Congregational Praver

iJ'J..l..J1 tIS- 4J! t '-"" . ) ~ S ' J ~ ~ I o ~

Dr. Saalih ibn Ghaanim al-Sadlaan
Translated by Abu Rumaysah
2000
Congregational Prayer
By Dr. Saalih al-Sadlaan
Translated by Abu Rumaysah
Published by:
Al-Basheer Company for Publications and Translations
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2000, Al-Basheer Company
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ISBN 1-891540-10-6 $15.00 softcover
Omgregationa{Prayer
Table of Contents
PUBLISHER'S INTRODUCTION 1
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 3
TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE 5
Recommended Books to be Read Alongside This One 6
Some Translation Conventions Used in This Book: 6
English References Used in the Footnotes 7
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 9
THE MEANING OF "SALAAH" IN THE
LANGUAGE AND IN THE TERMINOLOGY
OF THE SHAREEAH 15
The Meaning of "Salaah " in the Language 15
The Meaning ofSalaah in the Terminology ofthe
The Meaning ofal-Jamaa 'ah in the Terminology ofthe
THE EVIDENCE FOR THE LEGITIMACY AND LEGAL
THE POSITION OF THE PRAYER AMONG THE OTHER
Sharee 'ah 15
The Meaning ofal-Jamaa 'ah in the Language 15
Sharee 'ah 16
The Meaning ofSalaatul Jamaa 'ah 16
STANDING OF THE PRAYER 17
THE POSITION OF THE PRAYER IN ISLAM 18
ACTS OF WORSHIP 22
THE WISDOM BEHIND THE LEGISLATION OF
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 25
THE HISTORY OF THE LEGISLAnON OF
CONGREGATIONAL PRAyER 26
ENCOURAGEMENT TO PERFORM THE PRAYER IN
INTIMIDAnON CONCERNING MISSING THE
CONGREGATION 30
CONGREGATIONAL PRAyER 34
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THE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXCELLENCE AND REWARD
FOR THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 37
The Proofs for the First Opinion 37
The Proofs for the Second Opinion 38
Discussion ofthe Evidence ofthe First Opinion .40
The Strongest Opinion 40
Summary 42
The Fruits ofthe Difference ofOpinion 43
MANNERS OF WALKING TO THE CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER AND OF LEAVING IT .44
WHOM THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER IS
SANCTIONED 51
THE NUMBER WHICH CONSTITUTES A CONGREGATION 52
Summary 54
THE PORTION OF THE PRAYER THAT MUST BE CAUGHT
TO BE CONSIDERED PART OF THE CONGREGATION 55
The First Opinion 55
The Proofs for the First Opinion 56
The Second Opinion 57
The Strongest Opinion 58
THE PLACE FOR PERFORMING THE
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER AND THE
VIRTUE OF MAINTAINING THE
MOSQUES AND WALKING TO THEM FOR
PRAYER 59
MAINTAINING THE MOSQUES AND WALKING TO THEM
FOR PRAYER 59
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER IN OTHER THAN A MOSQUE 63
The First Opinion 63
The Second Opinion 65
The Third Opinion 66
THE RULING OF A CONGREGATION FOR THE
OBLIGATORY PRAYERS 68
The First Opinion 68
The Second Opinion 71
The Third Opinion 73
The Fourth Opinion 75
The Strongest Opinion 82
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THE RULINGOFA CONGREGATIONAL FORTHE
OPTIONALPRAyERS , 83
The Types ofNawaafilPrayers withRespect to Praying
The Type That is Sanctionedto be Performed With a
Salaatut Taraaweeh (The Night Prayer during
TheMeaningofNawaafilin the Language 83
TheMeaningofNawaafilin the Sharee'ah 83
ThePosition ofthe NawaafilAmong the OtherPrayers 84
Them in Congregation 84
Congregation: 84
Salaatul Kusoof (ThePrayer ofthe Solar Eclipse) 84
Salaatul Istisqaa (The Prayerfor SeekingRain) 85
Salaatul Eidayn (The Two Eid Prayers) 85
Ramadaan) '" 85
TheNawaafil ThatAre PrayedIndividually: 85
QIYAAM RAMADAAN OR SALAATUT
TARAAWEEH IN CONGREGATION 89
TheReasonBehindIts Being CalledSalaatut
Taraaweeh 89
TheReasonthe Prophet (peace be upon him) Did Not
Innovations and Evil ActionsDone During Taraaweeh
Recitingthe Qur'aan With a Musical Voice and ToBe
Mimicking the Voices ofand Blindly Following Some
Artificial Crying and ExcessiveDisplaysofHumility
Saying the Supplication for Completing the Qur'aan
TheRulingofSalaatut Taraaweeh 89
How Should Taraaweeh be Performed? 91
TheStrongest Opinion 92
TheProphet's Endorsing ofthe Congregation 92
His EstablishingIt Himself 93
His ExplainingIts Excellence 95
Continue to Performthe Prayer in Congregation 96
Performing Salaatut Taraaweeh Improperly 98
Prayer 98
Enrapturedby It 99
Reciters 100
When the Qur'aanIs Recited 100
Goingfrom Mosque to MosqueDuring Ramadaan 100
Within the Prayer 104
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CongregatilJtul(Prayer
WAITING FOR A CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER IS BETTER THAN PRAYING
INDIVIDUALLY AT THE ONSET OF THE
TI1'm FOR THAT PRAYER I05
The Texts That Occur with Respect to This Issue
What is Exempted From the Virtue ofthe Beginning
Time
106
108
THE TIME WHEN THE PEOPLE STAND FOR
THE CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER................ 111
The Time When the Followers Standfor
Congregational Prayer 111
The Strongest Opinion 112
The Allowed Gap Between the Adhaan and the
Iqaamah 112
Errors That Must Be Pointed Out 113
REPEATING THE CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER IN THE SAME MOSQUE 115
REPEATING A PRAYER IN CONGREGATION ............119
The Linguistic Meaning ofal-Taadah 119
The Sharee 'ah Meaning ofal-Faadah 119
The Reason for Repeating a Congregational Prayer 120
The Different Scenarios for Repeating the
Congregational Prayer 120
1. THE PERSONWHO HAsPRAYED ALONE FINDING A
CONGREGAnON AND PRAYING AGAIN 120
A) A PERSON PRAYS ALONE AND mEN FINDS
A CONGREGAnON 121
B) A PERSONPRAYS IN CONGREGAnON AND THEN
FINDS ANOTHER CONGREGATION 125
2. THE FOLLOWERREPEATSTHE PRAYER BECAUSE HE
WAS STANDING IN THE WRONG PLACE 128
B) THE PERSONREPEATING THE PRAYER BECAUSE HE
STOOD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE IMAAM 131
4. THE PERSONREPEATING HIS PRAYERBECAUSE HE
HAsPRAYED BEHIND A SINNING IMAAM 136
The Imaam Who is a Sinner With Respect to his
Actions 137
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b. Repeating the Prayer Due to Praying Behind an
Imaam Who is Evil With Respect to His Beliefs
5. THE RECITER REPEATING HIS PRAYER BECAUSE HE
141
HAs PRAYED BEHIND ONE WHO CANNOT RECITE
CORRECTLY
6. THE ONE WHO HAs INTENDED AN OBLIGATORY
PRAYER REPEATING HIS PRAYER BECAUSE HE
PRAYED BEHIND ONE WHO HAD INTENDED AN
OPTIONAL PRAYER
144
147
PRAYER IN CONGREGATION AFTER THE
TIl\-IE HAS EXPIRED 151
THE OBLIGAnON TO MAKE UP MISSED PRAYERS
THE MANNER IN WmCH PRAYERS ARE MADE Up
1) It Is Recommended to Pray in Congregation
2) The Ruling ofPraying Aloud or Silently in
Congregation for the Made Up Prayers
3) The Ruling ofPraying the Missed Prayers in Their
Proper Order When There Is a Fear ofMissing
the Congregational Prayer (of the Present
Prayer)
4) The Ruling ofMaking the Adhaan and Iqaamah for
the Missed Prayers
151
152
152
157
158
163
WAITING FOR THE APPOINTED IMAAM AND
THE FORBIDDANCE OF ESTABLISHING
THE CONGREGATION BEFORE mM
WITHOUT AUTHORITY 165
CLOSELY FOLLOWING THE 1MAAM I71
The Maalikee Opinion
The Shaafi 'ee Opinion
The Hanbalee Opinion
The Hanafee Opinion
The Correct Opinion
172
173
174
175
177
CONVEYING (THE TAKBEERS) BEHIND THE
IMAAM IN CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 179
THE OPINIONS OF THE JuRISTS CONCERNING THE
TABLEEGH 181
o
CongregationalPrager
CONVEYING BEHIND THE IMAAM IN THE Two HOLY
MOSQUES 182
THE RULING OF RECITING BEHIND THE
IMAAM IN CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 185
THE PRAYER IN WHICH THE RECITAnON IS SILENT
THE PRAYERIN WHICH THE RECITATION IS ALOUD
185
186
The First Opinion: Reciting Behind the Imaam is
Obligatory in Both the Aloud and Silent Prayers
The Second Opinion: The Follower Does Not Recite in
Either the Prayers Said Silently or Aloud
The Third Opinion: The Follower Recites in the
Prayers That Are Performed Silently but Not in
Those Performed Aloud
The Strongest Opinion
187
189
190
191
THE STATES OF THE FOLLOWER WITH IDS
IMAAM IN CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 195
THE FIRST STATE: PRECEDING THE IMAAM
The Strongest Opinion
The Second State: Agreement with the Imaam
The Third State: Delaying in Following the Imaam
The Fourth State: Following
195
197
198
200
200
THE PRINCIPLE OF THE BREVITY OR
ELONGATION OF THE
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER .......................205
The Amount that the Prophet (peace be upon him)
Used to Recite in the Prayer 210
THE RULING OF PRAYING IN
CONGREGATION BEHIND RADIO OR
TELEVISION BROADCASTS 213
RULING FOR THE CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER ON A SIDP 215
PRAYERS WHILE UPON A BOAT 215
THE RULING OF PRAYING IN CONGREGATION ON A SHIP 216
THE RULING OF CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER IN A CAR, TRAIN OR PLANE 219
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THE RULING FOR WOMEN PRAYING IN A
CONGREGATION 221
WOMEN ATTENDING THE MOSQUES AND PRAYING IN
CONGREGATION WITH THE MEN
WOMEN PRAYING IN CONGREGATION BY THEMSELVES
Wrrn ONE OF THEM LEADING
221
223
EXCUSES FOR NOT ATTENDING THE
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 227
THE UNDESIRABILITY AND SIN Is LIFTED DUE TO
THESE EXCUSES AND THE PERSON ATTAINS THE
REWARD OF CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER 232
INNOVATIONS, ERRORS AND EVIL ACTIONS
THAT ARE DONE IN CONGREGATIONAL
PRAYER 235
CONCLUSION 247
APPENDIX 1 249
WHEN THE lMAAM PRAYS SITTING, DOES THE
FOLLOWER PRAY SITTING? 249
APPENDIX 2 255
THE INNOVATIONS RELATED TO GREETING AFTER THE
PRAyER
BmLIOGRAPHY
255
261
INDEX OF VERSES CITED 269
INDEX OF HADEETH QUOTED 271
CongregationalPrayer
Publisher's Introduction
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most
Merciful. All praises are due to Allah; we praise Him; we seek
His help; we seek His forgiveness; and we seek His guidance.
We seek refuge in Allah from the evil in our souls and the
badness of our deeds. For whomever Allah guides, there is
none to lead him astray. And for whomever He allows to go
astray, there is none to guide him. I bear witness that there is
none worthy of worship except Allah, for whom there is no
partner. And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and
Messenger. 0 believers, have taqwa [fear] of Allah according
to His right and die not save as Muslims. 0 mankind, have
taqwa of your Lord, the One who created you from one soul
and created from it its mate and from them spread forth many
men and women. And fear Allah from whom you demand your
mutual rights and [do not cut] familial ties. Surely, Allah is
ever an All-Watcher over you. 0 believers, have taqwa of
Allah and always speak the truth. He will direct you to do
righteous deeds and will forgive you your sins. And whoever
obeys Allah and His Messenger has indeed achieved a great
achievement.
To proceed: Verily, the truest speech is the Book of
Allah. The best guidance is the guidance ofMuhammad. The
worst affairs are the innovated ones. Every innovatedmatter is
a heresy. And every heresy is a going astray. And every astray
act is in the Hell-fire.
It is with great pleasure that we present this English
translation of Dr. Saalih al-Sadlaan's Salaah al-Jamaah or
Congregational Prayer. We are certain that it is the most
extensive coverage of this topic in English. Indeed, its topic is
one that is long overdue in the English literature.
We would like to express our thanks to Dr. al-Sadlaan
for his permission to translate this and his other excellent
works. We also must thank our capable translator, Abu
Rumaysah, for his efforts and sacrifice. Abu Rumaysah also
added some notes to the text, which are marked offby brackets
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followed by the abbreviation, "Trans." Finally, we would like
to thank Br. Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo for reviewing and
correcting the translation. He has also added a few notes when
the author himself did not point out weakness in some hadith.
His notes are marked off by brackets, followed by his initial
"JZ." May Allah reward all who contributed to this work with
a great reward.
Homaidan al-Turki
President,
Al-Basheer Company
Jan. 30,2000
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AboUllh. AUlhor
The author of this work is Abu Ghaanim Saalih bin
Ghaanim Abdullaah as-Sadlaan. He was born in Buraydah, al
Qaseem Province, Saudi Arabia, in the year 1362 A. H. He
began his pursuit of knowledge by memorizing the Noble
Qur'aan under the auspices of his father. His father, who was a
scholar in his own right, is considered to be the first of his
teachers. Under him, he studied Aqeedah ("creed"), the laws of
inheritance, hadeeth and grammar. He was them admitted into
the Riyadh School for Memorizing the Qur'aan.
He continued his studies at al-Imaam Muhammad bin
Sa'ud Islamic University and completed his intermediary
studies in the year 1381 A. H. In the year 1386 A. H., he
acquired a degree in Sharee 'ah from the University. In the
same year he began to teach at the Wizaarah al-Ma'aarif In
the year 1391 A. H., he acquired a Master's Degree in Fiqh.
His thesis was entitled al-Shurootfee an-Nikaah.
In the year 1395 A. H., he received a doctorate in Fiqh
in the Faculty of Sharee'ah. His thesis was entitled, an-Niyyah
wa Atharuhaa fee al-Ahkaam ash-Shar'iyyah. Currently, he is
a teacher in the Department of Fiqh in the School of Sharee 'ah
at Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University.
The author has studied under and benefited from many
of the noble scholars. From the most famous and skilled of his
teachers are: His father, ash-Shaykh Ghaanim as-Sadlaan (may
Allah have mercy upon him); Shaykh Muhammad bin
Ibraaheem Aali-ash-Shaykh (may Allah have mercy upon
him), under whom he studied Aqeedah, Hadeeth and Fiqh; his
eminence, Abdul-Azeez bin Baaz (may Allah have mercy upon
him), under whom he studied Aqeedah and Fiqh; Shaykh
Muhammad aI-Ameen ash-Shanqeetee (may Allah have mercy
upon him) under whom he studied Usool and Tafseer; Shaykh
Abdur-Razzaaq al-Afeefee (may Allah have mercy upon him),
under whom he studied Usool, Tafseer and Hadeeth; Shaykh
Manaa' al-Qattaan, under whom he studied Tafseer and Usool;
Shaykh Abdul-Azeez bin Muhammad bin Daawood; Shaykh
Abdul-Azeez Zaahim; Shaykh Saalih bin Fawzaan al-Fawzaan;
3
I
~ h a y k h Naasir at-Tareem; Shaykh Abdullaah bin Jibreen; and
Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdur-Rahmaan bin Qaasim.
By the grace and mercy of Allah, a number of the
Shaykh's books have been translated into English and
Ipublished by Al-Basheer Company. These works include
IMarital Discord (al-Nushooz), Words 0/ Remembrance and
Words 0/ Reminder, The Fiqh a/Marriage in the Light a/the
Quran and Sunnah and Fiqh Made Easy.
4
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Translator's Preface
Indeed all praise is due to Allah. We praise him, we
seek His help, we seek His forgiveness and we seek refuge
with Him from the evil of our souls and the evil of our actions.
Whomsoever Allah guides, none can misguide and
whomsoever Allah leaves to stray, none can guide. I bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship save Allah, the
One Who has no partner; and I bear witness that Muhammad is
His servant and Messenger.
The best speech is the speech of Allah and the best
guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace be upon him).
The worst of all matters are those newly introduced (in the
religion). Every newly introduced matter is an innovation and
every innovation is a going astray. All going astray leads to
Hellfire.
To proceed...
The following is a translation of the book Salaatul
Jamaa 'ah: Hukmuhaa wa Ahkaamuhaa by Shaykh Saalih bin
Ghaanim as-Sadlaan, may Allah preserve him. This book was
chosen to be translated for a number ofreasons:
(1) The absence of a book in English that
comprehensively deals with the topic at hand.
(2) On each of the issues discussed, the Shaykh has
briefly presented the views of the various madhhabs ofAhlus
Sunnah wal Jamaa 'ah. He has done so without going into too
much technical detail, such that the reader is left understanding
why a particular madhhab held a certain stance but without
getting confused.
(3) On each of the issues, the Shaykh has presented
what he sees to be the strongest opinion based upon the
evidences.
(4) The Shaykh has highlighted common errors that
many people fall into when praying and warned against them.
I ask Allah that He make this action sincerely for Him,
to make it of benefit to myself and the Muslims, and to forgive
me my errors for they are all from me.
5
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Recommended Books tobe Read Alongside This One
I Below are a list of books that I feel complement this
book and when studied would give the reader a more complete
understanding of the essential topic of salaat (prayers), based
upon the Quraan and Authentic Sunnah,
The Prophet's Prayer Described - Muhammad Naasir
al-Deen Al-Albaanee
The Prayer: Its EjJect in Increasing Eemaan and
Purifying the Soul- Al-Awaayishah
The Three Abandoned Prayers - Adnaan Arour
The Friday Prayer - Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo
The Night Prayers - AI-AlbaaneelMuhammad Jibali
Some Translation Conventions Used in This Book:
Aaliml Ulemaa Scholar/Scholars
Haafidh/Huffaadh Hadeeth Master/Hadeeth Masters
Faqeehl Fuqahaa Jurist/Jurists
Fard Ayn Individual obligation
Fard Kifaayah Communal obligation
Khawf Reverential fear
Khushoo' Reverence and humility
Madhhabul Hanajiyyah. . . The chosen opinion of the
Hanafee/(... ) School
Al-Madhhab 'inda Maalikiyyah... The chosen opinion of
the Maalikee/( ... )
School
Al-Mukhtaar 'inda Hanbaliyyah... The preferred opinion
of the Hanbalee/(... )
School
MuhaddithlMuhadditheen Scholar of HadeethlScholars
of Hadeeth
Mukallaf Legally responsible person
Qawl ash-Shaafi'ee:., The opinion of ash-Shaafi'ee/t ...)
Raghbah Fervent desire
Rahbah Dread
Rajaa' Hope and longing
Riwaayah 'inda Shaafi 'iyyah. .. A reported opinion of
the Shaafi'ee/ (... ) School
6
Congreuationa{Prayer
E n ~ l i s h References Used in the Footnotes
Sahih al-Bukhaaree [9 vols., Muhammad Muhsin
Khan, trans., Kitab Bhavan]
Sahih Muslim [4 vols., Abdul Hamid Siddiqi, trans.,
Kitab Bhavan]
Sunan Abu Dawud [3 vols., Prof. Ahmad Hasan, trans.,
Kitab Bhavan]
Muwatta Imaam Malik [prof. M. Rahimuddin, trans.,
Sh. Muhammad Ashraf publishers]
Abu Rumaysah
3/19/1999
7
congregationa{ Prayer
8
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Author's IO'lroductioo
All praise is due to Allah. Peace and blessings be upon
the most noble of the Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet
Muhammad, and upon his family and all of his Companions.
The intelligent person is left with no doubt that the
actions of worship performed in the religion have the same
position as the foundations of a building; indeed, they are of
the same position as that of the soul flowing through the limbs.
The concern of the Legislator with the actions of worship
reached such a level that He joined them with the foundations
of belief, to the point that the Prophet (peacebe upon him)
said, as Muslim and others recorded,
"Indeed between the person and the polytheism and the
disbelief is the leaving of the prayer."1 The basis for this
statement is found in the Noble Quraan:
J a\S'jH IJN
.-.- .
"So if they repent and establish the prayer and give the zakaah,
they are your brothers in the religion" [at-Tawbah (9):11].
Hence, Allah made brotherhood in the religion
dependent upon establishing the prayer and giving the zakaah,
and not merely dependent upon articulating the testimony of
faith and abandoning opposition.
Certainly, the acts of worship are the signs and
outward expressions of belief. The extent of the clarity ofthe
belief in the soul of man and the extent to which faith is alive
in his heart will determine how firm he is in enacting the
commands of Allah.
The peak of worship and the most important action of
worship is the prayer. It is one of the obligations of the
religion, one of the pillars of the Sharee 'ah and represents a
I Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/48 no. 146].
9
Congregationa(Prayer
comprehensive set of regulations encompassing the whole of
Islam. It is the second pillar of Islam which actualizes, in
feeling and in deed, the first pillar: the testimony that none has
the right to be worshipped save Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah. The rest ofIslam comes as a result of
the person's performing the prayer. For this reason, the best
action the Muslim can perform and the one that brings him
closes to Allah is the prayer. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
said,
"" J /. J tP -;. ,.." ,,,
J.) ;;.:. 01 1;.a;.J J.) I;_f:.. \
0" ,..
0';;1 '" '. '_1\
lXY yy ,-
-' ,
"Remain steadfast but [know that] you will not [always] be
able to. Know that the best of your actions is the prayer and
that none preserves performing the wudu' except for a
believer."l
Having a love for the prayer, eagerly going to perform
it, performing it in the most complete and perfect way both
inwardly and outwardly is an indication of the amount oflove
of Allah and desire to meet Him that one has in his heart.
Turning away from the prayer, being lazy in performing it,
being lethargic in going to it, seeing it as something difficult to
perform, praying it individually and not in congregation
without a valid excuse are signs ofthe heart devoid of the love
of Allah and its not desiring that which is with Him. Al-Hasan,
may Allah have mercy upon him, commented upon the saying
of Allah,
j\ 1;;;(, I}w,f
d"" " .... 0
L$ .
_
"But after them there followed a posterity who missed (or
became lax in) the prayers and followed their lusts. Soon they
will face destruction" [Maryam (19): 59], by saying, "They
deserted the mosques, busied themselves with everyday affairs
1Musnad Ahmad (5/276.277).
10
Cungregationa!Prager
and clung to the delights of this world and sins. We seek
refuge with Allah from that."l
So if this is the case of those who stopped performing
the prayer in congregation, what would be the case of the one
who abandons the prayer deliberately? Abu al-Dardaa' said,
"Abu Al-Qaasim [the Prophet (peace be upon him)] enjoined
me to never leave the prayer deliberately, for the one who
leaves it deliberately is absolved ofprotection."2
The obligatory prayers are repeated every day and
night five times at the appropriate times for them. Preserving
these times is like the servant continually responding to the
call of Allah and his giving thanks for the favors that Allah
perpetually bestows upon him. Allah said,
"'0" ..."... , 0 ., ... 0 "
IJ J ,J '-ri

