His other question states that he is in a rural village, and when they go to pray Maghrib, he enters before the time and sits, and there is a group of brothers who remain outside.
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The questioner : His other question states that he is in a village, and when they go to pray Maghrib, he enters before the time and sits, and there is a group of brothers...
The Shaykh : And when we enter?
The questioner : Yes, he says...
The Shaykh : I am in a village.
The questioner : Yes, he says, and after that, I am in a rural village, and when we go to pray—for he will mention some of his companions or some of his friends with him—and when we go to pray Maghrib, I enter before the time and sit, and a group of brothers remain outside the mosque and say that it is not permissible to enter the mosque unless we pray two rak'ahs, and prayer is disliked at this time, so what do you advise regarding remaining outside the mosque, knowing that the brothers outside the mosque are far removed from the remembrance of Allah? Or should I enter, and is there no blame on me for doing so?
The Shaykh : We advise you and your brothers to enter the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even after 'Asr, or when the sun is setting, and that you pray two rak'ahs as the greeting of the mosque. Do not sit until you have prayed them, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saidSahih al-Bukhari 1167.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this hadith is general; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exclude one time from another. He did not say, "Except if you enter at such-and-such a time or such-and-such a time." And if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cut off his sermon to tell the one who entered while he was preaching and then sat, "Stand up and pray two rak'ahs," and he stood up and prayed two rak'ahs, even though being distracted from the sermon is forbidden, then we also say to everyone who enters the mosque at any time:
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And at any time, do not sit until you pray two rak'ahs. If someone asks, "Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not forbid prayer after 'Asr until the sun sets?" We say, yes, but he did not specify the greeting of the mosque; rather, he generalized. And the hadith of the greeting of the mosque is specific. "When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit until he prays two rak'ahs." And if it is said that there is a general and specific aspect between them, as is known in the principles of jurisprudence, then we say, yes, there is a general and specific aspect between them, but the specificity of the greeting of the mosque, which is general in time, is stronger than the generality of prayer, which is specific to the time of prohibition.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is evidenced by the fact that the hadiths regarding the prohibition of prayer at the times of prohibition were specified by several conditions, which weakens their generality. And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), as others have also said, stated: "The preserved general text that has not been subjected to specification takes precedence over the specified general text that has been subjected to specification".
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is known to the people of knowledge that the hadiths regarding the prohibition of prayer at the times of prohibition have been subjected to multiple specifications, unlike the command to pray accompanied by a cause, which has not been subjected to specification.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the correct view, which we state for all listeners, even if it was not asked in the question, is that all prayers that have a cause are performed at the times of prohibition, and there is no prohibition regarding them, because they are a prayer specified by a specific cause, which removes the wisdom of the prohibition of prayer at the specified times.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And when we enter?
The questioner : Yes, he says...
The Shaykh : I am in a village.
The questioner : Yes, he says, and after that, I am in a rural village, and when we go to pray—for he will mention some of his companions or some of his friends with him—and when we go to pray Maghrib, I enter before the time and sit, and a group of brothers remain outside the mosque and say that it is not permissible to enter the mosque unless we pray two rak'ahs, and prayer is disliked at this time, so what do you advise regarding remaining outside the mosque, knowing that the brothers outside the mosque are far removed from the remembrance of Allah? Or should I enter, and is there no blame on me for doing so?
The Shaykh : We advise you and your brothers to enter the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Even after 'Asr, or when the sun is setting, and that you pray two rak'ahs as the greeting of the mosque. Do not sit until you have prayed them, because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said
If anyone of you enters a Mosque, he should not sit until he has offered a tworak` at prayer.
إذا دخل أحدكم المسجد فلا يجلس حتى يصلي ركعتينThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And this hadith is general; the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not exclude one time from another. He did not say, "Except if you enter at such-and-such a time or such-and-such a time." And if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) cut off his sermon to tell the one who entered while he was preaching and then sat, "Stand up and pray two rak'ahs," and he stood up and prayed two rak'ahs, even though being distracted from the sermon is forbidden, then we also say to everyone who enters the mosque at any time:
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And at any time, do not sit until you pray two rak'ahs. If someone asks, "Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not forbid prayer after 'Asr until the sun sets?" We say, yes, but he did not specify the greeting of the mosque; rather, he generalized. And the hadith of the greeting of the mosque is specific. "When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit until he prays two rak'ahs." And if it is said that there is a general and specific aspect between them, as is known in the principles of jurisprudence, then we say, yes, there is a general and specific aspect between them, but the specificity of the greeting of the mosque, which is general in time, is stronger than the generality of prayer, which is specific to the time of prohibition.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : This is evidenced by the fact that the hadiths regarding the prohibition of prayer at the times of prohibition were specified by several conditions, which weakens their generality. And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), as others have also said, stated: "The preserved general text that has not been subjected to specification takes precedence over the specified general text that has been subjected to specification".
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And it is known to the people of knowledge that the hadiths regarding the prohibition of prayer at the times of prohibition have been subjected to multiple specifications, unlike the command to pray accompanied by a cause, which has not been subjected to specification.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : So the correct view, which we state for all listeners, even if it was not asked in the question, is that all prayers that have a cause are performed at the times of prohibition, and there is no prohibition regarding them, because they are a prayer specified by a specific cause, which removes the wisdom of the prohibition of prayer at the specified times.
The questioner : Yes.