The Shaykh's remarks on the blessing of rain and the conditions that permit combining two prayers.

The Shaykh : We are now speaking about what Allah has bestowed upon us, what Allah has bestowed upon this land this week in the form of abundant, widespread rains, praise be to Allah. There is no doubt that abundant rain is among the blessings of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) for which one deserves to give thanks and not be ungrateful, to obey and not disobey, and to remember and not forget. These rains: no one knows when they will descend except Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and no one can make them descend except Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and no one can cause the earth to grow with them except Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: There is no doubt that these rains may cause some harm to some people, whether by the loss of livestock, the collapse of buildings, or the spoilage of crops, and all of this is by the decree of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). It is obligatory for us, in light of what happens, to be patient, to seek reward from Allah, to take a lesson, and to draw a moral. We should compare what has happened to us with the great floods that occur in other countries, which cause widespread and comprehensive destruction, so that it becomes clear that the harm these rains have caused in some areas is not comparable to what we hear about in other countries. Praise and grace be to Allah. Then, these rains may cause difficulty in performing the prayer in congregation, either during the falling of the rain or due to its effects, such as the many puddles in the markets or the mud. If this occurs, then Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) has made things easy for His servants and permitted them to combine the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, and the Maghrib and Isha' prayers. Abdullah ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) said, as narrated by Muslim in his *Sahih*: His statement: indicates that it is his custom to combine the Dhuhr and Asr, and the Maghrib and Isha', because of the rain, due to the harm that befalls people in attending the mosques. However, people have divided into three groups in this matter: a group that went to the extreme, a group that went too far, and a group that is moderate. As for the one who went to the extreme, he does not consider this a matter that permits combining, so you find that he does not combine even if attending the mosque is very difficult. He does not combine even if the people of the mosque say to him, "Combine with us." This is a mistake, and one fears that this person falls under the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him): But there is no consideration for one or two men from the congregation of the mosque. For example, if the difficulty is for one or two men or the like, while the rest of the congregation are not affected, then there is no consideration for these few. The consideration is for the majority. If these few find it difficult to attend the mosque for the second prayer, they have the dispensation to pray in their homes, as came in the hadith: And some people are the opposite of this; you find that he combines without difficulty, even if there are only a few drops of rain. Some combine when they see the sky covered with clouds. This is also forbidden and not permissible. And whoever combines without an excuse has committed a major sin and will bear the sins of those who prayed before their time, because combining the second prayer with the first means praying it before its time, and this is forbidden. Rather, there must be difficulty, either from falling rain that wets the clothes so that the clothes absorb the rain until they can be wrung out, or from the difficulty of the road. And without difficulty, it is not permissible, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) has specified the times for these prayers, so it is not permissible for us to transgress the limits of Allah by combining without a legal excuse. And some people are moderate and upright; if they see difficulty, they combine, and if there is no difficulty, they do not combine. This is the one who is on the straight path, and he is the one who gives sincere advice to himself and to the congregation behind him. For this reason, it is obligatory for students of knowledge to explain this issue to the imams clearly, so that no one presumes to combine without an excuse, and no one delays combining when there is an excuse.
And know that it is not valid to combine the Asr prayer with the Friday prayer. For example, if it is Friday and the rains are heavy and the people are praying Friday in the mosque, it is not permissible for them to combine the Asr with it, because this has not been reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). It is well known that rains occurred in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) on Friday and on days other than Friday. When he sought rain on the pulpit, he did not descend from the pulpit until the rain came down and it flowed over his beard, and he did not combine the Asr with it. And it is not valid to analogize the Friday prayer to other prayers, because the Friday prayer is a unique prayer that differs greatly from the Dhuhr prayer. And because there is no analogy in acts of worship; acts of worship are followed as they came in the Shari'ah, and no one can establish an act of worship by analogy to another act of worship.
Then know, O dear listener, that combining has a cause, which is difficulty or the likelihood of difficulty. Difficulty, as we mentioned in the case of rain, includes a cold night with wind that hurts people, in which case combining is permissible due to the need for it, because the difficulty in reaching the mosque in such a situation is greater than the difficulty in reaching the mosque in the rain. Similarly, combining is permissible for the sick person who finds it difficult to pray every prayer at its time, whether that is due to weakness in the body or due to not being able to control urine, stool, or wind. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the woman with irregular bleeding to combine, because it is difficult for her to perform ablution for the time of every prayer. So whoever has a permanent state of ritual impurity, it is permissible for him to combine due to the difficulty of ablution for every prayer. And among what is permitted for combining is if a person intends to travel and fears that it will not be easy for him to pray the upcoming prayer at its time, then he may combine. For example, if the second prayer coincides with him being in an airplane or in a car that he cannot stop, or the like, then he may combine because of the difficulty of praying the upcoming prayer at its time. So combining, praise be to Allah, is broad. And among what is permitted for combining is travel. If a person is a traveler, it is permissible for him to combine, whether he is traveling or staying. But for the one who is traveling, we order him to combine and say: Combine, following the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And for the one who is staying, we say: Do not combine; it is better not to combine, and if you combine, there is no harm. This is if he is not in a town where the prayer is performed in congregation. If he is in a town where the prayer is performed in congregation, it is obligatory for him to pray with the people, due to the generality of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked by a man for permission to leave the congregation, and he gave him permission. When the man turned away, he called him back and said: And what some common people imagine, that the traveler is not required to pray in congregation, has no basis. Both the traveler and the resident are required to pray in congregation. The evidence is that no one of the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) lagged behind him in travel; they all prayed in congregation. And because Allah the Exalted commanded in the prayer of fear that they pray in congregation, and they were travelers and fearful, so that indicates that travel does not drop the requirement of congregation from people. Perhaps we will limit ourselves to this extent due to its importance. As for what concerns exegesis, it will be, if Allah wills, in the next meeting, so that we have time to answer the questions.