"Remember Me and I will remember you, give thanks to Me
and do not be ungrateful" [al-Baqarah (2):152].
The Subtle, the All-Aware has completed the ease of
performing them by obligating them in congregation, for
indeed gathering together for the actions of worship is one of
the ways to make those actions easier. Allah made the outcome
of preserving the prayers to be the excellence ofreligion, the
rectification of faith and a swift reward-all of which make it
very pleasing to the believers and make them praise Allah for
obligating it upon them. Allah said,
1 aJ-jaami' Ii-Ahkaam al-Qur' aan (11/123) by al-Qurtubee.
2 Reported in the Sunan of ibn Abee Haatim. [Allah knows best, butthis is
probably a typographical error in theArabic text ofthis work IbnAbee Haatim is
not known for having a collection ofhadith entitled Sunan. Furthermore, noone
seems to ascribe this hadith to any ofibnAbee Haatim's works. In any case, this
hadnh has been recorded in a number of collections ofhadith with different
contexts. The recording by ibn Maajah, however, hasbeen graded hasan byal
Albaani.-jZ]
11
CongregationafPrayer
... ... ......... 0... rP rP
o ~ \ Iii .~ \ .'t\ .usu '. 'T . ' .us, ~ ~ , LJ\
~ Jft" r
F J
, :iJ',;;o, ,: ~ ~
~ \}A~ f ~ ) f ~ ill\~ ! ~ iJJ itS-yl JTJ
, ~ ...,
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v-...
"The mosques of Allah shall be visited and maintainedby such
as believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish the regular
prayers and pay the zakaah and fear only Allah. It is they who
are expected to be upon true guidance" [al-Tawbah (9):18].
When you come to know this, then mow that many
books and pamphlets have been written concerning the
congregational prayer, its mannerisms, its ruling, its
regulations, its benefits and warning from being lax with
regards to it. All of these fulfil the purpose for which they
were written. However, none ofthem deal with the topic as a
whole in a comprehensive way, as they are works on different
topics scattered about here and there. For this reason I decided
to gather together in one book the various topics and issues
concerning the congregational prayer and resolve most of its
issues in the light of the Qur'aan and Sunnah. I have
mentioned the opinions of the Jurists in many of the
issues-discussing the evidences for each opinion,
determining the strongest opinion and clarifying the reason
behind this based on what is clear to me.
Another reason behind my writing on this subject is
that it has been made possible for me to travel to many of the
Muslim lands, Arab and non-Arab, as well as other lands,
either visiting them or being summoned there for da 'wah to
Allah upon clear and definite knowledge. During these visits, I
saw strange things and objected to many innovations, errors
and evils that many of the Muslims were performingin their
prayers. They were doing these either out of inherited
ignorance, blind following, introducing innovations in the
religion, or thinking that they had performed ijtihaad when
ijtihaad has no place in the actions of worship--neither in
introducing new actions of worship nor in altering existing
ones or by adding to them or decreasing them, no matter how
much things have changed or times have progressed. For this
reason, I have discussed these matters and have made warnings
about them throughout this book.
12
Congregationa{Prager
We ask Allah, the Most High and Omnipotent, that He
guide us to and make us conform to the truth and enacting it,
indeed He is the One Who Hears and Responds. Peace and
Blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his
family and Companions.
Hoping for the forgiveness of his Lord,
Saalih bin Ghaanim as-Sadlaan
Beginning of Ramadaan, 1412 A. H.
13
Congregatiorul{Prayer
14
Congregatiurw.{Prayer
The Meaning 01--Sa/aa" in the
languaue and in the TerlDinoloUI 01
the ShallJlJah
The Meaning of "SalaaH' inthe language
"Salaah ( o ~ ) is the singular for the obligatory
Salawaat. It is a noun that is placed in the position of the
infinitive. One says: 'I prayed a salaah,' he does not say, 'I
prayed tasliyyah. l Salaah from Allah means His Mercy and
from the servant it means supplication and seeking
forgiveness." 1
The Meaning of Salaah In the Terminology ofthe Sharee 'ah
It refers to an action consisting of specific pillars and
known adhkaar (specific words) that have to meet specific
conditions and is performed at set times. Or, it refers to a set of
sayings and actions that are commenced by the opening
takbeer and completed with the tasleem along with the
presence of the intention.
2
The Meaning of al-Jamaa 'ah Inthe language
"In the language, al-Jamaa 'ah ( ~ ~ \ ) is derived
from jam ', Jam' means to gather together what was dispersed
or to join something by bringing together its various parts. It is
said, 'I gathered it and it gathered tjama 'tuhufajtama 'a).' Al
Jamaa 'ah refers to a number of people who have gathered
together for a single purpose. It is also used to refer to things
I Basaa irDhawee at-Tamyeezfee Lataa 'ifal-Kitaab al- 'Azeez (3/434).
Z al-fJaamoos aI-Fiqhee Lughatan wa lsti/aahan (p. 216) ofSa' dee Abu Jaib
with slight alteration.
15
Congregatiotul[Prayer
other than people, so, for example, it is said, 'The jamaa 'ah
(group or set) of trees and the jamaa 'ah of plants.' With this
meaning the word can be applied to a collection of anything."1
The Meaning of al-Jamaa 'ah in the Terminology of the
Sharee'ah
"The meaning of al-Jamaa 'ah in the terminology of
the jurists is applied to a number of people... Al-Kaasaanee
said, 'Al-Jamaa 'ah is derived from the meaning of al-ijtimaa'
and the least number that can be considered ajamaa 'ah is
two--an Imaam and a follower.'''2
The Meaning of Salaatul Jamaa 'ah
"[Salaatul Jamaa'ah refers to] the prayer of the
follower being linked to and following the prayer of the Imaam
while meeting specific conditions. When there occurs a
command to perform salaah or a ruling linked to it in the
Sharee 'ah, it is understood to refer to the legislated Salaah."
Prayer can be obligatory, such as the five daily
prayers, or it can be recommended, such as the set sunnah
prayers or supererogatory prayers. It can be disliked, such as
praying the prayer that is obligatory at the current time behind
one who is making up a missed prayer or vice-versa. It can
also be forbidden, such as the case when one prays a prayer
behind someone and the order and mannerism of that prayer is
different, such as prayer of the Eclipse behind one praying the
Fajr prayer.3
I al-Mawsoo 'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (15/280).
2 Badaa' i as-Sanaa' i fee Tarteeb asb-Sbaraa' i (1/156) ofa1-Kaasaanee.
3 al-Yaaqut an-Nafeesfee Madh-hab ibnIdrees ash-Shaafi' ee (p. 45). by Sayyid
Muhammad ash-Shaatiree. [Refer to the chapter, "Repeating the Prayer in
Congregation" for a detailed discussion concerning this and theposition that
Shaykh Sadlaan deems tobethestrongest. - trans.)
16
CongregationalPrayer
The Evidence for the Legitimacy and Legal Standing of
the Prayer
It is clear that the obligatory nature of the obligatory
prayers is established via the Book, the Sunnah and consensus.
As for the Book, the verses concerning it are many;
these include Allah's saying,
" " " .oj '" " r I"
I ". JJ' <, Ull I :1;;] ""1 I ' I
J. -" J

"And they have been ordered only to worship Allah sincerely,
making the religion for Him and to establish the prayer and
give the zakaah. That is the upright religion" [al-Bayyinah
(98):5].
As for the Sunnah, there are also many ahaadeeth
concerning this. For example, al-Bukhaaree, Muslim and
others report from Abdullaah bin Umar bin al-Khattaab that
he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying,
..-: t", "" 0 "'" " .... J
01
J
0i :}
""" ""'? ' '"
, " "'" 0", "'" '" " "''' rP,. "
J r):.PJ rlJ ol5'JI rUlJ J
ill' ,,"" """ """
"Islam is built upon five pillars: the testimony that none has
the right to be worshipped save Allah and that Muhammad is
the Messenger of Allah, establishing the prayer, giving the
zakaah, performing Hajj and fasting the month of
Ramadaan." I
As for the consensus, ibn Hubairah said in al-Ifsaah,
"They [the scholars] have unanimously agreed that the prayer
is one of the pillars ofIslam and that there are five obligatory
prayers during the day and night. .. They have also agreed that
the obligation is never lifted with regards to the legally
responsible, mature, sane men. They have been enjoined with
it until the time of their death or the commencement ofthe
matters of the Hereafter.,,2
1 Reported br al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1117 no. 7] andMuslim [Eng. Trans.
1/9no. 18-21 .
2 al-lfsaah 'an Ma "aanee as-Sihaah (11100) ofibnHubairah al-Hanbalee.
17
CongregationalPrayer
The Position of the Prayer In Islam
Prayer has a great standing, elevated above the other
actions of worship; indeed, it has a great position in Islam, a
position which no other act of worship holds. The prayer is the
pillar of the religion, without which the religion itself cannot
be established. Allah said,
.. ."... ... ;II
IjJ"; lJl

"Indeed prayer has been prescribed upon the believers at fixed
times" [an-Nisaa (4):103].
Prayer is the pillar of every religion. It takes
precedence over other acts of worship since it arises as one of
the necessary implications of faith. Every messenger and
prophet has enjoined its practice and encouraged its
performance. This is due to its having a great effect in
nurturing the souls and in drawing one close to Allah. There is
nothing that can correct the soul, strengthen it and make it
desire the virtuous actions and noble manners more than
prayer.
There occurs in the words of Abraham (peace be upon
him) while supplicating to his Lord,

"0 my Lord! Make me one who is devout and steadfast in
prayer and [also of] my progeny..." [Ibraaheem (14):40].
Allah said with regards to Ismaa' eel (peace be upon
him),


"He used to enjoin his family to prayer and to give zakaah and
he was well pleasing in the Sight of his Lord" [Maryam
(19):55].
Allah said while addressing His Prophet Moses (peace
be upon him),
4.S C:"..u :a.U uf 411 tiJl \if .f\
\'- J" . ..
" i' '" '" " ,.. ,
"Indeed I am Allah, there is none worthy of worship save Me;
so worship Me and establish the prayer for my remembrance"
[Taa Haa (20): 14].
18
C0T1fl'euationa[Prayer
The angels called to the mother of Jesus (peace be
upon him), as is stated in the Quran,
.. II" I

"0 Maryam, stand devoutly before your Lord, prostrate and
bow along with all those who bow" [AaliImraan (3): 42].
Jesus (peace be upon him) mentioned the favors
bestowed by Allah saying,
,. " t.... " '" """,
LO olS'jJl) )1) t:...:.s' Ji lS' s
'" "" ", """,

"He made me blessed wherever I may be and enjoined upon
me prayer and zakaah for as long as I live" [Maryam (19):31].
Allah took the covenant from the Children of Isra' eel.
Among the most important aspects of that covenant was the
prayer,
o",dlG!" " "'",0 .... 0"
. :UOlt illI 4J I I /
lJ!. .). v .r". iJ .)
'" ",,,,. , ", ""
J J" 0 " " .... .1- g "
L:.,;. \fU 1-' liJl All
If JS) ) ) Ioi-r '-? )
"", ""

"And when We took the covenant from the Children of
Israa'eel, (saying): Do not worship anyone save Allah, be
dutiful and good to the parents, relatives, orphans and
homeless, and speak to people in a good way. Establishthe
prayer and give the zakaah" [al-Baqarah (2):83].
Allah, the Exalted, said while addressingour Prophet
(peace be upon him),
'.1- r;o,,i! """ __" 0"
j") ::;..s lijJ
, """,,,
o ,. 0 ...

