
And this is what we have established is the requirement of the Shari'ah (Islamic sacred law) evidence, and it is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), and it is the correct one without a doubt.
Perhaps one of you will say: If the one excused by forgetfulness or sleep prays it when he remembers and wakes up, then the one not excused is even more so?
We say: No. Rather, if we say "do not make it up," it is not accepted from you, so this becomes a punishment. And if we say to the one excused by forgetfulness or sleep "pray it when you remember or wake up," this is forgiveness and leniency. And there is a great difference between them.
It seems one of you is pointing with his hand, wanting to mention a third excuse. You? No?
Perhaps someone will say: There is a third excuse, which is combining the first prayer with the second in the case where combining is permissible. Is it not the case that a person delays Zuhr to 'Asr (the afternoon prayer), if combining is permissible for travel or illness or rain or something else? Answer, my brothers?
The student: Yes.

The Shaykh : And Maghrib to 'Isha' (the night prayer)? Does he delay Maghrib to 'Isha'? Yes, perhaps you will say this is also from what is permissible to delay the prayer from its time. Combining the delay if its cause is found?
And the answer is: There is no validity to this exception, and it is not excepted. And that is because if the cause for combining is found, the two times become one time. So the one who delays Zuhr to 'Asr is like the one who prays Zuhr in its time. The time is one. And for this reason, we say to the one for whom combining is permissible: Combine in the first part of the time of the first prayer, and in the last part of the time of the second prayer, and in between them, and at any hour you wish. Because whenever the cause for combining is found - listen, boy - whenever the cause for combining is found, the time becomes one time, so he did not delay the first prayer from its time, because the time of the second prayer became its time. Clear?
Okay, because the time of the second prayer became its time. The time is one.