Part 20

“The prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer performed by person alone.”

It is preferable for the Muslim to perform prayer in the mosque, in which congregational prayer is not to be established except by his presence. That is, the Muslim will get the reward of maintaining the mosque. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day.” (Qur'an: At-Tawbah: 18)

The next in preference is to perform prayer in a mosque that has a large congregation, as it involves more reward. The prophet (PBUH) said:

“A man’s prayer performed along with another is better (in reward) than his prayer when performed alone, and his prayer with two men is better than his prayer with one, and whatever (number) is wld

more than this will be more pleasing to Allah, Exalted be He.

(Related by Ahmad and Abi Dawdd and deemed sahih (authentic) by Ibn Hibban)

It indicates that the larger congregation is better, as mercy and tranquility descend upon the congregation. In addition to this, a large congregation involves comprehensive supplication as well as the hope for a response, especially if there are scholars and righteous people among the congregation. Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“Within it are men who love to purify themselves; and Allah loves those who purify themselves.” (Qur'an: At-Tawbah: 108)

This verse indicates that it is desirable to perform prayer with the righteous congregation, who keep their purity and perform ablution perfectly.

Then, it is more preferable to perform prayer at old mosques, as they are the first mosques where acts and practices of worship and obedience were performed, before the newly established ones. What is more preferable to that is performing prayer at distant mosques, rather than the near ones. That is because the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“The people who get the best reward for the prayer are those who are farthest away (from the mosque) and then those who are next farthest and so on.”

“The prayer performed in congregation is twenty five times more superior (in reward) to the prayer offered alone in one’s house or in a business center; for if the one of you performs ablution and does it perfectly, and then proceeds to the mosque with the sole intention of performing prayer, then for each step which he takes toward the mosque, Allah lifts him up a degree in reward and crosses out (i.e. forgives) one sin until he enters the mosque.”

“O Bani Salamah! Keep li ving in your houses, for your steps (to the mosque) are recorded” ~

Some scholars are of the view that to perform prayer in the nearer of two mosques is worthier, as the near mosque has a right of neighborhood, so the Muslim is more entitled to perform his prayer in it. In support of this view, it is reported that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“No (obligatory) prayer of the one who is a neighbor of the mosque is to be performed except in the mosque (i.e. one should not perform obligatory prayers but in the mosque).”

Skipping the near mosque in order to perform prayer in a distant one may cause a kind of perplexity among the people living near the mosque. This opinion may be the more acceptable one, as skipping the near mosque will be regarded as an excuse for deserting it, and this will cause a kind of embarrassment and mistrust with regard to the imam (leader in prayer) of the near mosque.

It is seen as prohibited that the congregation be led (in prayer) by someone else other than the assigned imam of the mosque (i.e. the one who leads people regularly in prayer in this mosque), unless there is an excuse or by his permission. It is stated in Sahih Muslim (Muslim's Authentic Book of Hadith) and other books of Hadith that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“No man should lead another in prayer in a place where he (the latter) has authority without his (the latter’s) permission.”

“The owner of the house and the assembly, and the imam are worthy than others. When doing the opposite, it will be a kind of wronging the assigned imam of the mosque and causing Muslims to keep away from him. Moreover, such act could cause division among Muslims.”

Some scholars are of the view that if the congregation in the mosque is led by someone else other than its assigned imam and without his permission or any legal excuse, the prayer of the congregation will not be valid (acceptable). This refers to the seriousness of this issue, so it should be dealt with seriously. Therefore, Muslims should consider the right of their imam and not to encroach upon it. Likewise, the imam of the mosque should respect and consider the rights of those led (in prayer) and not to cause embarrassment to them. Hence, all of them (the leader in prayer and the people led) should consider the others’ right so that affection and intimacy may be realized. So when the imdm is late and it is the time for prayer, Muslims are to perform their prayer, as done by Abi Bakr As-Siddiq and *‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn *Awf (may Allah be pleased with them both) when the Prophet (PBUH) went to establish peace among Band ‘Amr Ibn * Awf and he was delayed. Thereupon, Aba Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) led the prayer’. Likewise, ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn ‘ Awf led the people in prayer when the Prophet (PBUH) was late in another incident and the Prophet (PBUH) performed the last rak ‘ah (unit of prayer) behind him™. When the Prophet (PBUH) finished prayer, he said, “You have done well.”

Among the rulings concerning the congregational prayer is that it is an act of the Sunnah (Prophetic Tradition) for the one who has already performed prayer and then the immediate prayer call (iqdmah) is pronounced while he is in the mosque, to perform that prayer along with the congregation. Aba Dharr narrated a hadith on the Prophet (PBUH) stating:

“Perform prayer at its prescribed time, but if the immediate prayer call is pronounced while you are in the mosque, then pray, and do not say ‘I have performed prayer and so I shall not pray?”

