What is the ruling on the prayer of a man who intentionally goes to the congregational prayer knowing that the imam will combine prayers?
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The questioner : This question reminds us of people who know that the imam of a certain mosque combines prayers, so they intentionally go there, of course.
The Shaykh : This is not like that.
The questioner : It does not mean that the questioner is a shaykh.
The Shaykh : Let’s see what your question is.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. It is well known that in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), those who were consistent in attending the congregation were told to pray in their homes. So, if a man combines the 'Asr prayer, and it is not his habit to come to the mosque, but he does come, is his prayer considered invalid?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner : Is it not considered invalid?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner : Shaykh, there is a distinction in the speech between this and that, between, as you kindly said, may Allah bless you, a man who is consistent in attending the congregation and goes to a mosque where prayers are combined, and a man who is not consistent in attending the congregation and comes specifically for the combining.
The Shaykh : That is his question.
The questioner : He owes nothing.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I mean, is his action prescribed, my shaykh?
The Shaykh : I did not say he owes nothing; I answered the question. Let’s see, Hussein, did you get your answer?
The questioner : I got my answer.
Another questioner : What was the answer? I need to understand from you so that I can understand.
The questioner : Shaykh, I understood its lawfulness.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, may Allah forgive you. Who is recording? Yes, rewind the tape and let him listen... good.
The questioner : Okay, my shaykh, regarding the invalidity... I mean... we agree, let me ask my shaykh... the invalidity, as long as it is not his habit to pray and he intentionally goes, then if you have some interpretation, may Allah preserve you, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : The interpretation is in your answer to my question: did you intend good or evil?
The questioner : I intended evil, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar, how are you making Abu Abdullah turn toward you?
The questioner : My shaykh, this is good because it contains a detail if...
The Shaykh : What is good about it?
The questioner : What?
The Shaykh : It is not good.
The questioner : It is good because my brother Abu Abd al-Rahman reminded me... that he gained the congregation, but unfortunately, I do not think he intends to gain the congregation, because on ordinary days he does not gain the congregation, how in the snow?!
The Shaykh : Why are you talking like this now? All this talk, you answered the previous question.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, he reminded me.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, you will make me say later that you are giving me room to reconcile with my wife.
The questioner : My shaykh, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Every time I tell her to repeat the question, she says, "I can repeat the question." Okay, repeat your words. Also, she cannot manage to repeat her words. My question was: did he come with good or with evil? So you gave an answer that made Abu Abdullah turn toward you, contrary to his habit. So what did you answer?
The questioner : My shaykh, I answered that he came with evil, but now...
The Shaykh : No, no, no, you are going to give a lecture.
The questioner : Allow me.
The Shaykh : No, I will never allow you.
The questioner : It will be the first...
The Shaykh : I will never allow you, I will not allow you unless you answer the question. What did you answer, good or evil?
The questioner : Evil, but now I have another answer.
The Shaykh : No, there is no room for correction now because we need to finish this leg of the journey. Do you have a second answer? Is this second answer contrary to the first answer or confirming it? Without a doubt, one of them is the case. What is your opinion? Give me an answer. You will tell me if it is contrary or supporting. Say one of the two and take your freedom, no lecture, I mean.
The questioner : My freedom is in both... my freedom is in something other than the two, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : What is this talk?
The questioner : My shaykh, according to the intention, some people want to get rid of it.
The Shaykh : From here.
The student : From here.
The Shaykh : Straight ahead.
The student : Straight ahead.
The Shaykh : Oh shaykh, give us the answer, may Allah guide you. The believer is easy, oh Abu Abd al-Rahman.
The questioner : What answer?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you.
The questioner : Amen. In practice, my shaykh, good, I mean, in one word, the action was good.
The Shaykh : That is not my question, may Allah guide you. Repeat my question?
The questioner : I understood that the question is: did he come with good or did he not come with good?
The Shaykh : And why are you saying that? No, that has passed, that has passed, may Allah guide you. You told me that you wanted to correct yourself, I told you no. Now, my question is: is the speech you want to correct a confirmation of your first speech or a negation of it? That is my question, so you have not answered yet.
The questioner : My shaykh, in it there is confirmation and there is negation according to the intention.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no...
