Benefits of the Hadith: (If you have prepared the dinner, start with it before you pray Maghrib).
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The Shaykh : The following benefits are derived from this hadith:
One of its benefits is that the 'Isha' prayer was, in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at the end of the 'Asr time, before Maghrib. The people remained on this practice for a period of time, and it continued until recently. Then, when people began to be occupied with eating lunch at the beginning of the day, their desire for dinner before nightfall decreased, and they came to eat dinner after the 'Isha' prayer. So we say: if it happens that someone eats dinner before the 'Isha' prayer, we tell him: if you have prepared the dinner, start with it before the 'Isha' prayer.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that the pure Islamic Shari'ah takes into account the state of the human being. The way this is manifested is that he was only commanded to prepare the dinner before the Maghrib prayer because his soul is attached to it and occupied with it, so the human being is given the freedom to eat.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that if the dinner is not prepared, but the person is hungry and the dinner is on the stove, he should perform the Maghrib prayer first. This is because the soul's attachment to the prepared dinner is stronger than its attachment to the dinner that is on the fire. So the person should not say, "I am hungry, and I will wait for the food to cook, then I will eat." We say: No, because the attachment to it while it is on the stove is weak, so it does not take precedence.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that there is no difference between fearing the loss of the congregational prayer or not, because the hadith is general. Accordingly, preparing food that one desires is an excuse for missing the congregational prayer. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), with his scrupulousness, would eat dinner while hearing the imam's recitation and would remain until he finished.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that one should prepare the dinner even if he fears missing the prayer, meaning the time passing. However, this is not intended, because it is not permissible to take the prayer out of its time, and this is not among the excuses that permit taking the prayer out of its time.
If someone asks: If the prayer for which the food was prepared is combined with the one following it due to its presence, is he permitted to combine them? The answer is yes, he is permitted to do so, because every excuse that drops the congregation permits combining.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that the person eats until he is full, and we do not say, "Eat one or two bites and then get up," because he may become more attached to the food if he eats one or two bites. Therefore, we tell him to eat until he is full, then get up for prayer so that his heart is free.
And among its benefits is that everything that occupies the heart is measured by analogy to food when it is present. The analogy in this case is valid, being an analogy of similarity or equality. Accordingly, if a person has only a few clothes on, the cold is severe, and he has heard the iqamah for prayer, should he go and pray while his heart is occupied and he is suffering from the cold, or do we say, "Put on your clothes, then pray"?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second case is similar: if there is a disturbing heat that requires him to take a bath to feel refreshed and for the heat to leave him, we say the same: he is excused. So we take a general rule: every distraction from the presence of the heart in prayer, one should attend to it before the prayer, as long as he does not fear the time passing.
One of its benefits is that the 'Isha' prayer was, in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), at the end of the 'Asr time, before Maghrib. The people remained on this practice for a period of time, and it continued until recently. Then, when people began to be occupied with eating lunch at the beginning of the day, their desire for dinner before nightfall decreased, and they came to eat dinner after the 'Isha' prayer. So we say: if it happens that someone eats dinner before the 'Isha' prayer, we tell him: if you have prepared the dinner, start with it before the 'Isha' prayer.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that the pure Islamic Shari'ah takes into account the state of the human being. The way this is manifested is that he was only commanded to prepare the dinner before the Maghrib prayer because his soul is attached to it and occupied with it, so the human being is given the freedom to eat.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that if the dinner is not prepared, but the person is hungry and the dinner is on the stove, he should perform the Maghrib prayer first. This is because the soul's attachment to the prepared dinner is stronger than its attachment to the dinner that is on the fire. So the person should not say, "I am hungry, and I will wait for the food to cook, then I will eat." We say: No, because the attachment to it while it is on the stove is weak, so it does not take precedence.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that there is no difference between fearing the loss of the congregational prayer or not, because the hadith is general. Accordingly, preparing food that one desires is an excuse for missing the congregational prayer. Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), with his scrupulousness, would eat dinner while hearing the imam's recitation and would remain until he finished.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that one should prepare the dinner even if he fears missing the prayer, meaning the time passing. However, this is not intended, because it is not permissible to take the prayer out of its time, and this is not among the excuses that permit taking the prayer out of its time.
If someone asks: If the prayer for which the food was prepared is combined with the one following it due to its presence, is he permitted to combine them? The answer is yes, he is permitted to do so, because every excuse that drops the congregation permits combining.
And among the benefits of this hadith is that its apparent meaning is that the person eats until he is full, and we do not say, "Eat one or two bites and then get up," because he may become more attached to the food if he eats one or two bites. Therefore, we tell him to eat until he is full, then get up for prayer so that his heart is free.
And among its benefits is that everything that occupies the heart is measured by analogy to food when it is present. The analogy in this case is valid, being an analogy of similarity or equality. Accordingly, if a person has only a few clothes on, the cold is severe, and he has heard the iqamah for prayer, should he go and pray while his heart is occupied and he is suffering from the cold, or do we say, "Put on your clothes, then pray"?
The student: The second.
The Shaykh : The second case is similar: if there is a disturbing heat that requires him to take a bath to feel refreshed and for the heat to leave him, we say the same: he is excused. So we take a general rule: every distraction from the presence of the heart in prayer, one should attend to it before the prayer, as long as he does not fear the time passing.