4.S )
"Command your family to perform the prayer and be constant
in doing so. We do not ask sustenance of you; rather We
provide you with sustenance and the end is for the God
fearing" [Taa Haa (20):132].
Definitely, prayer is the peak and pillar ofIslam. It is
the connection between the servant, who acknowledges his
position as servant and who is sincere to himself, and his Lord
19
CegatWTIil( Prayer
Who nurtures him-the One Who nurtures the whole of
creation by His grace and beneficence. The prayer is the sign
of the servant's love for his Lord, his acknowledging of
Allah's favors and his giving thanks for His beneficence.
The prayer is the action that truly distinguishesthe
believer from the disbeliever as proven by the Prophet's (peace
be upon him) saying,
........ // "" "", /. " 0
:w G
"The covenant between us and them is the prayer, whoever
leaves it has committed disbelief."1
Know that whoever is lax in performing the prayer
will be even more so lax with regards to any other act of
worship. In fact, he has severed all connection between
himself and his Lord, as was stated by the Rightly Guided
Khaleefah of the Messenger of Allah, Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq.
He wrote to his governors, "Know that your most important
affair in my eyes is the prayer. Whoever fails to perform them
is more likely to fail to perform other actions of worship.
Know that there are actions due to Allah during the day that
He will not accept during the night and there are actions due to
Allah during the night that He will not accept during the
day."Z
Ibn Abu Shaybah reports in his MusannaJfrom Zayd
al-Haarith that when death approached Abu Bakr, he sent for
Umar so that Umar could succeed him. The people exclaimed,
"Are you putting one who is harsh and severe in authority over
us? If he is put in authority over us, he will surely become
harsher and more severe. What will you say to your Lord when
you meet Him having left Umar in charge of us?" Abu Bakr
said, "Are you trying to make me afraid of my Lord? I would
say, '0 Allah I have left the best of Your creation in charge of
them.'" Then he sent for Umar and said, "I enjoin upon you a
bequest that you must preserve. Indeed, Allah has a right
during the day that He will not accept during the night and
1 Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2623) and an-Nasaa" ee (1/231-232) with a
saheeh chain.
2 Majmoo' Fataauaa (22/40) of ibnTaymiyyah.
20
Congregatitma{Prager
Allah has a right during the night that He will not accept
during the day...l
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taimiyyah, may Allah have
mercy upon him said, "As for the actions of the day that Allah
does not accept during the night and the actions of the night
that Allah will not accept during the day, they are the prayers
of Dhuhur and Asr for it is not permissible for a person to
delay them until the night ... In general, there is no work that
can lift the obligation from a person to pray the prayer at its
time such that the person would delay the prayers of the day to
the night and the prayers of the night to the day. Rather it is
necessary to perform them at their appointed times."2
Umar bin al-Khattaab used to write to his governors in
outlying regions, "Indeed the most important of your affairs in
my eyes is the prayer. Whoever preserves them has preserved
his religion and whoever misses them will be even more likely
to miss performing anything else. There is no portion of Islam
for the one who leaves the prayer."3
Hence, every person who treats the prayer as
something inconsequential has treated Islam as
inconsequential. In fact, the portion oflslam a person has is
proportional to the extent that he preserves the prayer and his
desire for Islam is the same as the desire he has for the prayer.
So beware of meeting Allah while you possess no respect for
Islam. For indeed, in reality, the respect for Islam that you
have in your heart is like the respect you apportion to the
prayer in your heart. It is reported from the Prophet (peace be
upon him) that he said, "The prayer is the pillar of the
religion."4
Do you not know that when the pillar of the tent is
removed, the tent collapses and neither its ropes nor pegs are
of any avail? The same applies to the prayer in Islam.
S
1 Musannaf(l4l527 no. 18902).
2 Majmoo' Pataauiaa (22/38-39).
3 Kitaab as-Salaab wa Hukm Taarikihaa (pp. 403-404) by ibn Qayyim al
Jawziyyah.
4 From thehadeeth ofMu'aadh reported intheMusnad ofAhmad (51231) with
the words, "The peak ofthematter is Islam and its pillar is prayer."
5 Taken from the book as-Salaab by Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal (p. 356).
21
Congregational Prayer
Ihe Position of the Prayer Among the Other Acts of
Worship
The prayer was the first obligation to be instituted in
Islam after the testimony of faith. For ten years in Makkah,
the Messenger (peace be upon him) called to tawheed(Islamic
monotheism) and forbade shirk (associating partners with
Allah). When the correct belief became instilled in the hearts
of the Muslims and they had complete faith in the Tawheed of
Allah, Allah obligated upon the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and upon the Muslims the five daily prayers. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) prayed the obligatory prayers for three
years before he migrated to Madeenah. In order to impress
upon the Muslims the importance of prayer and the great
position accorded to it that is not shared by any other action of
worship, Allah obligated it upon the Prophet (peace be upon
him) directly, without any intermediary, by addressing him on
the Night of Ascent. 1
This great favor that Allah bestowed upon his beloved
(peace be upon him) on the night of the greatest connection
was a reward for the sincere servitude that he had
established--a level that had not been reached by any other
who came before him and that will not be reached by anyone
who comes after him. This is why the prayer was the joy of the
eye of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). It was the
prayer that he would resort to whenever a matter concerned
him. It used to be his avenue of relief from anything that
worried him. This is why he said to Bilaal,
"0 Bilaal, comfort us with the prayer."2
1 The prayers were obligated on theNight ofAscent but there isa difference of
opinion concerning when this occurred. The closest opinion tothetruth is that
this occured after the tenth year oftheMinistry oftheProphet (peace beupon
him) and before the Migration. To seetheother opinions onthis issue refer to
Path al-Baaree (7j203) andal-Bidaayah wa an-Nihaayah (3/119). Refer also
to thehadeeth concerning theAscent inSaheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans.5/143
no. 227].
2 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 3/1388 no. 4967, 4968] andAhmad (5/364, 371)
with a saheeh chain.
22
Congregatiotul{Prayer
The prayer was among the last things he reminded us
to adhere to, among the many things he told us to adhere to.
During the last moments of his life, he said,
J "" "" "" "" "" /. "" /.
~ ~ t ~ ~ ) O ~ \ o ~ \
"The prayer, the prayer! And what your right hands possess." 1
Therefore, the prayer is the beginning as well as the
furthest portion of Islam. The proofs for the great position that
the prayer holds include the fact that it is most often mentioned
in the Quraan. Sometimes it is mentioned alone, sometimes it
is mentioned alongside zakaah, other times alongside patience,
and at yet other times with sacrifice. Sometimes it is used to
begin and end a list ofrighteous actions.
Furthermore, the obligation of prayer is general to both
men and women, to the slave and freeman, to the rich and
poor, to the resident and traveler, and to the healthy and sick.
The first action that will be judged on the Day of Judgment is
the prayer and it is the last action to be lost before the servant's
religion is lost. It is the pillar of the religion such that the
religion cannot be established without it, as occurs in the
hadeeth,
"The peak of the matter is Islam, its pillar is the prayer and its
summit is jihaad."2 Whenever the pillar has fallen, the religion
has gone. Refuge is sought with Allah [from that evil end] for
the prayer manifests the servitude to Allah, the Magnificent
and Exalted.
The prayer has been ordained in the manner that is the
best and most complete form of worshipping the Creator, the
Blessed and Exalted. It includes the glorification by the limbs,
from the articulation of the tongue to the movements of the
hands, legs, head and senses. Every part of the body has its
portion of humbling itself before Allah in this great action of
worship. Not only this but the inner aspects also have their
1 Ahmad (6/290, 311, 321).
2 Tirmidhee (5/12 no. 2616) andhesaid thatit was basan saheeh.
.23
Ccmgreoationa{Prayer
share. The heart also performs the servitude obligatory upon it.
The prayer includes praising and extolling, glorifying and
tasbeeh and takbeer, testifying to the true testimony and
standing before Allah in a state of humility and submission.
One stands in the state of a slave and one who has no real
control over his affairs. The servant seeks to humbly draw
closer to Allah through reciting His Speech; then he bows his
back in submission and khushoo ' to Him. Then he straightens
again in order to prepare himself for an act of humility greater
than the bowing: the prostration. He places his head, the most
noble part of his body, on the ground in a state of complete
submission and khushoo' before his Lord, humbling himself
before His Greatness such that his heart is in a state of being in
complete need of Him and his body is in a state of total
humility.
The servant continues moving between these states
until he is about to complete his prayer. He sits in the state of
tashahhud glorifying his Lord, sending salaam and salaah
upon His Messenger (peace be upon him) and imploring Allah
for His bounty and Mercy. So what is there that can possibly
be better than this act of worship? What more complete way is
there of worshipping Allah? What way is there that is more
noble than this in displaying one's servitude to Allah?l
I Refer toMiftaah Daar as-Sa'aadah (p. 384).
24
CongregationalPrayer
The Wisdonl behind the
legislation 01 Congregational 'raver
From among the lofty qualities of the Islamic
Sharee'ah is that it has legislated that many acts of worship be
done in congregation, becoming tantamount to an Islamic
convention. The Muslims gather so that they may keep in
contact with each other, come to know each other, seek advice
from one another, seek help in removing any difficulties that
they may be in and discuss various issues with each other. This
contains great benefit and many desirable points which cannot
be enumerated, such as teaching the ignorant, helping the
needy, softening the hearts and manifesting the greatness of
Islam. The heavenly revelation endorses this understanding for
when it prohibits and commands it does not direct this
prohibition to any specific individual but to the congregation
as a whole. Allah says,
;;JI .- I I I I I . .til
. .r- J r) J . J J . J r-) .P
" ;; 0 ,,,""
0,)'':.- 4.lJ1 I .:.> .:-1 ..4

"0 you who believe! Bow, prostrate and worship your Lord.
Perform the good so that you may be successful and perform
Jihaad in the way of Allah as it should be done" [ai-Hajj
(22):77-78].
When a Muslim stands before Allah, intimately
conversing with Him and humbling himself before Him, he
does not speak as an individual, separate from his brethren.
Rather, he speaks as one part of a united, connected whole. He
says,

J .

"It is only you we worship and it is only Your Aid we seek"
[ai-Faatihah (1):5]. He does not say, "It is only You I worship
and it is only Your Aid I seek." Then he asks Him from His
goodness and guidance but he does not ask for himself only,
instead he says,
25
Congregationol Prayer
,,'" ,,(11 ... Ill" II!
.. ,- . .lll ,1,( a:: ,1,( All U-.\AI
r-
...... III
" :"A!::II
'oJ:' J . .r-