The questioner : I mean, this is what I have.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no... according to the intention and according to the wording?
The questioner : I mean, my intention.
The Shaykh : He also wants to say his intention, he also does not want to answer. Like this, now we need to finish this journey, oh Abu Abd al-Rahman?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : We will reach the place and you will not answer the question, why?
The questioner : Let’s conclude, if Allah wills, we will answer.
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah wills, what is the answer? You cannot answer to repeat the question. Do you remember the question?
The questioner : Do you reconcile with Umm Fadl, my shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, may Allah be pleased with her and with all our wives.
The student : O Allah, amen, the predecessors and the successors.
The questioner : Let our answer, my shaykh, be contrary.
The Shaykh : Let the answer be with me.
The questioner : Contrary. You said confirming, should it be confirming or contrary?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... The answer, let it be contrary.
The Shaykh : Let it be contrary.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, we understand from your answer, if you mean what you are saying, that he did good, is that so? This is a question for the sake of verification, is that so?
The questioner : That is correct.
The Shaykh : So where does the invalidity come from? Do you find in the Shari'ah a man who comes with good in an act of worship and the worship becomes invalid?
The questioner : No, may Allah reward you with good, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : Masha'Allah, there is no power except by Allah.
The questioner : Okay, my shaykh, I mean, if a man intends to get rid of it... to rest his back, and it is 'Asr, and he knows that there is combining?
The Shaykh : Double, double.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Double.
The questioner : I mean, no...
The student : Turn your words regarding the combining, I mean, the one who does not even want to combine, I mean, he gains the virtue behind the imam.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And he prays it as a voluntary prayer, rather than starting to say the taslim one after another and leaving the imam and saying the taslim about the rows... why did so-and-so leave? And Allah, I do not see the combining... they are all not scholars, and they are students of knowledge, something will come out for them too, with this, it will come out, and Allah, I do not see the combining. You combine, if you do not want the obligatory, consider it a voluntary prayer without causing confusion among the people.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : Among the common people who hear and see you.
The Shaykh : Look at these hills now.
The student : What Allah willed.
The Shaykh : This is not like that.
The questioner : It does not mean that the questioner is a shaykh.
The Shaykh : Let’s see what your question is.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. It is well known that in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), those who were consistent in attending the congregation were told to pray in their homes. So, if a man combines the 'Asr prayer, and it is not his habit to come to the mosque, but he does come, is his prayer considered invalid?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner : Is it not considered invalid?
The Shaykh: No.
The questioner : Shaykh, there is a distinction in the speech between this and that, between, as you kindly said, may Allah bless you, a man who is consistent in attending the congregation and goes to a mosque where prayers are combined, and a man who is not consistent in attending the congregation and comes specifically for the combining.
The Shaykh : That is his question.
The questioner : He owes nothing.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : I mean, is his action prescribed, my shaykh?
The Shaykh : I did not say he owes nothing; I answered the question. Let’s see, Hussein, did you get your answer?
The questioner : I got my answer.
Another questioner : What was the answer? I need to understand from you so that I can understand.
The questioner : Shaykh, I understood its lawfulness.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, may Allah forgive you. Who is recording? Yes, rewind the tape and let him listen... good.
The questioner : Okay, my shaykh, regarding the invalidity... I mean... we agree, let me ask my shaykh... the invalidity, as long as it is not his habit to pray and he intentionally goes, then if you have some interpretation, may Allah preserve you, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : The interpretation is in your answer to my question: did you intend good or evil?
The questioner : I intended evil, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar, how are you making Abu Abdullah turn toward you?
The questioner : My shaykh, this is good because it contains a detail if...
The Shaykh : What is good about it?
The questioner : What?
The Shaykh : It is not good.
The questioner : It is good because my brother Abu Abd al-Rahman reminded me... that he gained the congregation, but unfortunately, I do not think he intends to gain the congregation, because on ordinary days he does not gain the congregation, how in the snow?!
The Shaykh : Why are you talking like this now? All this talk, you answered the previous question.
The questioner : May Allah preserve you, he reminded me.
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you, you will make me say later that you are giving me room to reconcile with my wife.
