01 June 2011

combining prayers for the resident

source: fataawa jeddah - rulings (from) jeddah - tape no. 13
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Question #5: "Is it allowed for the resident to combine between two prayers without (the presence of) rain?"

Shaykh al-Albaani (rahimahullaah) answers:

"Imaam Muslim brought out in his Saheeh, the hadeeth on the authority of Ibn Abbaas who said: The Messenger of Allaah (sallAllaahu alayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) combined (prayers) in Madinah between Dhuhr and Asr, and between Maghrib and Ishaa, without (being in a state of) traveling or (the presence of) rain. They said, What did he [sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam] intend by that O Abu l-Abbaas[1] {the kunya of Abdullaah bin Abbaas}? He said, He [sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam] wanted to not put his ummah into difficulties.[2]

So the apparent meaning of the hadeeth is that it is permissible to combine between two prayers in the state of residence and without the excuse of rain, because rain is an Islamically legislated excuse that allows combining between two prayers. And here Ibn Abbaas says that the Prophet (sallAllaahu ýalayhi wa aalihi wa sallam) combined as a resident and combined without the excuse of rain. And he confirmed that when the previous question was addressed to him: Why did he [sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam] do that? (Ibn Abbaas) said, He [sallAllaahu ýalayhi wa sallam] wanted to not put his ummah into difficulties. This is the hadeeth and it is in Saheeh Muslim but not al-Bukhaari. There is the like of this hadeeth in al-Bukhaari, (mentioning that) he [sallAllaahu alayhi wa sallam] combined between the prayers in Madinah as eight (rakah),[3] but there isn't this detail that Imaam Muslim mentioned or narrated from Ibn Abbaas, in which there is this important point that is the answer to this question, namely his saying (radi Allaahu anhu): He [sallAllaahu 'alayhi wa sallam] wanted to not put his ummah into difficulties.


So some of the scholars in old times and recent times believe in the permissibility of this combining during residence without an excuse, and I don't consider that to be correct; that is because the narrator of the hadeeth explains the combining of the Messenger (of Allaah) (ýalayhi ssalaam) without an excuse, to be another excuse as a method of legislating (from Allaah) and explaining to the people, since Ibn ýAbbaas said, He wanted to not put his ummah into difficulties, (alayhi ssalaat wa ssalaam). And the meaning of that is: the ruling of combining during residence is tied to the presence of difficulty (that would arise) due to not combining. So when there is difficulty in performing the prayers in their known appointed times, it is permissible to combine in order to remove the difficulty, which Allaah, the Mighty and Majestic, has removed in the likes of His Saying: And He has not laid upon you in religion any hardship.[4] As for if there is no difficulty, then it is obligatory to maintain performing the five prayers, each prayer in its (due) time, because there is no difficulty.

For example, I am sitting here and I hear the adhaan (call to prayer) there in the masjid near me, while I am capable of going out and there is no difficulty upon me at all to go out, so it is not permissible for me to combine. And the opposite of that as well; when I came in this journey, I found this electric elevator to be out of order, and it is very difficult for me, as you see because of a pain in my two knees, to go down or up by way of stairs. So some prayers passed by me (but) I didn't go out to the masjid. But when the electric elevator was fixed such that it saved me the difficulty of descending and ascending, it became obligatory upon me to pray every prayer in the masjid because I did not find this difficulty that I had found when I had just moved here. Therefore, combining is only allowed for the purpose of removing a difficulty; so, when there is no difficulty, there is no combining. They are two inseparable affairs: no difficulty, no combining; (but if) there is difficulty, there is (the possibility and permissibility of) combining. And this is the best that can be said with regard to reconciling between this authentic hadeeth and those ahaadeeth that came stating that every prayer (is to be prayed) in its (due) time[5] and that it is not allowed to distract oneself from it especially because in most circumstances, combining requires abandoning prayer with the congregation, as I described to you my first situation (with the electric elevator)."


[1] The addition O Abu l-ýAbbaasý is found in Musnad Ahmad 4/192
[2] Saheeh Muslim #705
[3] Saheeh al-Bukhaari #543
[4] Surat ul-Hajj, 22:78
[5] Saheeh Muslim #648 
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