"Guide us to the Straight Path. The Path ofthose whom You
have guided, not the path of those who have earned Your
Anger nor those who have gone astray" [al-Faatihah (1):6-7].
The congregational prayer is one of the greatest means
to remove social differences and racism based upon one's
color, race or land. .. Through the congregational prayer,
Muslims attain mutual love, respect and brotherhood. This is
through the elders becoming known and thereby respected, the
poor and needy becoming known and thereby helped, the
scholars becoming known and thereby asked, and the ignorant
becoming known and thereby taught.
From the benefits of the congregational prayer is that
the one who does not pray becomes known. Therefore, his
action can be rejected and objected to. The one who is lazy
with respect to prayer can be known and therefore warned.
In addition, the very fact of Muslims gathering
together in the mosques desiring what is with Allah and hoping
for His Mercy is a cause for the descent of the Mercy and
Blessings of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent.
In sum, performing the prayer in congregation spreads
unity, mutual love and brotherhood among the Muslims and it
makes them as one unified rank. It inculcates among them
mutual mercy and softness of hearts and, likewise, it nurtures
them into becoming organized, disciplined and punctual.
The History of The Legislation of Congregational Prayer
Congregational prayer was sanctioned in Mecca after
the prayer had been made obligatory, but it was not obligatory
to pray in congregation. After Allah, the Mighty and
Magnificent, obligated the five daily prayers on the Night of
Ascent, He sent Jibreel (peace be upon him) the next morning
to teach the Prophet (peace be upon him) the times and
mannerisms of performing the prayer. Jibreel (peace be upon
him) did this by leading the Prophet (peace be upon him) in
prayer on two occasions by the House (Kaabah). On the first
26
Congregatio1Ul{Prager
occasion, he prayed Dhuhur when the sun had passed the
meridian. Abdur-Razzaaq reports in his Musannaf from ibn
Juraij that Naafi' ibn Jubair and others said, "When the
Prophet (peace be upon him) awoke the day after the Night of
Ascent after the sun had passed the meridian, it was none but
Jibreel descending who awoke him and this is why this
occasion was called the first. He was ordered to call out, 'The
prayer in congregation.' So the people gathered together and
Jibreel prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed for the people. The first
two rak'ah were lengthy and the last two were short. Then
Jibree1 sent salaam to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
Prophet sent salaam to the people. The same was done for Asr.
Then Jibreel descended at the beginning of the night and he
called out, 'The prayer in congregation.' Jibreel prayed with
the Prophet and the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed,
lengthening the recitation in the first two rak'ah and reciting
loudly and shortening the last two. Then Jibreel sent the
salaam to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the Prophet
(peace be upon him) sent salaam to the people."1
1 Musannaj Abdur Razzaaq (1/454 no. 1773), Book of Prayer under the
chapter: What occurs with regards theobligation ofprayer. [This narration found
in Musannaj Abdir Razzaaq has the following chain: Abdul Razzaaq onthe
authority ofibnJuraij who said: Naafi ibnJubair andanother (orothers) said, "In
the morning after the night of Ascencion... " This chain hastwo defects toit.
First, Naafi ibn jubalr is a trustworthy narrator butheisfrom thegeneration of
the Followers. In other words, there is no way that hecould have heard this
information directly from the Prophet (peace beupon him). Hence, thechain
between Naafi andtheProphet (peace beupon him) is broken. second, ibnjuraf
is Abdul Malik ibn Abdul Azeez ibn Juraij. Although ibnJuraij isacceptable in
some of his narrations, hewas known for committing theworst kind oftadlees
("deception in narration") wherein hewould drop thenames ofweak narrators
from the chain. In particular, when he used theterm qaala ("he said"), his
narrations are considered very weak. Such is the case with this particular
narration quoted above. Hence, there is no question thatthis particular narration
is weak. Ibn Ishaaq has a different narration with thechain: "Ibn Ishaaq said:
Utbah ibn Muslim narrated tomesaying: onthe authority ofNaafi ibnjubair ibn
Mutim on the authority ofibnAbbaas who said... " This chain issahib asall of
the narrators aretrustworthy andthechain is unbroken. Inthis narration, which
also goes through Naafi lbnjubalr, it states thattheAngeljibreelled theProphet
(peace be upon him) intheprayers, butthere is noexplicit mention oftheevent
occurring immediately after theNight oftheAscencion, noristhere any mention
of theProphet (peace beupon him) performing theprayers incongregation. The
fact that the Angel led the Prophet (peace be upon him) in the prayers,
27
CongregationafPrayer
The Prophet (peace be upon him) would pray in
congregation with some of his Companions on some occasions
but not most of the time. He prayed with Alee in Daar al
Arqam and with the Mother of the Believers, Khadeejah, and
that was after Jibreel (peace be upon him) led him (peace be
upon him) in prayer.
Prayer in congregation was not stressed at that time. [It
was stressed] in Madeenah, where it became a symbol from
the symbols outwardly manifesting Islam. Al-Bukhaaree
reports from ibn Umar that ''when the Muslims came to
Madeenah, they would gather together and calculate the time
of prayer and no one would call them. Once they came
together and discussed this. Some of them said, 'We should
have a bell like the Christians.' Others said, 'We should have a
hom like the Jews.' Umar suggested, 'Why don't we have one
person call the others to prayer?' The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said, 'Stand Bilaal and make the call to
prayer. J "1
Abu Daawood recorded in his Sunan from Abu Umayr
bin Anas from an uncle of his of the Ansaar, ''The Prophet
(peace be upon him) was concerned as to how to gather the
people for prayer. It was suggested, 'Hoist a flag at the time of
prayer; when the people see it they will inform one another.'
However this suggestion did not appeal to the Prophet (peace
be upon him). The use of the hom was then suggested-and
Ziyaad said, 'a hom of the Jews'--but this suggestionalso did
not appeal to him as he said, 'This is a matter for the Jews.'
demarcating the timings of the prayers, is confIrmed innumerous authentic
hadith. However, in this book, Shaikh al-Sadlaan isattempting toprove that a
congregational prayer took place immediately after the prayers were made
obligatory. The only evidence for that isthe narration discussed abvoe from the
Musannaj, but that narration isdefinitely either weak orvery weak. Hence, the
author has not proven his point. And Allah knows best. For the texts ofthe above
reports or information about the particular narrators discussed inthis footnote,
see Abdul Razzaaq ibn Hammaam, al-Musannaj(Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islaami,
1983), vol. 1, pp. 454-455; ibn Hishaam, al-Seerab al-Nabawwiyab (Al-Zarqa,
Jordan: Maktabah al-Manaar, 1988), vol. 1, p. 311; Yoosuf al-Mizi, Tabdbeeb al
Kamaal fi Asmaa al-Rijaal (Beirut: Muassasah al-Risaalah, 1992), vol. 29, pp.
272-276 (for Naafi ibn jubalr), vol. 19, pp. 323-324 (for Utbah ibn Muslim);
Ahmad ibn Hajr, Tahdheeb al-Tabdbeeb (Beirut: Muassasah al-Risaalah, 1996),
vol. 2, pp. 616-618 (for ibnJuraij); MisfIr al-Dumaini, al-Tadleesfi al-Hadeetb
(published by its author, 1992), pp. 383-386 (for ibnJuraij).--:JZ]
1 Saheeb al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/334 no. 578].
28
Congregationa{Prayer
Then the bell of the Christians was mentioned and he said,
This is a matter of the Christians.' Abdullaah bin Zayd
returned anxiously because of the concern of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) and he was then taught the call to
prayer in a dream. He informed the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) about it, saying, '0 Messenger of Allah, I was in
a state between sleep and wakefulness when a person came to
me and taught me the call to prayer. Umar bin al-Khattaab has
also seen the same dream before me but he kept it hidden for
twenty days.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Umar,
What prevented you from informing me?' He replied,
'Abdullaah bin Zayd has already informed you and so I was
shy to say it.' Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) said to Bilaal, '0 Bilaal stand and do what Abdullaah bin
Zayd tells you to do. Bilaal then called the prayer." Abu Bishr
reported from Abu Umayr: The Ansaar thought that had
Abdullaah bin Zayd not been ill on that day, the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) would have ordered him to make
the call to prayer.l Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr said, "The hadeeth has
a saheeh chain."2
From what has preceded it becomes clear that:
There was no call to prayer during the Meccan period
and during the beginning of the Madeenan period. During this
period, the Muslims would just estimate the time for prayer
and gather for it.
The adhaan with the legislated wording became
established after the dream of Abdullaah bin Zayd .3
This is how the adhaan came to be established for the
five daily prayers: by the voice of a man and not via the means
of a flag, bell, hom or fire. Instead, it is the words of man,
glorifying Allah, resounding to the farthest reaches of the land
and distinguishing the Muslims from all others and in accord
with the uniqueness of the rest of the religion. Indeed, the
people of Islam do not follow the others with respect to their
dress, manners or appearance. In fact, this is true with respect
to all aspects of their lives.
The Muslim should respond when he hears the call to
prayer, whatever the time of day or night it may be. He must
1 Abu Daawood. [Eng. Trans. 1/126 no. 498].
zPath (2/81).
3 al-Adhaan (p. 9) ofal-Qusee.
29
Congregationa{Prayer
respond to the call of Allah no matter what affair or [non
valid] excuse he may have in front of him. Abu Hurayrah
reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
f' 0 .....
~
"If the people knew the reward that came with the call to
prayer and the first row and found no other way to get that
except by drawing lots, they would draw lots. If they knew the
reward that came with going to the prayer early, they would
race for it. Ifthey knew the reward for Ishaa and Fajr Prayers,
they would come to offer them even if they had to crawl."!
Encouragement to Perform the Prayer in Congregation
Indeed, congregational prayer in its outward form and
its reality is a perfect expression of unity and togetherness.
This is because everyone bowing or prostrating is facing one
Qiblah and calling only to one God. Every Muslim, wherever
he may be in the world, faces one House, the first House that
was appointed as a place of worship for mankind, the
foundations of which were raised by Ibraaheem and Ismaa' eel.
It will remain as the Qiblah of the Muslims until Allah inherits
the earth and everyone on it and mankind will stand on the
Day of Judgment before the Lord of the Universe.
Praying in congregation is a means of raising the ranks
and increasing one's good deeds. It is twenty-seven times
better than the prayer prayed individually. Abdullaah bin Umar
narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
I Saheeh al-Bukhaaree.
30
CtmgregationalPrayer
"The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty-seven times
better than the prayer ofthe person individually/'I
Ibn Hajr presents a beneficial discussion concerning
the reasons behind this increase in reward. He wrote, "By his
responding to the caller to prayer, having the intention to join
the congregation, coming early to the mosque at the beginning
of the time for prayer, walking to the mosque with tranquillity,
entering the mosque while supplicating, waiting for the
congregational prayer, the Angels invoking prayers upon those
praying and seeking forgiveness for them, Satan being forced
away through their gathering for prayer, practicing the proper
recital of the Quraan and learning the pillars ofIslam and
secondary issues, and being secure from hypocrisy..." He lists
twenty-five aspects, hence actualizing the number mentioned.
2
When the people follow one Imaam in prayer, they
stand in rows behind him such that all of their worldly
differences disappear and each one of them forgets his material
standing. The poor stand next to the rich, the leaders next to
the subjects, the black next to the white, and the Arab next to
the non-Arab. With respect to this they become the same,
standing side by side prostrating to Allah and worshipping
Him Alone, supplicating to Him for guidance and direction.
No head is above another's and there is no distinction between
their faces. They gather together five times a day seeking to
come close to Allah, with their hearts clean and their souls
purified. They get closer to Allah not through wealth, property
or social standing but, instead, by acts of obedience and by
acknowledging their servitude to Him. All of them seek His
guidance, saying,
~ ;'" ( ~ ~ I ~ J I ~ l ~ ~ I
~ J .
~ ~
"It is only You we worship and it is only Your Aid we seek"
[al-Faatihah (1):5].
1 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/315 no. 1365].
2 Path al-Baaree (2/133 under no.'s 645, 646, 647).
31
CongregationolPrager
Indeed, Islam strongly urges that this great sign of
Islam be an occasion of gathering for the Muslims such that
they can meet and help each other to fulfil it. As the number of
the Muslims increases, the greater is the blessing from Allah.
Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said,
... ". "'" 0 "'" J.
. tJ:l.S . .
c$J ".,... c$ "" ". c$ ,:!"f
t"" "".... ... ...... tJ ",
:;";'\j t,;:,y m J U J
, J '- rP 0 ",,,, """J", 0
'i1
"
'i J1
"
C;.:. ;;':,J\
",,,, ", ",
.".", $ ",.".... ... , J (J) tJ 0 J
0
'l.L". 1":. \ J -" 1":. <, "I 1 " Jo" .
..J2>- J 0\>.-):> 'U 0..F-
" ""
JrP ", ", ", 'IJ J", 0 '" ", ...
. b J".:: I 1" ....
c$ r ,,- " "Y r- u-
:..J j 0 I rfIll to.;.0 I .... rf-ill
,,-. ) ,,-
\ J \
........ ... .. r- ,..... J: r
"
"The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty odd levels
better than the prayer of a person prayed in his house or in the
market. This is because when one of you performs wudu ' in an
excellent manner and then goes to the mosque desiring only
the prayer, he will not walk a step except that he will be raised
a rank and a sin will be expiated until he enters the mosque.
When he enters the mosque, he is considered to be in a state of
prayer so long as it remains his sole purpose. The Angels
invoke prayers upon him for as long as he remains seated in
his place of worship, saying, '0 Allah have mercy on him, 0
Allah forgive him, 0 Allah turn towards him' so long as he
does not harm anyone else or break his wudu"' I
Muslim also reports from Uthmaan that he heard the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying,
1 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/322 no. 1394].
32
Congregational Prayer
/. ". "'- J ". 0;,,"'''' "'- ". "'
c;.t; l:p:';:;
o D'" 0 0, ""- (J'... 0 0
. i -- -- I 8\ -- -- a; 'I
-- __ c$-) -- ':!'
J ". ".".
illI "ft
"Whoever performs wudu' for prayer in an excellent way and
then walks to pray the obligatory prayer, praying it with the
people or with the congregation or in the mosque, Allah will
forgive him his sins."!
Ibn Mas'ud said, "Whoever wishes to meet Allah
tomorrow as a Muslim should guard these prayers when he is
called to them. Allah, the Exalted, has legislated for your
Messenger (peace be upon him) the sunan of guidance and
these prayers are certainly from the sunan of guidance. If you
were to pray in your homes as this person who stay behind the .
congregation and prayed in his home, then you would have
abandoned the sunnah of your Prophet (peace be upon him)
and become misguided. There is not a single person who
purifies himself in an excellent manner and then goes to the
mosque except that for every step he will be raised a rank and
a sin will be expiated. Indeed I have looked at us and
witnessed the time when not a single person missed the
congregational prayer except that a hypocrite whose hypocrisy
was known. Indeed, a person would come to the prayer being
aided by two people (due to being ill) until they guided him to
the row." In another narration, "Indeed, I have looked at us and
witnessed the time when not a single person missed the
(congregational) prayer except a hypocrite whose hypocrisy
was well known or a sick person. Even then, if a sick person
could be helped by two people to come to the prayer he would
come." He also said, "Indeed, the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) taught us the sun an of guidance and from these
sunan is the prayer in congregation in the mosque in which the
adhaan is given."2
Abu ad-Dardaa' heard the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) say,
I SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/151 no. 447].
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/317 no.'s 1375, 1376].
33
CongregationaCPrayer
"There are no three men in a village or in the desert who do
not establish the congregational prayer except that Shaytaan
has gained mastery over them. So upon you is the
congregational prayer for the wolf only eats the sheep that
strays from the flock."l
Intimidation Concerning Missing the Congregational
Prayer
By reason of the prayer enjoying such a great position
in Islam and the congregational prayer possessing such a lofty
status and numerous benefits, Islam has shown a strong sign of
rejection for the one who is lax with respect to it. It has
threatened those who are lax in performing it or consider it
inconsequential and has warned them of fearful punishments.
Indeed, it has considered their prayer that is prayed at home as
not being a prayer at all.
Ibn Abbaas said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said,
~ ~ \ ~ ~ \ ) ~ :l;. ~ \ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ :; ~ Q \
~ d' J """ 0 0 "",,- 0t" "" "'"
~ ~ \ o ~ \ ~ cJZ (J uP;' )\ J";- J\.9
"Whoever hears the caller to prayer and has no excuse that can
prevent him from responding to it. .. " The Companions asked,
"What constitutes a valid excuse, 0 Messenger of Allah?" He
1 Sunan Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/144 no. 547] and Sunan an-Nasaa 'ee
(2/106-107) with a basan chain.
34
Congregationa[Prayer
replied, "Fear or sickness, otherwise the prayer that he prayed
(outside of the congregation) is not accepted."!
Ibn Abbaas also reported that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
o tS'" " "2""'" "'"
:J1 o')tp J\j :;
'" '
"Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not come to it then
there is no prayer for him unless he has a valid excuse."2
Abu ad-Dardaa' reported that he heard the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) saying,
,,;p J .... J " """ "
jj :J\ oJCJ\ . W:J J.;:J 4.J"" .
i ).) c$ '"
, , '"
oJ" "J " " "

, ,
"There are no three people in a village or desert among whom
the prayer is not established except that Shaytaan has gained
mastery over them. So upon you is the congregation."
Recorded by al-Haakim.3
Ibn Abbaas was asked about a person who fasts the
day and prays the night but he does not attend the Jumu'ah
[the Friday Prayer] or congregational prayer. He replied, "Such
a person is in the Fire."4
1 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/145 no. 551]. Its chain contains Abu Junaab
Yahyaa bin Abu Hayya who has been declared weak due tohis frequent tadlees.
However, the hadeeth has evidence thatsupport it being reported by ibnMaajah
(no. 793), ad-Daaruqutnee, and al-Haakim. Hence, the authenticity of the
hadeeth is raised to a level whereby it can be depended upon. [Although
al-Nawawi called this hadith sahih, it seems that It isaweak hadith. See al-Albani,
Irwa, vol. 2, p. 336; Muhammad ibnIsmail al-Sanani, Subul al-Salaam, (Cairo:
Maktabah al-lamhurlyah al-Arabiya, 1977) vol. 2, p. 34; Muhammad
al-Adheemabadi, Aun aI-Mahood Sharh Sunan AmDawud (Cairo: Maktaba ibn
Taimiya, 1987), vol. 2, p. 256.---:JZ]
2 Reported by ibnMaajah (no. 793), ad-Daaruqutnee (1/420), ibn Hibbaan (no.
2064), and al-Haakim (1/245) with asaheeh chain.
3 Reported by al-Haakim (1/245).
4 Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no. 218). Shaykh Ahmad Shaakir, may Allah have
mercy upon him, said inhis notes toat-Tirmidhee, "The chain tothis issaheeh.
This narration, even if it be a statement ofibnAbbaas, has theruling ofbeing
from the Prophet (peace beupon him) because thelikes ofthis cannot come to
be known through opinion and neither isit from those narrations reported from
35
CongregationolPrayer
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"""" ""} "" 0 , 0 "" "" ... 0,
).lJ J ,JI j.tl 01
... "" " ...
" J -\ v. t\ J 0" "" 01 -: ,'" \" 0..... 0_\' t'" 0 A I"" .... _ 'I
.r" u _/h ..uLIJ Yf>" yJ I.4.JI'Y
"
,; (,I!".J " tJJ,,,;,, ;'.J ... ""/ "
" "-lUI" to \,j\.,," .... di" to 1..8
)/ .
"" " , ...
....... ;' ;" ;"... ".
0 J"to" '1 0_ JI 0. ".J. J"" Jb.
.J!
iP "" , , "";"
;'. ;" "" Ill'! I"
\,j\." JJ: -"" tj
! : r-+' '-'..;>
"The hardest prayer upon the hypocrites is the prayer of Ishaa
and Fajr. If they knew the reward that these prayers contained
they would come to them even if they had to crawl. Indeed, I
considered to order the Mu 'adhdhin to call the iqaamah and
then order a man to lead the prayer. Then I would go with
some people, each carrying torches, to the people who have
not attended the prayer (in congregation) and burn down their
houses."!
Ibn Hubairah, may Allah the Exalted have mercy on
him, said, "They [the scholars] have unanimously agreed that
the congregational prayer is legislated and that it is obligatory
to manifest it among the people. If the inhabitants of a land
prevent it from being carried out, they must be fought until
they desist."2
the People of the Book It is notpossible that ibnAbbaas could becertain that
such a person be in the Fire unless hehada narration from theMessenger of
Allah (peace beupon him) concerning this, inshaa' Allah."
1 Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/355 no. 626] and Muslim [Eng. Trans.
1/316 no. 1370] andthewording is Muslim's.
2 al-lfsaah 'an Ma "anee as-Sihaah (l/142).
36
CongregatilJna{Prayer
The Different Levels of Excellence and Reward for the
Congregational Prayer
The excellence and reward for the congregational
prayer differs due to a number of reasons, including:
(1) The superiority of the place as compared to other
places and the distance (of the person) from the mosque.
(2) Performing it in a mosque as opposed to another
place.
(3) Performing all of the prayer in congregation vis-a
vis only some of it.
(4) The perfection of the prayer and preserving its
mannerisms, the level of khushoo' in it, the number ofpeople
attending it and the excellence of the Imaam leading it.
(5) The different prayers---those that have greater
excellence have a greater reward for them.
In order to complete the benefit that one attains in
understanding this subject, I quote here the opinions of the
people of knowledge concerning this. The scholars fall into
two opinions concerning this.
The First Opinion: The congregational prayers are all
equal with regards to excellence and reward. No congregation
can be said to be better than another. This is the opinion of
some of the Maalikee scholars and the well-known opinion of
Imaam Maalik and the apparent conclusion of his school.l
The Second Opinion: The congregational prayers
differ with regards to their excellence and reward. This is the
opinion of the Shaafi'ees and the majority of scholars.
2
The Proofs for the First Opinion
Abdullaah bin Umar narrated that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said,
1 Refer to: ]awaahir al-Ikleet (1/76) and at-Uddah Haashiyah lhkaam at
Ahkaam Sharh .Umdab al-Abkaam (2/107-1OS).
2 Refer toat-Majmoo' Sharh at-Muhadhdhab (4/94) andat-Mughnee (319).
37
Congregationa{Prayer
"The congregational prayer is twenty-seven times better than
the prayer of a person prayed individually." Recorded by al
Bukhaaree.!
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree heard the Prophet (peace be
upon him) saying,
9 "", " '#",0"", J 0 0 J
a;.. J .liJ1
'" " '"
"The congregational prayer is twenty-five times better than the
prayer of a person prayed individually."2
"This hadeeth is used to prove that the excellence of
congregational prayers is the same regardless of whether there
is a large or small number of attendees. This is because the
hadeeth proves the excellence of congregation and there is no
room for analogy in matters of reward and excellence.
Therefore, when the hadeeth proves a specific excellence and
it is not allowed to make analogy, this specific excellence
includes the large and small congregation because the word
'congregation' in the hadeeth refers to both. This opinion is
strengthened by what is reported from Ibraaheem an-Nakha'ee
with a saheeh chain that he said, 'When a person prays with
another, they are a jamaa'ah and will have their reward
multiplied twenty five times. "'3
"It is safe to assume that this reward will definitely be
attained.t'f
The Proofs for the Second Opinion
The proponents of the second opinion use as a proof
what the compilers of the Sunan, ibn Khuzaimah and others
have recorded from Ubayy bin Ka'b that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said,
I Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/353 no. 621].
2 Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/353 no. 621].
3 Path al-Baaree (2/136).
4 at-'Uddah (2/107-108) ofas-Sana' aanee.
38
Congregationa[Prayer
"The prayer of a person with a person is better than the prayer
of a person prayed individually. The prayer of a person prayed
with two people is better than the prayer of a person prayed
with one. The larger the number, the more beloved this prayer
is to Allah, the Exalted" 1
This hadeeth has strong supporting evidence in the
hadeeth of Qubbaath bin Ashyam that follows shortly. This
hadeeth clearly proves that as the number of the congregation
increases, this congregation is more excellent and more
beloved to Allah, the Exalted.
They also use as evidence the hadith in Sunan Abi
Dawood from Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree who reported that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
rP , " __ ",. .J ;".
':", L..:.;:.
,..


