Ibn Hibban

Sayyiduna Mughira bin Shu’bah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I ate garlic and then came to the prayer place of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). I found that you had already performed one rak’ah. When I stood up to perform the remaining rak’ah, you sensed the smell of garlic. You said: Whoever eats this vegetable should never come near our mosque until its smell is gone. Sayyiduna Mughira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: When I completed the prayer, I presented myself before you. I said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! Please accept my excuse and extend your blessed hand towards me. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) extended his blessed hand towards me, and by Allah, I found it soft. I placed it inside my sleeve up to my chest, and you felt that there was a bandage on it, so you said: Your excuse (is accepted). (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) These are the things that we have mentioned, that they are excuses, as mentioned in the narration transmitted from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). These are the excuses that if a person is afflicted by any one of them, then if he does not participate in the performance of his obligatory prayer with the congregation, there will be no sin upon him, but he will be sinful for abandoning coming to the congregation. The reason is that these are two obligations: performing the prayer with the congregation and performing the obligatory (prayer) itself. So whoever performs the obligatory prayer, even though he hears the call to prayer, the obligation of performing the prayer is lifted from him. But the sin of not participating in the congregation will remain upon him. Because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond, his prayer is not valid, except in the case of an excuse.” So by this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) meant that the prayer of that person is not without sin, the sin which he committed by not joining the congregation, when what is meant is the commission of a prohibition. It does not mean that such a person’s prayer is not valid at all, even if he is not excused. At the time when he does not respond to the call of the one who calls towards Allah Almighty, his example will be like the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): “Whoever engages in idle acts, his Friday (prayer) is not valid.” So by this, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) meant that his Friday prayer is not without the sin of the idle act which he committed.