Benefits of the Hadith: (Whoever eats garlic or onions, let him keep away from us...)

The Shaykh : In this is evidence for the permissibility of eating garlic and onions, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not prohibit them; rather, he said, But this benefit he missed was for the sake of the general public interest, namely the worshippers, because they are harmed by the smell. If someone were to ask, “What if everyone had eaten onions or garlic?” We would say, yes, even if everyone had eaten onions and garlic, because if they are not harmed, the angels are harmed, so they do not approach the mosque. But do they pray in congregation at home? The answer is: yes, they pray in congregation at home. If someone were to ask, “Why do you not prohibit onions and garlic, since eating them is a means to abandoning prayer in congregation?” We would say, we do not prohibit that, because the one who ate was only prevented as a means to remove his harm, not as a punishment for him. For this reason, if a person were to say, “I will eat onions and garlic so that I do not go to the mosque,” we would tell him that in this case, eating becomes forbidden for you. Does not a man travel in Ramadan on an ordinary journey, and if he travels, he breaks his fast? Do we say to him, “It is not permissible for you to travel because it is a means to breaking the fast?” The answer is: no. But if he travels in order to break his fast, then the travel becomes forbidden and breaking the fast becomes forbidden, and it is obligatory for him to fast, even while traveling, because he is circumventing what Allah has made obligatory upon him. Yes.