.j
#
""
,- ;" ;" ;" ,. ,. ""- '" ""
\#-'J oJ\.; J
" ,
"Congregational prayer is equivalent to twenty-five prayers.
When it is prayed in an open desert and its ruku' and sujood is
perfected then it reaches the equivalent of fifty prayers.,,2
The evidence proving that the reward of
congregational prayer can differ from prayer to prayer is a lot
and well known. I shall mention some more of it shortly,
inshaa 'Allah.
1 Sunan Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/145 no. 554], Sunan an-Nasaa' ee
(2/104-105) andibnKhuzaymah (no. 1477) who declared it tobe saheeh,
2 Abu Daawood [Eng, Trans. 1/147 no. 560].
39
Congregationll{Prayer
Discussion of the Evidence of the First Opinion
The Shaafi'ee scholars and the majority refute the
evidence adduced by some of the Maalikee scholars by saying
that the reward of the prayer of a person with a person is
multiplied twenty-five times and it is safe to say that at least
this much will be attained. But this fact does not negate the
fact that greater reward is possible, especially when there
exists a text that explicitly states this, such as the hadith, "The
prayer of a person with a person is better than the prayer of a
person prayed individually. The prayer of a person prayed with
two people is better than... l
The Strongest Opinion
The opinion that is supported by the evidence and
reconciles the authentic narrations concerning this is the
second opinion: the excellence of one congregation can differ
from another congregation. The proofs for this opinion are
many, including:
The previously mentioned hadeeth of Abu Sa'eed al
Khudree reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) said,
ttl ...... " '" J J ....
o")tp t:.:.;.. ,j oJC.aj\
'" '-:i'''
, ,
" '" '" '" J J .... t'" '"
o")tp J
, "
"Congregational prayer is equivalent to twenty-five prayers.
When it is prayed in an open desert and its ruku' and sujood is
perfected, it reaches the equivalent of fifty prayers.,,2
Ash-Shawkaanee said,
The hadeeth proves the excellence of prayer in
a desert when the ruku' and sujood are
perfected and that it is equivalent to fifty
prayers in congregation. Based on this, the
1Path (2/126-138).
2 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans, 1/147 no. 560].
40
ConfJregationa{Prayer
prayer prayed in the desert is the equivalent of
one thousand two hundred and fifty prayers
that are not prayed in congregation. This is
considering the case that the prayer prayed in
congregation is multiplied twenty-five times.
Taking into consideration that the
congregational prayer is multiplied twenty
seven times then the prayer prayed in the
desert is the equivalent of one thousand three
hundred and fifty prayers that are not prayed
in congregation. This holds true assuming that
the person prays in the desert alone. Ifhe were
to pray in congregation then the reward is
further multiplied by the excellence attained
for praying in congregation and indeed the
bounty of Allah is expansive. I
And Qubbaath bin Ashyam reported that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
,
if
,
if )
, f; f;
if Jll ) '(.$;:;
(.$;:; 4JLe
"The prayer of two persons, with one of them leading his
companion, is better with Allah than the prayer of four people
prayed individually. The prayer of four people [in
congregation] is better with Allah than the prayer of eight
people prayed individually. The prayer of eight people [in
congregation] with one of them leading is better with Allah
than the prayer of one hundred people prayed individually."
Al-Haafidh al-Mundhiree, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "Reported by at-Tabaraanee and al-Bazzaar with a chain
that has no problem."2
1 Naylal-Awtaar (3/147).
2 Targheeb wa at-Tarheeb (1/265).
41
Congregationa{Prayer
Muslim reports from Uthmaan bin 'Affaan that he
heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying,
"Whoever prays Ishaa in congregation, it is as ifhe has prayed
half the night. And whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as
ifhe has prayed the whole night."!
"This hadeeth proves that Fajr prayed in congregation
is better than Ishaa prayed in congregation and that its
excellence is double that of Ishaa."2
Abu Daawood reported from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
I ~ f ~ f ~ \ ~ ~ ~ U ~ ~ \
"The farthest from the mosque has greater reward and than the
one next furthers to him."3
Summary
The reward of the congregational prayer differs from
congregation to congregation based upon differences in the
congregation, performance of prayer, the prayer itself, the
difference of place and the condition of the Imaam.
All of this holds with the exception of the three Holy
Mosques-the Inviolable Mosque in Mecca, the Mosque of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and al-Aqsaa--for there occurs a
text that proves that the excellence of the prayer in these places
is more excellent than the prayer in other mosques, on top of
the reward of the prayer in and of itself. Abu al-Dardaa'
reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
1 Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/317 no. 1379].
2 Saheeh ibnKhuzaymah (2/365 no. 1473).
3 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/146 no. 556J.
42
CongregationalPrayer
tJ i l)-\ tJ
.. U"'J..4l\ tJ ,oJ\...o i.fiJ.>..-.o
oY\..p
"The prayer in the Inviolable Mosque (of Mecca) is equivalent
to one hundred thousand prayers, the prayer in my Mosque is
equivalent to a thousand prayers and the prayer in Bayt al
Maqdis [in Jerusalem] is equivalent to five hundred prayers."!
The Fruits of the Difference of Opinion
Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr said,
As an outcome of this difference of opinion
those who hold that the reward and excellence
differs recommend that one repeat the
congregational prayer unrestrictedly in order
to attain the larger congregation. This is not
recommended by the proponents of the other
opinion. From this group there are some who
specify the case by saying that it is possible to
repeat the congregational prayer only behind
one who is more knowledgeable and has
greater waraa' or in a place which is more
excellent than the first. Maalik agreed to this
last opinion but he restricted it to the three
mosques and the famous opinion reported
from him is that he restricted this to Mecca
and Madeenah only.2
I say: The correct opinion is not to repeat the prayer.
However, if one were to pray without the intention of repeating
the (same) prayer, desiring thereby to attain the reward, this is
sanctioned and it will be counted as an optional prayer for him.
1 Nayl al-Aunaar (8/262). [According toal-A1baani and ibn al-Qaisaraanl, this
hadith is weak. see, for example, Muhanunad Naasir al-Deen al-A1baani, Dbaeef
al-Jaamt al-Sagbeer (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islaami, 1988), p. 521.--:JZ}
2 Path al-Baaree (2/137).
43
ClJ1tfJfegationafPrager
This is due to what al-Haakim in al-Mustadrakreported from
Jaabir bin Yazeed al-Aswad from his father who said, '1
prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) at
Minaa and when he had said the tasleem, he saw two people
behind the congregation and he called them and asked, 'What
prevented you from praying with the people?' They replied, '0
Messenger of Allah we have already prayed in our homes.' He
said,
t: ;;')\...,aj\ !JJ-,i { .tl>-J <J ..L>i yij
'4..lt..4 4J ,.:2._\j
'Do not do this again. If one of you has prayed in his home and
then comes across the prayer with the Imaam, then pray with
him for indeed it will be counted as an optional prayer for
him."'!
Manners of Walking to the Congregational Prayer and
of Leaving It
It is recommended for the one who leaves his house
with the intention of going to the mosque to be in a state of
purity and khushoo', This is based the saying ofAllah,
/ .../ ." ..
/. \1 /. illl lJI
. / ,oj / ..
, / /
"Indeed Allah loves those who repent and those who purify
themselves" [al-Baqarah (2):222].
It is detested that he interlace his fingers, as Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
1 Al-Haakim (1/244). This issue is dealt with seperately later.
44
CongregationD.{Prayer
"When one of you performs wudu ' in an excellent manner and
then leaves with the intention of going to the mosque, let him
not interlace his hands because he is in prayer."l
It is recommended that one be clean, having a nice
smell and wearing nice clothes as Islam enjoins upon its
followers that they be pleasing to behold and of good
composure. Allah says,
., .", .,. -, , ,,,"" "
'1J I ; ~ I J I)S'J ~ JS' ~ ~ ~ IJJ,;;. ~ ~ I . $ . ~ ~
o ,
-: 0 ~ II ~ '1 4f1 I 0 ~
~ . r - . ~ jJr M
~ ~ ~
"0 Children of Adam! Wear your beautiful apparel at every
time and place ofprayer. Eat and drink but waste not by excess
for Allah does not Love the wasters" [al-A 'raaf (7):31].
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to
teach the Muslims to adhere to these matters in all of their
affairs such that the Muslims' appearance, clothes and
mannerismbecomes beautiful and acceptable.
Muslim reports that the Prophet (peacebe upon him)
said,
"Anyone who has an atom's weight of arrogance shall not
enter Paradise." A person asked, "0 Messenger of Allah
indeed a person likes that he wear nice clothes and shoes." He
replied, "Indeed, Allah is Beautiful and He Loves beauty.
Arrogance is to reject the truth and have contempt for
people.,,2
Cleaning oneself without going to extravaganceand
adorning oneself without causing difficulty are from the
manners that Islam promotes.
1 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/148 no. 562].
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/53 no. 164].
45
Congregatioruz{Prager
From the manners of going to the congregational
prayer is that one leaves having cleaned himself of everything
that he could be reprimanded for, such as cleaning the mouth
and brushing the teeth. Abu Umaamah reports that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"'" 'iJ ...-:'" .... 0 ". 0 "'" oM rP,. J ""'"
YA

.... 0 0 "" ".". ""'" 1M 0 ". rP J
.J ol J.Aj I\" i \. .
uPfi c...r-.r- . '-I ) $ tJ...r
"'" "'" "'" .... "'" "'"
f 0f JG.:.f 1
f'" c.JN' '-I y)
0f: .}.:':'

