The Hanbalites also held the same view and it is the apparent meaning of Im?m Ahmad’s statements regarding this point -as reported by Al-Q?d?- for the allowing of something is for all people even if the need or the hardship is not existing for some -just like [the allowing of doing combination on] a journey. Besides, it was affirmed that the prophet ( - ) performed combination in rainy weather in the mosque though his chamber was so close to the mosque. (1)

Those who held the prohibition [of performing combination by those living near the mosque] refuted the aforementioned view by stating that the prophet ( - ) performed combination because he ( - ) had nine chambers for his nine wives, none of which led directly to the mosque but that of Aishah’s and the other eight didn’t. Accordingly, he ( - ) may have performed combination at times when he used to come to the mosque from any of the eight rooms for the possibility of being in them is more than the possibility of being in Aishah’s. (2)

Ibn Hajar refuted this view in his “At-Talkh?s” and said: ‘An evidence is needed to support such a view. The evidence, however, supports its opposite. In “Al-Muwatta’”, Im?m M?lik narrated from one of his reliable narrators to have said: ‘People used to go into the prophet’s ( - ) wives’ rooms to perform Friday Sal?t since the mosque could not bear their great number though these rooms were not part of the mosque but their doors lead to it’. (3)

Indeed, ’Umm Salamah’s had?th supports Ibn Hajar’s view. The had?th states: ‘Once All?h’s ( - عز وجل -) Messenger ( - ) woke up late at night terrified and said: ‘Indeed, the inhabitants of these rooms should wake up’, (4) meaning his wives.