In this case, the prayer such a person performs in the congregation will be considered a supererogatory prayer. This is stated in the hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) addressed to two men, in which he commanded them to perform prayer again and he said to them:

This is ordained lest people should think that the one who is not performing prayer in congregation is not among those who establish prayer.

There is also another ruling on the congregational prayer, namely if the immediate prayer call (igamah) is established, it will not be permissible for anyone to start performing a supererogatory prayer; either the confirmed ones (supererogatory practices) or the Mosque Greeting Prayer (which is performed on entering the mosque). That is because the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“When the prayer commences, then there is no (valid) prayer but the obligatory prayer (i.e. one should not perform a supererogatory prayer when the obligatory prayer starts)”

(Related by Imam Muslim) It is stated in another narration related by Imam Ahmad as: “..No prayer (is to be performed) but that which has begun.”

Consequently, any supererogatory prayer, in which the opening takbir (saying, “Allahu-Akbar” i.e. “Allah is the Greatest”) has just been pronounced, is not to be valid as long as the immediate prayer call (iqamah) for the obligatory prayer, that one aims to perform along with the imam, has been pronounced just before.

Imam Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The reason behind this is to let the Muslim be devoted to the

obligatory prayer from its beginning. That is, to start it immediately after the imam (leader in prayer). Moreover, to observe the perfection of the obligatory prayer is worthier than getting busy with a supererogatory prayer. Another reason is that the Prophet (PBUH) forbade disagreeing with imams " Furthermore, the stated virtue of the opening takbir (in prayer) i is not to be gained except when said immediately after the imam.”

However, if the immediate prayer call (iqémah) is pronounced while the person is performing a supererogatory prayer, in which he has already pronounced the opening takbir, he may complete it making it light and not to cut it short unless he is afraid of missing the congregational prayer. Allah, Exalted be He, said, “..And do not invalidate your deeds.” (Qur'an: Muhammad: 33) Accordingly, if one is afraid of missing the congregational prayer, one is to cut short the supererogatory prayer, as the obligatory act is more important.

1 Aba Dawad (664) [1/306], An-Nas@i (810) [1/425] and Ibn Majah (976) [1/518].

4 Individual duty: A religious duty whose obligation extends to every Muslim.

8 Ahmad (15564) [3/439]. Al-Haythami graded it as authentic hadith in his book ‘Majma’ Az-Zawé'id* (The Compilation of Additional Hadiths) (2/41-42] and Al-Mundhiri in his book ‘At-Targhib wat-Tarhil’ [1/273]

11 Ad-Daraqutni (1538) [1/399], Al-Bayhaqi (4945) [3/81] and Al-Hakim. A similar hadith was related by Ad-Daraqutni (1537) [1/399].

14 Ahmad (11394) [3/57], Aba Dawid (574) [1/274] and Al-Tirmidhi (220) [1/427].

18 This was reported about *Aishah and Umm Salamah as it was related by Ibn Abt Shaybah in his book ‘Al-Musannaf (4952, 4954) [1/430], Ad-Daraqutni (1492, 1493) [1/388], ‘Abdur-Razzaq (5086) [3/141] and Al-Bayhaqi (5355) [3/187].

19 Ahmad (21258) [5/184], Aba Dawad (554) [1/267] and Ibn Hibban in his book AsSabtih (2056) [5/405].

22 Bani Salamh wanted to move their houses near the mosque so the Prophet (PBUH) said this hadith.

28 Abd Dawid (575) [1/274], Al-Tirmidhi (219) [1/424] and An-Nasé’i (857) [1/447].

31 As the hadiths related in Al-Bukhari (722) [2/270] and Muslim (929) [2/354].

The sounder of the two views of scholars regarding the one coming late for congregational prayer is that he is not to be regarded as having caught up with the prayer unless he prays at least one rak‘ah (unit of prayer) thereof. So, if one catches less than one rak'ah in congregation, one is not regarded as having attended the congregation, but one is allowed to follow the imam from the time one has entered the prayer and one will get the reward for the congregational prayer according to one’s intention. Likewise, if one intends to perform prayer in congregation but finds that the people have finished the prayer, then one will get a reward like that of those who have performed prayer in congregation, according to one’s intention. This view agrees with the hadiths stating that if somebody intends to do a good deed and he cannot do it, then it will be recorded for him as a reward like that of the one who does it’.