"Use the siwaak (toothstick) for indeed it purifies the mouth
and is pleasing to the Lord. Each time Jibreel has come to me
he has enjoined me to employ the siwaak to the point that I
feared that it would become obligatory upon my nation and
me. If I did not fear that it would become difficult for my
nation I would have obligated its use upon them. Indeed I
employ the siwaak to the point that I fear that my front teeth
would be uprooted." I
Similarly, it is obligatory upon the Muslim to avoid all
foul smells. Islam has deterred the one who eats garlic, onion,
or leek from going to the mosque due to the smell emitting
from this person's mouth, harming his brother Muslims. Jaabir
reports from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) that
he said,
"Let he who eats garlic or onion remain away from us and our
mosque and instead sit in his house.,,2 Recorded by al-Bukhari
1 Sunan ibnMaajah (no. 288).
2 AI-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/452 no. 814] andMuslim (Eng. Trans. 1/279 no.
1146]. Also refer to Faydh al-Qadeer Sharb al-Joam;' as-Sagheer (6/84 no.
8515). (AI-Bukhaaree and Muslim also report the hadeeth from}aabir that the
46
ContJregationaCPrager'
and Muslim. In fact, the ahaadeeth that give this meaning are
many.
From the things that resemble garlic and onion with
respect to their harming those who pray and the Angels is the
smell ofcigarette smoke emitting from the mouths and clothes
of smokers. So let them be aware of this.
Similarly it is recommended that one avoid all matters
that would negate the manners of prayer, such as interlacing
the fingers, frequently looking left and right, raising one's
voice and walking fast. Rather one should walk to the mosque
calmly and in a state of sobriety. This is based on what Muslim
reported from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,
J""" _0"" _0 "J", I"
0j:..:.J 0";:-5 yU C:.!I
I s-t If".: W "
r ) -"
"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been called, do not
come to it hastily. Come to it calmly. That part of the prayer
that you catch, pray it and complete what you missed."!
From the manners of walking to the mosque is to say
the reported supplications concerning those who walk to the
mosque, enter and leave the mosque. From these is:
It is recommended for one to say when leaving his
house in general that which is reported by Abu Daawood from
Anas bin Maalik that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever eats garlic, onion orleek should
not come close to our mosque for the Angels areharmed by what harms the
Children ofAadam." - Trans.]
1 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/296 no.1249].
47
Ctmgregationa{Prayer
""" """ """ "".J """ L """ """" """ ,,"""
".11" ,.or J" -\ tLO"A J '" """."
.!..u . '\J '\J - ..:.....tJJ
..r- . I.:> ----
,,"'" J ". ",. ""
" ";,<: ..u:u 1:-'''
J '-.F' J 1.$" .r:J!
'" "
"When a person leaves his home and says, 'With the name of
Allah, I put my trust in Allah and there is no might or
movement except with Allah'! It will be said, 'You are
guided, sufficed and protected.' The devils will go away from
him and one shall say to the other, 'What can you do with a
person who has been guided, sufficed and protected?",2
Umm Salamah narrated that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) used to say when he left his house,
"With the name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah. 0 Allah I
seek refuge with You lest I stray or be led astray, or I cause
injustice or suffer injustice, or I do wrong or have wrong done
to me, or I behave foolishly or be treated foolishly.J" 4
Upon reaching the mosque, one should enter with his
right foot first and then say the supplication that is narrated
from the Prophet (peace be upon him) via his daughter
Faatimah: When he used to enter the mosque he used to invoke
peace and blessings upon Muhammad and then say,
1 bismillaahi, tawakkaltu 'alaiiAllahi laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa
billaahi.
2 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans, 3/1413 no. 5076].
3 Bismillaahi tawaRkaltu 'alaAllahi. Allahumma innee A'udhubika an odilia
aw udalla, aw aztlla aw uzalla, aw adhlima aw udhlama, aw ajhala aw
yujhala alayya.
at-Tirmidhee (no. 3423).
48
CongregationafPrayer
"0 Allah forgive me my sins and open for me the doors of
Your Mercy."! When he left the mosque he used to invoke
peace and blessings upon Muhammad and say, "0 Allah
forgive me my sins and open for me the doors of Your
Bounty.2"3
Upon reaching the place of sitting in the mosque, one
should greet others with the salaam in a voice loud enough that
those close to him can hear. One should not sit until he has
prayed the two rak'ahs for greeting the mosque. This is based
on the Prophet's saying,
o "'" "'" "'" 0 "" "" 0"'" 0 J "'" "'" "" ,
0i rs-J.;..i
"When anyone of you enters the mosque, let him pray two
rak'ahs before sitting."4
It is preferred to sit in the first row and on the right
side of the row if this does not require crowding. This is based
on the Prophet's saying,
J 0 01
# #
"Indeed Allah and His Angels invoke blessings upon those
who are on the right side of the rows."5 In other words, they
I AlJahumma tghfirlee dhunoobee waflah lee abwaaba rabmatiea.
2AlJahumma tghfirlee dhunoobee waflah leeabwaabafadlika.
3MusnadAhmad (6/283).
4 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/347 no. 1540].
5 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 11175 no. 676] and ibn Maajah (no. 1005). Imaam
an-Nawawee said in Rtyaadh as-saaliheen (no. 1094), "its chain meets the
conditions ofMuslim andit contains a narrator whose (state) isdiffered over. II It
was declared hasan by both Haafidh ibnHajr andHaafidh a1-Mundhiree. [This
hadith was declared hasan by ibn Hajr andAbdul Qaadir a1-Arnaaoot. However,
a1-A1baani and his student a1-Hilaali have declared it weak. Upon close inspection,
it seems that the correct wording isthatwhich isfound in Sunan ibnMaajah:
49
Cungregationa{Prager
seek forgiveness for those who are to the right of the Imam in
any row.
Imaam al-Ghazaalee, may Allah have mercy upon
him, said, "The one who enters the mosque should seek to sit
on the right side of the row because it is a place of good
fortune and a source of blessings. Indeed Allah, the Exalted,
invokes blessings upon those who are on the right side of the
rows. One should do this if there is room on the right side; if
not, he should not harm those already there nor make the space
tight and uncomfortable." 1
It is also desired that one busy himself with the dhikr
of Allah, devoting his heart towards this (while waiting for the
prayer). It is not desired for anyone to walk over the necks of
others nor cause someone to move from his place nor cause
someone's place to become tight in the row. Also, one should
not spit. He should not crack his fingers or interlace them and
he should avoid anything that disturbs the peace and sanctity
of the mosque.
"Allah and His Angels invoke blessings upon those who connect the rows." Allah
knows best.--:JZ]
1 Faydh al-Qadeer ofal-Munaawee (2/270 no. 1815).
50
C071l'egationa{Prayer
Whom the Congregational
Prayer Is Sanctioned
The congregational prayer has been legislated upon the
following categories ofpeople, with some restrictions:
1. Men. It is not necessary for the woman to attend the
congregational prayer according to the consensus of the
scholars.
The congregational prayer is a sunnah with respect to
women provided that there is no fear offitnah and they fulfil
the manners that Islam requires of them. This issue will be
dealt with in detail later.
It is not obligatory upon the one who has not yet
reached the age of maturity or those men who have a valid
excuse that allows them to miss the congregation. This issue
will also be dealt with in detail later.
2. Free (non-slave). This is because the servant is
busy with serving his master. Therefore, obligating the
congregational prayer upon him would be difficult for him and
the Sharee'ah has stated the principle of removing the harm.
3. The absence of any excuse preventing the person
from performing the obligatory prayer in congregation or
making it difficult for him due to one of the excuses that allow
a person not to attend the congregational prayer.
4. That the prayer being prayed is obligatory. "As
for the sunan prayers, it is not obligatory to pray these in
congregation. This also applies to the Prayer of the Eclipse and
any obligatory prayer that is being made up (qadaa). It is not
obligatory to make up the missed prayers in congregation if
one takes to the opinion that it is obligatory to make up
missed prayers."! This is because the texts of the Shareeah
simply state the making up ofthe prayer [and do not mention
anything about the need for a congregation].
1 ar.Rawd al-Marba' bi Sbarh Zaad al-Mustaqni' (1/256) with thenotes of
ibnQaasim an-Najdee.
51
Ctmgregatiunol Prager
The Number Which Constitutes a Congregation
The mmimum number that constitutes a
congregational prayer is two: the Imaam and another person
with him. As the number of attendees increases, this prayer
becomes more beloved to Allah. This is based on the Prophet's
(peace be upon him) saying,
"The prayer of a person with another person is better than the
prayer of a person prayed individually. The prayer of a person
prayed with two people is better than the prayer of a person
prayed with one. The larger the number, the more beloved it is
to Allah the Exalted." 1 .
It is possible for one of the two to be a child or a
woman. In this case, the prayer is still considered to be
congregational. Ibn Abbaas said,
0. 41J\ t, "w
tX J i l.,F " .
" "
! " t" ,,,;1 1 s : "
O)t:..i::f J.ll1
"" "", ""
""" ,. 0 ,. .... t ..:f:.
-Co '"' '"'
"""..,. .. u-
"I spent the night at my aunt's and the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) awoke to pray the night prayer. 1 stood to
pray with him, standing on his left side and he took hold of my
head and stood me on his right side."2
Muslim reports from Anas bin Maalik that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed with him and
his mother or aunt. Anas said,
I al-Mustadrak (3/269).
2 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/376 no. 665, 666].
52
eongregatimta!Prayer
"He made me stand on his right side and made the woman
stand behind us."!
Al-Wazeer ibn Hubairah said, "They [the scholars]
have unanimously agreed that the least number that makes a
congregation for an obligatory prayer, other than the prayer of
Jumu 'ah (Friday), is two: an Imaam and a follower standing on
his right side."2
Ibn Qudaamah, may Allah have mercy upon him, said,
The congregation is considered to be such with
two people and we know of no difference
concerning this. Abu Musaa reports that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
". """"
~ ~ ~ ~ W 0 8 \
"
"Two and more constitute a congregation.v-
The Prophet (peace be upon him) led
Hudhayfah on one occasion, ibn Mas'ud on
another and ibn Abbaas on another. Ifa person
were to lead his slave or wife, they would have
attained the excellence of the congregational
prayer. If one were to lead a child, this is
permissible for optional prayers because the
Prophet (peace be upon him) led ibn Abbaas in
an optional prayer while he was a child. If one
were to lead a child in the obligatory prayer,
then Imaam Ahmad said that this is not
counted as a congregational prayer because it
is not correct that a child be an Imaam due to
his deficient condition and therefore this
situation most closely resembles the case of
1 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/321 no. 1390].
2 al-Ifsaah 'an Ma'aanee as-Sihaah (1/155).
3 Ibn Maajah (no. 959). [This hadith has been declared weak by a number of
scholars. see, for example, al-Albaani, Dhaeefal-]aami, p. 22.-JZ]
53
Ctmgregatitma{Prager
one whose prayer is not valid. Abu al-Hasan
al-Aamidee said, "There is another opinion
that is voiced concerning this. This being that
it is not permissible for the child to be the
Imaam but it is permissible for him to be a
follower in the obligatory prayer in the same
way as this is permissible for one who has
reached the age of discernment. This is why
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said
concerning the man who had missed the
congregational prayer, Who will give him
charity and pray with him?" This was the
opinion declared to be the strongest by the
Hanafee and Shaafiee scholars. As for the
Maalikee scholars, in their view the prayer
prayed with only a child, be it obligatory or
optional, is not considered a valid
congregational prayer.1
Summary
The least number that would constitute a congregation
is two: an Imaam and an follower, even if he were a child
according to the Hanafee scholars. However according to the
Hanbalee scholars, the child can only be considered a follower
in the optional prayers because the Prophet (peace be upon
him) led ibn Abbaas while he was a child in the Tahajjud
prayer.
2
I say: The opinion that is closest to the truth is that the
Imaamate of a child is valid in obligatory and optional prayers
due to the generality of the evidences. From the most clear of
these is what al-Bukhaaree reports from 'Amr bin Salma that
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to his father,
1 al-Mughnee ofibn Qudaamah (2/177-178).
Z Refer toal-Badaa'; as-Sanaa' i (1/156), al-Majmoo' (4193ft), ash-Sharh as
Sagheer (1/427ft) ofad-Dardeer and al-Mughnee (1/177-178).
54
CongregationafPrayer
II!. ";O.t' .t''' ",,,, ",,,, "J A 't J.", 0",
~ Lfi) pi :l.;..i ~ (...L; \ J ~ Lfi) (tS'p\ r-cJ;lJ
-t'"" L ...: ",,,, 0)1 ~ " , .t' "
~ 0\ Lfi ~ i ". 0" --:w 0CS"'" II 0, ; ; I ~ i :.:..:s- LJ
~ J ~ " ~ ~ t../"Y ,,' J' ~ ir: "
" ..
", 0..... r'"
~ t;::' J ~
'Let one of you lead you who knows the most Qur'aan.' So the
people looked and they did not find anyone who knew more
Qur'aan than I because I used to learn from the entire traveling
group. So they put me forward (to lead them) and at that time I
was a child of six or seven years."1
So the Companions appointing of' Amr as the Imaam
while he was a small child lends proof to the validity of a child
who has reached the age of discernment leading the prayer. If
this were not permissible, a revelation would have been
revealed rejecting this action. Also, there is no distinction to be
made between the regulations of optional and obligatory
prayers unless there occurs a text that necessitates this. An
example of such a distinction is the permissibility of praying
optional prayers while riding a beast (whereas this is not
allowed for obligatory prayers). Allah knows best.
The Portion of the Prayer that Must Be Caught to be
Considered Part of the Congregation
The scholars fall into two opinions concerning this:
The First Opinion
One is considered to have prayed in congregation if
one catches a rak'ah (with the congregation), This is the
opinion of the Maalikee scholars, al-Ghazaalee from the
Shaafi' ee scholars, a reported opinion from Imaam Ahmad, the
clear sense derived from the words of ibn Abee Musaa, the
chosen opinion of Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah, Shaykh
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 5/413 no. 595].
55
CongregatwrwlPrayer
Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhaab, and Shaykh Abdurrahmaan
bin Sa' dee, may Allah have mercy upon them all.!
The Proofs for the First Opinion
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
/ /. / / D t // /. :f$ D / / / D;'
.:} :w W--J .:} :;
"
"Whoever catches one rak'ah has caught the prayer.,,2
Ibn Umar reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) said,

" "
"Whoever catches a rak'ah of the Jumu'ah (Friday) prayer or
any other prayer, he has caught the prayer."3
The hadeeth clearly proves that whoever catches a
rak'ah of the Jumu'ah prayer or any other prayer has
succeeded in catching the prayer. Congregational prayer comes
under the heading of any other prayer and therefore it can be
attained by catching one rak'ah, Shaykh al-Islam ibn
Taymiyyah gave two reasons for this, saying,
1 Refer tOJawaahir al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar al-Khaleel (1n6), al-Wajeez (p.
55), al-Insaaf (21222), Majmoo' Pataauaa ibn Taymiyyah (231331), at
Mukhtaaraat al-jaliyyah fee al-Masaa' it al-Fiqhiyyah of ibn Sa'dee (2/25)
and Kitaab Aadaab al-Mashee ilaa as-Salaah (p. 29).
2 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/322 no. 554] and Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/298 no. 1260]. [It should be noted that one is considered tohave caught
the rak'ah if he performs the ruku' (bow) ofthat rak ' ah with the Imaam. If
one joins the congregation at any time after the ruku' then heisnot considered
to have caught that rak'ab. Abu Daawood reports from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger ofAllah (peace be upon him) said, '1 you come tothe prayer and we
are in prostration, then make the prostration but do not count it asa rak 'ah.
Whoever catches the ruku' catches the prayer." - Trans.]
3 Ibn Maajah (no.l l lu), an-Nasaa' ee (3/112), ibn Khuzaymah (3/173), and at
Haakim (1/291) who declared itsabeeb upon considering three ofitsroutes and
adh-Dhahabee agreed.
56
COTlilT't;!JationafPra!fer
First, the Legislator has made no regulations
of the prayer dependent upon the length of the
takbeer, neither with regards to catching the
prayer in its time or attaining the
congregational prayer.! Hence it is a void
description in the eyes of the Legislator,
indeed the Legislator has only made
regulations dependent upon whether one
attains a rak 'ah of the prayer or not. Second,
anything which is less than one rak 'ah is not
considered to be anything in the prayer and
therefore a person is not considered to have
caught anything (if he catches less than a
rak 'ah, meaning anything past the ruku '),
Therefore, he has not prayed anything that can
be taken into consideration alongside the
Imaam and hence all of his prayer (that he
now prays after the tasleem of the Imaam) is
to be considered an individual prayer)
The Second Opinion
One is considered to have prayed in congregationif
one says the opening takbeer before the Imaam says the
salaam. This is the opinion of the Shaafi'ee and Hanafee
scholars and the reported opinion that is famous from Ahmad
and it is the chosen opinion of the majority of his followers.3
These scholars depended upon the hadeeth reported
from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
1 [Meaning that if one were tosay theopening takbeer just before the time for
that prayer had expired, orsaid it just before the Imaam said the salaam then he
isnot considered to have caught the prayer in either ofthe two cases - Trans.)
2 Majmoo' Fataawaa (23/332-333).
3 Refer to:Haasbiyab ibnAabideen (2159), al-Majmoo' (41184), andal-Insaaf
(2/221).
57
cvngregationa{Prayer
"When the iqaamah has been called for prayer then do not
corne to it running, rather corne to it walking calmly. Pray that
part of the prayer which you catch and complete what you
missed."1
Therefore, the one who catches the Imaam prostrating
or sitting in the last tashahhud can be said to have caught the
prayer and he makes up what he missed. Hence, the one who
says his opening takbeer before the Imaam says the salaam is
considered to have caught the congregation.
Ibn Qudaamah gave two reasons for this. First,
whoever catches a portion of the prayer with the Imaam is
similar to his having caught a rak'ah of the prayer. Second, if
one catches a portion of the prayer with the Imaam and says
the opening takbeer, he must have the intention of being a
follower and therefore it is desired that he attain the reward of
the congregation.
2
The Strongest Opinion
After considering the evidence of the two opinions and
the reasons given by each of their proponents, it becomes clear
that the first opinion is the strongest opinion. This is because it
is supported by an authentic hadeeth on the actual issue at
hand and therefore "the evidences relating to the actual issue
take precedence over the evidences from which one can imply
a correlation to the issue" as established in Islamic legal
theory)
1 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/2%no. 12491.
2 al-Mughnee (2/177-178).
s Refer to Athar al-Ikhtilaajfee al-Qawaa' ill al-Usuliyyah feeIkhtilaajal
FUlJuhaa' by Mustafaa Sa' eed al-Khann (pg. 146).
58
Congrezptiona[Prayer
The Place lor Perlorming the
Congregational Praver and the
Virtue 01 Maintaining the Mosques
and Walking to Them For Praver
The congregational prayer is either performed in a
mosque or outside of a mosque.
Maintaining the Mosques and Walking to Them for
Prayer
The mosques are the houses of Allah, the Mighty and
Magnificent. In them, He is worshipped and His Exalted name
mentioned. They are the signposts of guidance and marks of
the religion. Allah has ennobled them and exalted them by
mentioning them alongside His Name, saying,
"" l:ll "" ell It l:ll """"
\ ~ f ~ \ to \}:u ~ ~ W \ iJf
J
"And indeed the mosques are for Allah, so do not supplicate to
any other alongside Allah" [al-Jinn (72):18].
The mosques have been built for the purpose of prayer,
performing the dhikr of Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent,
reciting the Qur'aan, seeking to draw close to Him and
humbling oneself before Him hoping for His reward.
Indeed, maintaining the mosques is one of the greatest
means of getting closer to Allah. Maintaining them is done
through building them, cleaning them, furnishing them,
providing lights for them and other such things. Similarly,
maintaining them is done through performing i'tikaaf
(seclusion for the purpose of worship) in them and praying in
them, frequently visiting them to be present in the
congregational prayer and to learn beneficial knowledge, and
to recite, learn and teach the Qur'aan, The sunnah has
59
Congrf!tJationafPrager
encouraged one to maintain the mosques and clarified the great
reward that lies in store for the one who does this.
Al-Bukhaaree and Muslim record from Uthmaan bin
'Affaan that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) say,
....: 0 ;" Ii ;"
QI ill! -:" illI .:,0" -:".,"
"
" "
"Whoever builds a mosque desiring thereby the Face of Allah,
Allah will build a house in Paradise for him,"! This means that
he does so sincerely for Allah alone, seeking His pleasure
without showing off or seeking the praise of people or the
fulfillment of some personal objective.
Just as their occurs encouragement for maintaining the
mosques, there also occurs encouragement for cleaning them
and preparing them for prayer. Imaam Muslim recorded from
Abu Hurayrah that
"A black woman, or a youth, used to sweep the mosque. The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) missed her or him on
one occasion and asked about her or him. The people said,
'[She or] he has died.' The Prophet said, 'Why did you not
inform me?' It turned out that the people thought little of her,
or his, affair. He said, 'Lead me to her grave.' They led him to
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/263 no. 441] andSaheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/269 no. 1084].
60
the grave and he said the prayer over her and then commented,
'Indeed these graves are full of darkness for their dwellers and
indeed Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, illuminates the
graves for their inhabitants due to my prayer over them."!
There are many explicit and authentic texts that occur
mentioning the excellence of walking to the mosques in order
to pray, perform dhikr or recite the Noble Qur'aan. Indeed, the
one who visits the mosque is under the care of Allah and His
Mercy for as long as he observes the manners of sitting and his
heart is attentive to Allah, the Magnificent and Exalted.
The texts also prove that the prayer of a person in
congregation is twenty-five or twenty-seven times better than
the prayer he prays individually at home or in the market.
The texts also prove that for whoever walks to the
mosque in darkness, Allah completes and perfects his light for
him on the Day of Judgement.
The texts also prove that for whoever goes back and
forth from the mosque (for the prayers), Allah prepares a feast
for him in Paradise for each of his journeys.2 This is a great
excellence that none would miss out on save one who is
negligent or one who is lazy and does not care to attain the
good.
So, my dear brother in Islam, here are some of the
ahaadeeth that prove what I have stated so that you may be
upon sure knowledge and guidance to attain this great reward
and that you may encourage your brother Muslims to enact this
great pillar in the mosques in congregation so that they may
attain the reward of Allah in this life and the Hereafter.
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
1 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 2/453 no. 2088].
2 [Abu Hurayrah reported that theMessenger ofAllah (peace beupon him) said,
"If anyone goes back andforth to themosque (toattend theprayers), Allah will
prepare for him a feast in Paradise asoften ashegoes back and forth." Reported
by al-Bukhaaree andMuslim. - Trans.]
61
CongregationalPrayer
"The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty odd levels
better than the prayer of a person prayed in his house or in the
market. This is because when one of you performs wudu' in an
excellent manner and then goes to the mosque desiring only
the prayer, he will not walk a footstep except that he will be
raised a rank and a sin will be expiated until he enters the
mosque... "1
Abu Hurayrah also reported that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said,
'" .... ... '" '" a lSI "', t '"
JJI 4.J ' "lSl.,b;:Jl 4.J ,."
) ,,' C:.fl.J " ,,' <.5"" r-''''
"" "
"" D... 0 , '" '" 0'... '" "'"
o ''1\' CI lS
) <.5"" y t.... " .P)" y
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J;S ...L>.WI JI 0"
),.,. & .r
... ... ...
" " ...... " , ...
.bt:")\ .bt:")1
"Shall I not direct you to that by which Allah will efface sins
and raise the ranks?" They replied, "Ofcourse, 0 Messenger
of Allah!" He said, "Performing the wudu' in an excellent
manner despite it being difficult, taking many steps towards
the mosques and waiting for the next prayer after having
prayed the current prayer. That is mindfulness! That is
mindfulness!"2
Allah said,
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng, Trans. 1/352 no. 620] and Saheeh Muslim [Eng,
Trans. 1/322 no. 1394].
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/157 no. 485].
62
CongrflJationa{Prager
'iI 0 '" "0/ " 0 t lP ., ,-
Jilu 4J ' oJ, , "0 I \-;'. ' ('J,; ,.04 4JI 4!J\ .
J . -Je.r
, ,
,,'" rP 0 " "'., 0 '" .,
\51 4UI 0.' .. 0, 0
.J, .r J ) " .) J
"'" "'" '" '" " ,
!. "'" "0 riJ", "" ., ,
'-oJ .1:011 U 4J
) . J . r- ,-,. J!. J! - J' -.J
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,
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"(Lit is such a Light) in houses which Allah has allowed to be
raised such that His dhikr (remembrance) is performed in
them. In them He is glorified in the mornings and evenings by
men whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the dhikr of
Allah, nor from establishing the prayer or paying zakaat. They
fear the Day when the hearts and eyes will be turned
about-that Allah may reward them according to the best of
their deeds and add even for them out of His Grace. Indeed
Allah provides for whoever He Wills without measure" [an
Nur (24):36-38].
Congregational Prayer in Other Than a Mosque
The scholars have differed about the ruling concerning
praying in congregation in a place other than the mosque.
There are three opinions on this question.
The First Opinion
It is permissible to pray in congregation in a place
other than the mosque. This is the opinion ofMaalik, ash
Shaafi' ee, an opinion reported from Imaam Ahmad, and the
chosen opinion of the Hanafee school.
Ibn al-Qaasim said, "I asked Maalik about a man who
prays the obligatory prayer with his wife at home to which he
replied, 'There is no problem with that."!
Imaam ash-Shaafi' ee, may Allah have mercy upon
him, said, "Every congregation that a man prays in, be it in his
1 al-Mudawwana al-Kubraa (1/86).
63
CmTfJregationa{Prager
home or in a mosque, small or large, and be it a small or large
congregation, would be valid for him. The larger the mosque,
such that the congregation is larger, is more beloved to me."!
Ar-Raafi'ee, from the Shaafi'ee scholars said,
"Congregational prayer prayed at home is better than praying
individually in the mosque."
Ibn Qudaamah said, "It is permissible to pray in
congregation at home or in the desert."Z
These scholars depended upon the following
ahaadeeth:
Jaabir reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said,
" J. L'" \" 0... J ! '\ \ _ I J ... I" 0 -: J _ L 0- f
\
uPJ'i
...
- I. ... J... ... ... ! ...l ... M'"
\...... '1;. ."'\ o. Cl;
.rr: J r.,i:' o:J
"
"I have been given five things ... The earth has been made as a
mosque and has been made pure and purifying for me. So
whoever from my nation comes across the time for prayer, let
him pray."3
Anas said,
- ,
) o")l.,aJI '-') l.il.> U"'l;,}\

