💯 Miscellaneous Benefits from Yemen

BENEFIT 109: Combining between prayers due to rainfall The questioner says that they combine between prayers due to rainfall, so he only prays Maghrib with them and then returns home and prays Isha alone. Is this action correct? Sheikh Yahya ḥafidhahullāh: In the case of rain, it is permissible for people to pray in their homes, as per the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ to the mu'adhin [in times of rainfall] ((صلوا في رحالكم)) "Pray in your dwellings." ((ألا صلوا في الرحال)) "Pray in the dwellings." ((صلوا في بيوتكم)) "Pray in your homes." This action (praying at home) is a concession. Thus, it is permissible for someone, if they go out in the rain and are affected by it, or due to muddy/slippery conditions or intense wind or other reasons, to pray at home. So, this action is correct, I.e. Taking advantage of the concession [not to attend the congregation] and praying at home. In fact, this is better than combining between prayers during rainfall; because the instruction to pray in dwellings is explicitly stated and a clear command, while combining between prayers in such circumstances lacks evidence, aside for a general understanding (mafhoom) derived from the saying: ((جمع من غير خوف ولا مطر)) "He ﷺ combined between prayers without there being any fear or rain." Some scholars interpreted this to mean allowance for people to combine between prayers due to rainfall, and they also based this understanding on some Aathaar. However, there is no evidence that the Prophet ﷺ ever combined between prayers during rainfall, although it rained at various times during his lifetime, and on one occasion it rained for a whole week, but despite this he never combined between prayers due to this. This indicates that he ﷺ would direct them to pray in their dwellings. Rather, they ony derived this understanding (allowance to combine between prayers due to rainfall) from the phrase "without fear or rain". At-Tirmidhi mentions in his Jaami' that everything in his book is acted upon except a few hadiths, and under this category he this hadith (I.e. the hadith regarding combining between prayers due to rainfall). They (some of the Salaf) explained [the statement of Ibn Abbas] ((من غير خوف ولا مطر)) "He combined for a reason other than fear or rain" to mean that he combined due illness, as stated by some of the commentators, like Sufyan. Therefore, this implies that he combined between the said prayers due to illness; because illness is an excuse [for combining between prayers]; a person may require to combine between prayers due to special circumstances, like operations and so on. Thus, there is no specific evidence for combining between prayers due to rainfall. Whereas, praying at home during rainfall is explicitly established, and this is the Sunnah. With that said, we do not make tabdee' on those who combine between prayers in this case due to the questionable interpretations they hold onto. Otherwise, the Sunnah is to pray in one's dwelling if they choose to do so; if someone decides to adhere to the 'Azeemah and go to the masjid [to offer the prayer on time], that is fine, and if one takes advantage of the concession, that is also fine, as some of the hadiths indicate. So what the questioner did aligns with this understanding. Source: https://t.me/miscyemenibenefits/151