What Is The Ruling On Performing Prayer In Congregation?
What is the ruling on performing prayer in congregation?
Islam attaches great importance to unity and solidarity. Establishment of five-time daily prayers (Baqarah, 2/43), Friday prayers once in every week, and eid prayers twice in a year has the fuction of contributing to Muslims’ being aware of each other’s situation. seeing each other and socializing, and helping one another. In this respect, establishing prayer in congregation plays a crucial role in strengthening and sustaining the spirit of unity.
The Prophet Muhammad (saw) always led the congregation for five-time daily prayers as their imam since it was declared to be fardh until the last days of his life, and encouraged Muslims to perform their prayers in congregation (Abu Dawud, Salat, 49).
There are a great number of hadiths indicating the importance of attendance to congregation. In one of them, Prophet Muhammad (saw) says, “If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation), for the wolf eats only the straggling animal.” (Abu Dawud, Salat, 47). In another hadith he seriously warns those who do not attend congregation by saying, “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is I was about to order for collecting firewood (fuel) and then order Someone to pronounce the Adhan for the prayer and then order someone to lead the prayer then I would go from behind and burn the houses of men who did not present themselves for the (compulsory congregational) prayer.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 29, 34; Muslim, Masajid, 251-254). Moreover, he expressed that the reward of the prayer that is established in congregation will be 27 times greater than that of the prayer that is established individually (Bukhari, Adhan, 30; Muslim, Masajid, 249).
With reference to these and other similar hadiths and related verses that express the importance of establishing prayer in congregation, Hanbalis say that establishment of prayer in congregation is fardh al-‘ayn for men while Shafi’is say that it is fardh al-kifayah. According to Hanafis and Malikis, establishing the fardh prayers in congregation is sunnah mu’akkadah except Friday prayer for men who are able to perform it (Marghinani, al-Hidayah, I, 362; Kasani, Bada’i, I, 155; Jaziri, al-Madhahib al-Arba‘a, I, 368-369).
In this respect, people should try to establish their prayers in congregation unless there is a condition which prevents them from attending. Indeed, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) gave the glad tidings that the rank of a person will be elevated and one of his sins will be forgiven for each step he takes while going to the mosque (Bukhari, Adhan, 30; Abu Dawud, Salat, 49).
Source: Presidency Of Religious Affairs The Turkey, High Board of Religious Affairs FATWAS