\ \ J."...... J 0l5"'
f f A eJ
,

"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to have the
best manners from among the people. Sometimes he would be
in our house when the time for prayer came. He would call for
a mat to pray on, he would sweep it clean and then sprinkle
water on it (to soften it). Then the Messenger of Allah (peace
1 al-Umm (1/136).
2 al-Mughnee (3/8).
3 Sabeeb al-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/199 no. 331].
64
GmlJregationa{Prayer
be upon him) would lead the prayer and we would stand
behind him and pray in congregation."!
Aaishah said,
:Ju, jJA) ~ J rL) .ill1 .ill\ J..,.....) ~
\ ~ \ 0r ~ l )u,t L.Y r'; 4
1
) ) ~ ) Wt>.- ~
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed in his
house sitting due to pain and a group ofpeople prayed behind
him standing, so he indicated to them to sit."2
They also depend upon other ahaadeeth that space
does not allow us to mention.
'rhe Second Opinion
It is not permissible for a man to pray in congregation
except in a mosque,
This is a reported opinion of Imaam Ahmad and it was
the opinion that ibn al-Qayyim declared to be the strongest in
his Kitaab as-Salaah. He said, "For whoever investigates the
sunnah as it deserves to be done, it will become clear to him
that praying in congregation in the mosque islard 'ayn. This is
so unless one has a valid excuse that allows him to miss the
Jumu 'ah and congregational prayers. Abandoning attending
the mosque without a valid excuse is like abandoning the
essence of congregation without a valid excuse and in this way
the various evidences are reconciled.t'J
He, may Allah have mercy upon him, also said, "That
which we take to be our deen is that it is not permissible for
anyone to miss the congregation in the mosque unless he has a
valid excuse and Allah knows best."4
Some of the scholars declared the prayer prayed at
home in congregation is not valid. Abu al-Barakaat from the
Hanbalee scholars said, "Whoever misses (the congregational
1 Sunan al-Kubraa (3/66) of an-Nasaa' ee.
ZSaheeh al-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/372 no. 656].
3 Kttaab as-Salaah (p. 461).
4 Ibid.
65
Congregational Prayer
prayer in the mosque) and prays in congregation in his home,
then his prayer is not valid unless he has a valid excuse." This
is building upon his premise that the one who leaves the
congregation has performed something forbidden (and that the
prohibition of something necessitates its invalidity). I
In the commentary to Fath al-Qadeer, ibn al
Hummaam said, "Al-Halwaanee was asked about one who
gathered his family together sometimes to pray-does he
attain the reward of congregational prayer? He replied, 'No, if
he does not have a valid excuse (for missing the prayer in the
mosque), this is a reprehensible innovation.t''Z
These scholars depended upon the ahaadeeth that
prove that congregational prayer is obligatory and that it is
fard 'ayn [some of which are mentioned in the following
chapter].
Furthermore the Shaafi' ee scholars-l differed about
whether the fard kifaayah to establish congregational prayer in
the mosque (once the time for prayer arrives) is lifted if the
congregational prayer is prayed outside of the mosque. On this
point, they have two opinions: One, establishing a
congregational prayer in a place other than the mosque for the
obligatory prayers is not sufficient in lifting the fard kifaayah
of praying in congregation in the mosque. Two, it is acceptable
if the place in which it is being done is famous and commonly
attended such as a marketplace.
Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "The first opinion is more correct in my view. This is
because the foundation of the legislation concerning this
occurred with regards the congregations in the mosques and it
is not permissible to deviate from that."4
The Third Opinion
The third opinion differentiates between one who has
heard the call to prayer and the one who has not.
I al-1nsaaf(2/123, 214) byal-Mardaawee.
2 Sharh Fath al-Qadeer (1/345) by ibnal-Hummaam al-Hanafee.
3 [The opinion of the generality of the Shaafi' ee scholars is that it isfard
kifaayab topray inthemosque incongregation. - Trans.]
4 al- 'Uddah alaa Ihkaam al-Ahkaam (2/u4).
66
Congregatiotul[Prayer
This is the opinion of ibn Hazm adh-Dhaahiree, may
Allah have mercy upon him. He said, "The obligatory prayer
of a person is not valid if he hears the adhaan unless he prays
in the mosque with the Imaam. If he deliberately leaves this
without a valid excuse, his prayer (prayed outside of the
mosque) is rendered null and void. If he does not hear the
adhaan, it is obligatory upon him to pray in congregation (in a
place other than the mosque) even it be with one other person.
If he does not do this, his prayer is null and void unless he
cannot fmd someone else to pray with. If a person has a valid
excuse that allows him to miss the congregation, his prayer is
valid."1
Ibn Taymiyyah said, "If one prays in congregation in
his house, is the obligation of attending the congregation in the
mosque lifted? There is a difference concerning this and it is
desired that a person not leave off attending the mosque unless
he has a valid excuse."2
At this juncture, it would be good to close this
discussion with the words of ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have
mercy upon him,
For whoever investigates the sunnah as it
deserves to be done, it will become clear to
him that praying in congregation in the
mosque is lard 'ayn. This applies unless one
has a valid excuse that allows him to miss the
Jumu 'ah and congregational prayers.
Abandoning attending the mosque without a
valid excuse is like abandoning the essence of
congregation without a valid excuse and in
this way the various evidences are
reconciled. ... When the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) died and the people of
Mecca leamed of his death, Suhail bin 'Amr
addressed them, Attaab bin Usayd was one of
his governors in Mecca who had gone into
hiding out of fear of the people. So Suhayl
reinstated him and the people of Mecca
became firm in Islam. Then after this Attaab
1 al.MuhalJaa Sharh al-MujalJaa (41265).
2 Mukhtasar Pataauaa aI-Misriyyah (p. 52) byibnTaymiyyah.
67
ConIJreoatiowl Prayer
bin Usayd addressed the people and said, 'By
Allah! 0 people of Mecca, if it reaches me that
anyone of you misses the prayer in the mosque
I will strike his neck.' The Companions of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
thanked him for this and he gained
prominence in their eyes. Therefore that which
we take to be our deen is that it is not
permissible for anyone to miss the
congregation in the mosque unless he has a
valid excuse and Allah knows best. 1
Addendum: Now that we have established that it is
not permissible to leave off the congregational prayer in the
mosque, it becomes necessary to point out three things:
If someone misses the congregational prayer in the
mosque and is unable to find anyone to pray with him in the
mosque, it is desired that he return home and pray in
congregation with his family.
If he is on a journey or on a trip and has his family
with him, it is desired that he pray with his family in
congregation.
If he missed the congregational prayer in a mosque
that is close by, it is desired that he go to another mosque as
long as this does not cause him undue difficulty and he is sure
that he will catch the prayer.
'rhe Ruling of a Congregation for the Obligatory Prayers
The scholars have differed concerning the ruling of
congregational prayer, falling into four opinions:
The First Opinion
Congregational prayer is fard kifaayah. Ibn Hubairah
attributed this opinion to ash-Shaafi' ee and Abu Haneefah.
2
Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr said, "The clear sense of the words of ash
Shaafi'ee is that it isfard kifaayah. This was the opinion of the
1 Kitaabas-Salaab (p. 461).
2 al-Jfsaab (1/142).
68
Congregationa{Prager
majority of the early Shaafiee scholars and it is the opinion of
many Hanafee and Maalikee scholars."1
The meaning of fard kifaayah is that if a sufficient
number of people establish it, the sin of not praying in
congregation is lifted from the rest of the people. If a sufficient
number of people do not fulfil the obligation or no one fulfils
the obligation, everyone is sinful. [It is fard kifaayah] because
the congregational prayer is a manifest sign from the signs of
Islam.
An-Nawawee said in Raudh al-Taalibeen, "A
congregation is fard 'ayn for the Jumu 'ah prayer. As for the
other obligatory prayers, there are a number of opinions. The
most correct is that it islard kifaayah. A second opinion is that
it is sunnah. The third opinion is that it isfard 'ayn, This last
opinion was voiced by ibn al-Mundhir and ibn Khuzaymah
from our companions (the Shaafi'ees), The opinion of ash
Shaafi'ee, may Allah have mercy upon him is, 'We say it is
lard kifaayah and if the people of a land prevent it from being
established, the Imaam must fight them until they establish it
such that this sign becomes manifest among them."'2
These scholars depended upon the following
ahaadeeth:
Abu ad-Dardaa' narrated that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"There are no three men in a village or in the desert who do
not establish the congregational prayer except that Shaytaan
has gained mastery over them. So upon you is the congregation
for the wolf only eats the sheep that strays from the flock."3
1 al-Fath (2/26 Kitaab al-Adhaan, Baab Wujoob Salaah al-jamaa' ah)
2 Rawdah at-Taalibeen (1/339).
3 Sunan AbuDaawood [Eng. Trans. 1/144 no. 547], an-Nasaaee (2/106-107),
al-Haakim (1/211) with sbasan chain.
69
CotI!J'egationolPrayer
Maalik bin Huwayrith stated, "We came to the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while we were all
youth of nearly equal age and stayed with him for twenty
nights. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was
extremely merciful and kind and thought that we missed our
families, so he asked us about them and we told him. He said,
" ;' ;' 1J ;' '/.' J ;';'. 0
J. J.J. J. .' I;". . \ J. u JI I J. \
y.>:")
;' ;' ;' ,

'Return to your families and stay among them. Teach them
(the religion) and enjoin them (to righteousness). When the
time for prayer comes, let one of you call the adhaan and then
let the eldest of you lead the prayer. '"I
Ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) said,
;' ;' ;' 'JJ ;' 0 J 0$ 0 J
);) ) .iAJ\ oJtp oJtp
" )-" ;'
"The congregational prayer is twenty seven-times better than
the prayer prayed alone."2
Al-Khattaabee said, "The majority of the Shaafi'ee
scholars are of the opinion that congregational prayer isfard
kifaayab and not fard 'ayn and they depended upon the
hadeeth,
;' ;' ;' 'IJ ;' 0 J 01. 0 J
:.r-.?) .iAJ\ oJtp oJtp
'" )- '" '"
'The congregational prayer is twenty-seven times better than
the prayer prayed alone."'3
1 Saheeb Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/327 no. 1423].
2 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/315 no. 1366].
3 Ma'aalim as-Sunan (1/160).
70
CongregatwwlPrayer
The Second Opinion
The congregational prayer is Sunnah Mu 'akkadah (a
stressed Sunnah). This is the chosen opinion of the Hanafee
and Maalikee schools. Ash-Shawkaanee, may Allah have
mercy on him, said, "The most just opinion and the one that is
closest to the truth is that the congregational prayer is Sunnah
Mu 'akkadah. None who is able would leave off attending it
unless he be void of any desire to attain good. As for the
opinion that it isfard 'ayn or a condition for the prayer, such is
not the case."!
Ibn Abdul Barr attributed this opinion to the majority
of the Jurists ofIraaq, Shaam and the Hijaaz.
2
AI-Kharkee, from the Hanafee scholars, said,
"Congregational prayer is a sunnah. It is not sanctioned for
anyone to miss attending it unless he has a valid excuse. This
is the understanding of waajib (obligatory) in the eyes of the
general masses, that is, waajib and sunnah mu 'akkadah are the
same."3
Khaleel said in his Mukhtasar of the Maalikee school
of fiqh, "Congregational prayer, with the exception of
Jumu 'ah, is Sunnah Mu 'akkadah."4
Ibn Juzayy said, "Congregational prayer is Sunnah
Mu 'akkadab for the obligatory prayers."S
Ad-Dardeer said, "Congregational prayer, meaning a
prayer in congregation being led by an Imaam, for the
obligatory prayers, even if it be for missed prayers or a prayer
that is fard kifaayah such as the funeral prayer, is Sunnah
Mu 'akkadah with the exception ofJumu 'ah."6
These scholars depended upon the following
ahaadeeth:
Ibn Umar narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) said,
I Nayl al-Awtaar (3/146).
2 At-Tamheedlimaafeeal-Muwatta minaloMa "aanee walAsaaneed (6/318).
3 Badaa'i as-Sanaa' i (11155) ofal-Kasaanee.
4Jawaahir al-Ikleel 0/76).
5Qawaaneen al-Ahkaam ash-Shar'iyyah (p. 83).
6 Sharb as-Sagheer (1/244).
71
CongregationolPrayer
, '" "" ... 'iJ """ J 0t 0 J
a.;..J;) H .J.ij\
'" )- '" ""
"The congregational prayer is twenty-seven times better than
the prayer prayed alone." As-Sana'aanee said after mentioning
this hadeeth, "This hadeeth contains evidence that prayer in
congregation is not obligatory."!
Abu Musaa al-Ash'aree narrated that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
t,"" "" ""....: t.....: "" t
J -, 0" 1".11 J . (0. \ tn\ . \
. ? d r--
"" "" "" ""
0, (0. f lJI" u
? r i - - " - '$" )
" "
J '" J '/I "
G iii :. I ". I" - "ul
r
"The person who has the greatest reward for prayer is the one
who has to walk the farthest distance (to the mosque) and then
the next furthest after him. The one who waits for the prayer
such that he can pray it with the Imaam in congregation has a
greater reward than the one who prays it and then sleeps."Z
From the evidence that they also depend upon is that
the Messenger (peace be upon him) used to order the
delegations that came to him with prayer, but he did not order
them to perform it in a congregation.
This last point was mentioned by ash-Shawkaanee
who said, "It is not permissible to delay explaining the issue at
a time when it needs to be explained and clarified. Therefore,
these evidences [showing non-obligation] necessitate that the
evidences that indicate obligation be explained in their light, as
has preceded.t'J
I Subu/ as-Salaam (2140). [This is because the Messenger (peace be upon him)
has compared two situations and declared that there isreward for both. If not
attending the congregation was forbidden then the Messenger (peace be upon
him) would not have made such a comparison ordeclared there to be a reward
for praying alone - Trans]
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/323 no. 1401] and refer toPath a/-Baaree
(21278).
3 Nayl alAwtaar (3/146).
72
Congreeationa[Prayer
The 'rhird Opinion
Congregational prayer is a condition for the prayer.
Prayer is not valid if not prayed in congregation. It is Fard
'Ayn.
This was the opinion of a group from the people of
knowledge, including Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah in one
of the two opinions reported from him, his student ibn al
Qayyim, ibn Aqeel and ibn Abee Musaa. It is the opinion of
the Dhaahiree scholars, some of the Scholars ofHadeeth, Abu
aI-Hasan at-Tameemee al-Hanbalee, one of the opinions
reported from Imaam Ahmad, Abu al-Barakaat from the
Hanbalee scholars and Taaj ad-Deen as-Subkee related it as an
opinion of ibn Khuzaymah.l
These scholars depended upon the following proofs:
Ibn Abbaas narrated that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
o rP", " "1;,"';'
,
\'1
.-
JIJ :;
"Whoever hears the call and does not come to the prayer, then
there is no prayer for him unless he has a valid excuse."2
Al-Bukhaaree recorded from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
I Refer to Kitaab as-Salaah (p. 460ft) by ibnal-Qayyim, Majmoo' Pataatoaa
ibn Taymiyyah (23/333), al-Muhallaa (4/265), al-Majmoo' (4f!7) and
Tabaqaat ash-Shaafl' iyyah (31199) byas-Subkee.
2 Reported by ibn Maajah (no. 793), ad-Daaruqutnee (1/420), ibnHibbaan (no.
2064), al-Haakim (1/245) andits chain issaheeb.
73
Congregatw11I1lPrager
'" o.t" tI
r:.r::'::' .. "->- }
.,,;";" ;"
, .

