Question
Selam
Is this hadith autentic becuse hanafi schoolars juse it as a prove that you can only combine salah during hajj.
‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud, Radi-Allahu anhu, relates:
I never observed the Messenger of Allah perform any prayer out of its time except at Muzdalifa. He combined Maghrib and ‘Isha at Muzdalifa (Sahih al-Bukhari 1:227, Sahih Muslim 1:417, Sharh Ma’ani ‘l-athar 1:164).
Regards
Answer
Salam,
The Hadith technically seems to be authentic. However this does not necessarily mean that the stance of Hanafi scholars about combining prayers is correct.
This is an issue of Fiqh and is based on opinion rather than any direct and definite guidance from the Qur’an or Sunnah.
To prove their point, the Hanafi scholars rely on this Hadith and the fact that the Qur’an states that prayers have definite times. They consider other Ahadith that suggest otherwise to be referring to only appear combining of prayers (Jam’e Suri. This means reading for instance Maghrib a bit later near the time of Isha so it appears that the two prayers are read together while in reality they each have been done in their own time).
On the other hand other scholars rely on the other Ahadith that allow combing prayers at other times and they do not consider most of them to be about apparent combination of prayers. Some interpret the Hadith of ibn Masud as an observation of an individual rather than a state of a fact. Further some use this Hadith of ibn Masud to argue that even based on this Hadith, by the means of comparison (Qyas) one can argue that combining prayers in other occasions is allowed (meaning, since it is allowed in Muzdalifa, it should be allowed in similar other difficult or not ordinary situations).
Both arguments seem to hold some truth and a person may follow any of them that seems to be more convincing to him.
I personally find the view the non-Hanafi view on this issue to be more inline with the general spirit of flexibility and easiness in Islam. This of course is my personal opinion.
Abdullah Rahim