According to the soundest view of scholars, the rak‘ah is counted only when one catches up with the prayer during the bowing (position). This is

“If anyone catches up (the people in prayer when they are) bowing, he already has got the rak‘ah”

This is also stated in a hadith in Sahih Muslim (Muslim's Authentic Book of Hadith) narrated on the authority of Abii Bakr who reached the Prophet (PBUH) in the mosque while he (the Prophet) was bowing in prayer and he too bowed before joining the row. The Prophet (PBUH) did not order him to perform the rak‘ah again’ which proves that it is sufficient for one if one catches up with the prayer when the congregants are bowing.

If a latecomer to congregational prayer reaches the prayer while the imam is in the bowing position, he must pronounce the opening takbir (in prayer) while standing, then he should bow with the imam preferably after a second takbir (saying, “Allahu-Akbar” i.e. “Allah is the Greatest”). If the latecomer pronounces the opening takbir, it will take the place of the takbir for bowing. This is because the opening takbir must be pronounced while standing erect, while it is better to pronounce the takbir for bowing after pronouncing the opening takbir.

If the latecomer to congregational prayer gets the imdm in any position (in prayer), he should follow him. This is stated in the hadith narrated by Aba Hurayrah and others in which the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“If you come to prayer while we are prostrating, prostrate yourselves along with us, but do not consider it a rak’ah (unit of prayer).”

When the imam pronounces the second taslim (the final Salams in prayer), the latecomer is to stand erect to perform whatever he has missed, yet he is not to stand before the second taslim pronounced by the imam.

According to the soundest view of scholars, the beginning of the prayer of the latecomer to the congregational prayer is the part he catches up with the imam, and what he performs after the taslim (of the imam) is the last part of it. This view is according to the hadith related by the majority of the compilers, in which the Prophet (PBUH) said:

It is known that completing a thing never happens unless it has already begun. The other narration of the hadith in which the Prophet (PBUH) said, “And make up for whatever you have missed”” does not contradict the

narration stating “..And complete whatever you have missed.” This is because making up for (whatever one misses in prayer) means performing it, according to the Quranic verse in which Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“And when the prayer has been concluded...” (Quran: Al-Jumu ‘ah: 10)

Thereupon, the Prophet's statement “..And make up for whatever you have missed” can be paraphrased as performing and completing (the prayer); and Allah knows best.

If the prayer is publicly-recited, the one led in prayer must listen to the recitation of the imam and it is not permissible for him to recite during the recitation of the imam, either the surah of Al-Fatihah or any other surah. This is because Allah, Exalted be He, says:

“So when the Qur Gn is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you may receive mercy.” (Qur'an: Al-A’ raf: 204)

Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) said, “Scholars unanimously agree that the recitation mentioned in this verse is that recited during prayer.” If recitation was obligatory on the part of the one led in prayer, he would not have been ordered (by the Lawgiver)” to abandon such an obligation to observe a supererogatory act, namely listening to the recitation of the imdm.

Besides, if the one led in prayer concerns himself with reciting, then the loud recitation of the imam will be useless.

Since saying ‘Amin (Amen) after the recitation of the imam takes the place of the recitation, Allah, Exalted be He, said to Misa (Moses) and Hartin (Aaron): “.« Your supplication has been answered...” (Qur'an: Yiinus: 89)

This was said while Misa was the one who invoked Allah saying:

“...Our Lord, indeed You have given Pharaoh and his establishment splendor and wealth in the worldly life...”

Haran, on his side, said ‘Amin’ which takes the place of the invocation. So, Allah, Exalted be He, addresses both saying, “.. Your supplication has been answered.” (Qur'an: Yanus: 89) This proves that the one who says ‘Amin’ after an invocation is like that who says the invocation.

On the other hand, if the prayer is secretly-recited or the one led in prayer does not hear the imam, then he is to recite Al-Fatihah (the Opening Chapter of the Quran). In this way, all the legal proofs (related to that) accord with each other, i.e. the one led in prayer must recite Al-Fatihah in the secretlyrecited prayer but he is not to recite it in the publicly-recited prayer; and Allah knows best.

One of the important rulings on the congregational prayer is that it is obligatory on the one led in prayer to follow the imam completely and that it is prohibited for him to precede the imam. This is because the one led in prayer must follow the imam, and the follower is not to precede the one followed. In this regard, Al-Bukhari and Muslim related that the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Is he who raises his head before the imam not afraid that Allah may transform his head into that of a donkey or his figure (face) into that of a donkey?”

So the one who precedes the imdm (in prayer) is like the donkey which does not understand the wisdom behind whatever it does. If one precedes the imam, one then deserves to be punished. In a sahih (authentic) hadith, the Prophet (PBUH) says:

“The imam is appointed to be followed; so do not bow until he bows and do not prostrate until he prostrates.”"