The questioner : My shaykh, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Every time I tell her to repeat the question, she says, "I can repeat the question." Okay, repeat your words. Also, she cannot manage to repeat her words. My question was: did he come with good or with evil? So you gave an answer that made Abu Abdullah turn toward you, contrary to his habit. So what did you answer?
The questioner : My shaykh, I answered that he came with evil, but now...
The Shaykh : No, no, no, you are going to give a lecture.
The questioner : Allow me.
The Shaykh : No, I will never allow you.
The questioner : It will be the first...
The Shaykh : I will never allow you, I will not allow you unless you answer the question. What did you answer, good or evil?
The questioner : Evil, but now I have another answer.
The Shaykh : No, there is no room for correction now because we need to finish this leg of the journey. Do you have a second answer? Is this second answer contrary to the first answer or confirming it? Without a doubt, one of them is the case. What is your opinion? Give me an answer. You will tell me if it is contrary or supporting. Say one of the two and take your freedom, no lecture, I mean.
The questioner : My freedom is in both... my freedom is in something other than the two, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : What is this talk?
The questioner : My shaykh, according to the intention, some people want to get rid of it.
The Shaykh : From here.
The student : From here.
The Shaykh : Straight ahead.
The student : Straight ahead.
The Shaykh : Oh shaykh, give us the answer, may Allah guide you. The believer is easy, oh Abu Abd al-Rahman.
The questioner : What answer?
The Shaykh : May Allah forgive you.
The questioner : Amen. In practice, my shaykh, good, I mean, in one word, the action was good.
The Shaykh : That is not my question, may Allah guide you. Repeat my question?
The questioner : I understood that the question is: did he come with good or did he not come with good?
The Shaykh : And why are you saying that? No, that has passed, that has passed, may Allah guide you. You told me that you wanted to correct yourself, I told you no. Now, my question is: is the speech you want to correct a confirmation of your first speech or a negation of it? That is my question, so you have not answered yet.
The questioner : My shaykh, in it there is confirmation and there is negation according to the intention.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no...
The questioner : I mean, this is what I have.
The Shaykh : There is no power and no... according to the intention and according to the wording?
The questioner : I mean, my intention.
The Shaykh : He also wants to say his intention, he also does not want to answer. Like this, now we need to finish this journey, oh Abu Abd al-Rahman?
The questioner : No, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : We will reach the place and you will not answer the question, why?
The questioner : Let’s conclude, if Allah wills, we will answer.
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah wills, what is the answer? You cannot answer to repeat the question. Do you remember the question?
The questioner : Do you reconcile with Umm Fadl, my shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes, by Allah, may Allah be pleased with her and with all our wives.
The student : O Allah, amen, the predecessors and the successors.
The questioner : Let our answer, my shaykh, be contrary.
The Shaykh : Let the answer be with me.
The questioner : Contrary. You said confirming, should it be confirming or contrary?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... The answer, let it be contrary.
The Shaykh : Let it be contrary.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : I mean, we understand from your answer, if you mean what you are saying, that he did good, is that so? This is a question for the sake of verification, is that so?
The questioner : That is correct.
The Shaykh : So where does the invalidity come from? Do you find in the Shari'ah a man who comes with good in an act of worship and the worship becomes invalid?
The questioner : No, may Allah reward you with good, my shaykh.
The Shaykh : Masha'Allah, there is no power except by Allah.
The questioner : Okay, my shaykh, I mean, if a man intends to get rid of it... to rest his back, and it is 'Asr, and he knows that there is combining?
The Shaykh : Double, double.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Double.
The questioner : I mean, no...
The student : Turn your words regarding the combining, I mean, the one who does not even want to combine, I mean, he gains the virtue behind the imam.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : And he prays it as a voluntary prayer, rather than starting to say the taslim one after another and leaving the imam and saying the taslim about the rows... why did so-and-so leave? And Allah, I do not see the combining... they are all not scholars, and they are students of knowledge, something will come out for them too, with this, it will come out, and Allah, I do not see the combining. You combine, if you do not want the obligatory, consider it a voluntary prayer without causing confusion among the people.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : Among the common people who hear and see you.
The Shaykh : Look at these hills now.
The student : What Allah willed.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.