"By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I considered ordering a
stick be lit on fire and then order the adhaan to be announced
and then command a person to lead the prayer and myself go
to the houses of those who did not attend (the congregational
prayer) and burn them down. By the One in Whose hand is my
soul, if one of them knew that he was to gain a bone heavy
with meat or meat between two rib bones, he would have
definitely attended the Ishaa Prayer." I
Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that a blind man
came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, "0
Messenger of Allah, I have no one to guide me to the mosque."
He therefore asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) to excuse him from the congregation and allow him to
pray in his house. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) granted him permission. When the blind man had turned
away, he called him back and asked,
?
, "
"Do you hear the call to prayer?" He replied, "Yes." He said,
"Then respond to it."2
They also depend upon the aforementioned saying of
ibn Mas'ud concerning preserving the five daily prayers [in
congregation] and that they are from the Sunan of guidance.
They also refer to what Al-Bayhaqee recorded from
ibn Abbaas: The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 91250 no. 330], Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/315 nos. 1369-1371].
2 SabeebMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/316 no. 1374].
74
CongregatifJ1lolPrayer
"Whoever hears the caller to prayer and does not come (to the
congregation) then there is no prayer for him unless he has a
valid excuse."1
The Fourth Opinion
Congregational prayer is Fard 'Ayn but it is not a
condition of the prayer [such that the prayer would be invalid
if not prayed in congregation].
This opinion is reported from ibn Mas'ud and Abu
Musaa from the Companions. This was also the opinion of
'Ataa bin Abee Rabaah, al-Awaza'ee, Abu Thawr, ibn
Khuzaymah and ibn Hibbaan from the Shaafi'ee scholars. It is
the opinion of most of the Hanafee scholars, and it is the
chosen opinion of the Hanbalee School and the opinion
adhered to by most of their scholars.
2
'Ataa, may Allah have mercy upon him, said, "The
obligatory duty, which is necessary to enact and concerning
which it is not permissible to do anything else, is that when
one hears the adhaan, he goes and attends the (congregational)
prayer."3
"This is what is textually reported from Ahmad and
others from the Imaams and Scholars of Hadeeth.t'f
1 As-Sunan al-Kubraa (3/174).
2 aI-Musannaf (11245) of Abdur-Razzaaq as-Sana' aanee. [Itshould benoted
that sometimes there occurs a discrepancy between the analysis of various
scholars as to what exactly is the chosen opinion or majority opinion ofany
particular madb-bab. One ofthereasons for this occurring issimply that scholar
presenting the opinion ofthat madh-hab inhistime. Hence it ispossible that a
scholar who lived at the time of the students ofAbu Haneefah (for example)
presents an opinion of the madb-bab at that time and a scholar who lived
centuries later presents a totally different opinion as being the stance ofthat
madb-bab, This is why thecontemporary Hanafee scholar, Shu' ayb al-Arna" ut
writes inthetheintroduction tohis notes onSharh as-Sunnab (1/6 fn. 1), "Itis
possible that the reader will find a discrepency between what theauthor (al
Baghawee) presents as the opinions of theImaams and that which one would
find in books of the later scholars. The reason for this isthat theauthor, may
Allah have mercy upon him, quotes from thebooks ofthe early scholars who
took great care inquoting and recording theopinions oftheImaams... It isalso
possible that the Imaam in question has voiced more than one opinion
concerning theissue athand." - Trans]
sMukhtasar Fataawaa al-Misriyyah (p. 50).
4 al-Musannaf(1I497 no. 1917) ofAbdur-Razzaaq.
75
CongregationalPrayer
Aa'ishah said, "Whoever hears the call to prayer and
does not respond does not desire the good and the good does
not desire him." 1
Ibn Qudaamah said, "Congregational prayer is
obligatory upon men for the five obligatory prayers but it is
not a condition."2
Based on this opinion, if a person were to leave
attending the congregational prayer without a valid excuse, he
commits a sin but his prayer is valid.
Allah, the Exalted said,
,II""". , 0"" "" "" """""" , "" ""
C a
t 0"" , "" "" , 0 "" ... "" 1.' t 0..
J I}P IJ.,i;;.l;JJ
/ /
",0 , J...:'" ;I 0...;1 '" I 'II... ...
0' I.,i;;.W IX"/,, I X .. ".1 /0'1 wlJ:,
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, ""..., <1! ..." ... ...... a;I ;II "" """.
jJ J
tJ "","" , "" , , ""
0- IJ.I ./il
... J ..
"When you (0 Messenger) are with them and stand to lead
them in prayer, then let one party of them stand (in prayer)
with you, taking their weapons with them. When they finish
their prostrations, let them take their position in the rear and let
the other party come that has not yet prayed and let them pray
with you, taking all precautions and bearing arms. The
unbelievers wish that you were negligent ofyour weapons and
baggage so that they can assault you in a single rush" [an
Nisaa (4):102].
This verse embodies clear evidence that
congregational prayer is obligatory and that it is not
permissible to leave it unless one has a genuine excuse, such as
fear or illness.
Furthermore, Allah, the Exalted, said,
II / / I ( I I ' "f
"N f .r J J f Y J J
"And establish the prayer and give the zakaah and bow along
with those who are bowing" [al-Baqarah (2): 43]. This verse
I al-Muqni' (1/193).
2 Ibid.
76
CongregatiotUJ{Prayer
comes in the form of a command and the command
necessitates obligation. I
Allah, the Exalted, also said,
"'lliu ,-:.. ti' ,,,. I (". illl .
J . 4,...1 -J (! ft'.

",. '" 0 "" .", 0" ""
lil A.UI e"',) ... 0
.r J J .J J
'" '" "" " " " "
,. ,,"",. JJ 0 e> "',. '" '"
f..,J .IAII U lJ ol,S"ol.11
J . J . .rw J! - r -.J
" """
,J $", '" "',. ,,$
-. lUI .'-._1.. ., 1,1. i lUI ' , .:...
;.,0 J;' J
,
f..,J L:...,:,. w.;

,
"(Lit is such a Light) in houses which Allah has allowed to be
raised such that His dhikr (remembrance) is performed in
them. In them, He is glorified in the mornings and evenings by
men whom neither trade nor sale can divert from the dhikr of
Allah, nor from establishing the prayer or paying zakaat. They
fear the Day when the hearts and eyes will be turned
about-that Allah may reward them according to the best of
their deeds and add even for them out of His Grace. Indeed,
Allah provides for whomever He Wills without measure" [an
Nur (24):36-38].
Allah, the Exalted, also says,
tjJ ,. ,. ,. .-t# 0 tit!"" " 0 ,.
Ie'" ._ {';.' I' -j J=:.....aJu 7 n
> tJ" r-wy:J J l.I-J f V

"Say: My Lord has commanded justice and that you should
face Him only in every mosque" [al-A'raaf(7): 29]. Again,
command dictates obligation.
And Allah, the Exalted, says,
'IS" ".I" "" 0 "
JL:..:;'

(tAJ J! \.,It5

"The Day when the Shin shall be laid bare and they shall be
called to prostrate (to Allah) but they (the hypocrites) shall not
1 al-Mukhtasar fee Usool al-Piqh "alaa Madb-hab al-Imaam Ahmad bin
Hanbal (p. 98) by ibnal-Lahhaam.
77
CongregationalPrayer
be able to do so. Their eyes will be cast down and ignominy
will cover them. They used to be called to prostrate while they
were healthy (but did not respond)" [al-Qalam (68):42-43]. Ibn
al-Qayyim said,
This verse is used as proof because Allah, far
is He from imperfection, punishes them on the
Day of Judgement by making it impossible for
them to prostrate due to their having refused to
respond to the caller in this world. When this
becomes established, know that the way to
answer the caller is to go to the mosque and
join the congregation, not to pray alone in
one's house. This is how the Prophet (peace be
upon him) explained the meaning of
"response"... More than one of the Salaf said
concerning Allah's words, "They used to be
called to prostrate while they were healthy
(but did not respond)," that it refers to the
saying of the Mu'adhdhin, "Come to prayer,
come to success." The meaning of "hayya" is
to respond and turn your attention towards the
prayer. Therefore, this statement explicitly
expresses that to answer this call means to
attend the congregation and that the one who
missed the congregation did not respond to the
call." 1
There is also evidence from the sunnah. Abu Hurayrah
reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
1 Kitaab as-Salaab (pp. 460-475) by ibn al-Qayyim.
78
Congregationa{Prayer
"By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I considered ordering a
stick be lit and then order the adhaan to be announced and
then command a person to lead the prayer and myself go to the
houses of those who did not attend (the congregational prayer)
and burn them down. By the One in Whose is my soul, if one
of them knew that he was to gain a bone heavy with meat or
meat between two rib bones, he would have definitely attended
the Ishaa Prayer."}
Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "The clear sense of this hadeeth proves that attending the
congregational prayer is fard 'ayn because, if it were a sunnah,
the one who abandoned praying in congregation would not be
threatened with having his house burnt down. It is also not
possible that this threat be actualized in the case of one who
has left a fard kifaayah, as there occurs the case of fighting
those who collectively leave a fard kifaayah (until they re
establish it). This is because the thing that led to the threat of
killing (those who left off the congregational prayer) is more
specific then the thing that led to fighting because fighting is
only legislated when everyone leaves thefard kifaayah."Z
Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "Those who say that congregational prayer is obligatory
upon every (male) individual depend upon this hadeeth. If it is
said that it isfard kifaayah, then the obligation was fulfilled by
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and those who
attended the congregation with him (so there would no need
for the threat). If it is said that it is a sunnah, then a person who
leaves a sunnah is not killed and therefore it becomes clear that
it isfard 'ayn."3
Muslim reports from Abu Hurayrah that a blind man
came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) saying, "0
Messenger of Allah I have no one to guide me to the mosque."
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 9/250 no. 330], Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/315 nos. 1369-1371].
2 Fath al-Baaree (2/125).
3Ihkaam al-Abkaam (1/164).
79
CongregationafPrayer
He therefore asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) to excuse him from the congregation and allow him to
pray in his house. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) granted him permission. When the blind man had turned
away he called him back and asked,
~ u J ~ ~ J ~ o ~ 4 ; I ~ \ P ~
~ ~ ~
"Do you hear the call to prayer?" He replied, "Yes." He said,
"Then respond to it."!
Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) did not give leave to this blind man to miss the
congregational prayer despite his being blind and having no
one to guide him. This despite his living far away from the
mosque and their being a valley between him and the mosque
and despite Madeenah being a place fraught with danger and
predatory animals. Despite all these factors, the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) did not excuse him from attending
the congregational prayer, instead he asked, "Do you hear the
call to prayer? " When the blind man replied in the affirmative,
he said, "Then respond to it." In another narration, it
states, 'Then I do not find any excuse for you. " Hence, this
hadeeth is explicit that congregational prayer is obligatory.
Now if a blind man is not excused from attending it then how
about the one who can see?
Ibn Qudaamah, may Allah have mercy on him, said,
"If he did not excuse the blind man who had no guide, then
those other than him have even less of an excuse for not
attending."2
Ibn al-Mundhir, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "Mentioning the necessity for the blind to attend the
congregational prayer, even if they live far away, proves that
doing so is obligatory and not recommended. So when he said
to ibn Umm Maktum, the blind man, Then I do not find any
excuse for you,' for sure the one who can see has even less of
an excuse."3
1 Sabeeb Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/316 no. 1374].
2 al-Mugbnee (2/130).
3Kitaab as-Salaah (p. 461) by ibn al-Qayyim.
80
Congrqptiona{Prayer
Al-Khattaabee said, "This hadeeth constitutes
evidence that it is obligatory to attend the congregational
prayer for were it to be a mere recommendation, it would have
been more deserving for those who were in a similar situation
to ibn Umm Makturn to leave off attending it."l
Al-Haakim recorded that Madaan ibn Abi Talhah al
Yamari was asked by Abu ad-Dardaa', "Where do you live?"
He replied that he lived in a village outside ofHims. Abu ad
Dardaa' then told him that the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said,
"There are no three men in a village or in the desert who do
not establish the congregational prayer except that Shaytaan
has gained mastery over them. So upon you is the congregation
for the wolf only eats the sheep that strays from the flock."2
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said,
This hadeeth proves that Shaytaan has gained
mastery over them due to their leaving the
congregation, whose signs are the adhaan and
the establishment of the prayer. If the
congregational prayer was recommended such
that a person has a choice over attending or
not attending it, then why would Shaytaan
have gained mastery over one who leaves it
and its signs?
All of the previously mentioned Qur'aanic
verses and ahaadeeth prove that
congregational prayer is obligatory and that it
is not permissible to leave it unless one has a
1 Ma'aalim as-Sunan (1/160-162).
2 SunanAbu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/144 no. 547], an-Nasaa 'ee (2/106-107),
al-Haakim (1/211) with abasan chain.
81
Congregationa{Prayer
valid excuse, such as fear or illness. This is the
opinion of the majority of the scholars from
among the Companions and the Followers. It
is the clear opinion of the Hanbalee school of
thought and it was an opinion voiced by ash
Shaafi'ee, Al-Muzanee, may Allah have mercy
on him, reports from al-Shafi'ee that he said,
"As for the congregational prayer, I find no
leeway in leaving it unless one has a valid
excuse."
From all that has been mentioned thus far it
becomes clear that the four Imaams, may
Allah have mercy upon them, regarded
attending congregational prayer to be
obligatory and that the one who leaves it
without a valid excuse is sinful, even though
they used different expressions to state this
conclusion. This opinion is borne testimony to
by the Words of Allah and the Sunnahof His
Messenger (peace be upon him) and there is
no room for voicing one's opinion when Allah
and His Messenger (peace be upon him) have
spoken.1
The Strongest Opinion
We have mentioned the OpInIOnS about the
congregational prayer, which are four opinions: (1) It is a
fardh kifaayah. (2) It is a stressed sunnah. (3) It is a condition
for the soundness of the prayer. (4) It is afardh ain. We have
also mentioned who holds what opinion of the early and later
scholars.
After all that has preceded, it becomes clear that the
strongest opinion is the fourth opinion. This being that praying
in congregation is fard 'ayn-meaning that it is obligatory
upon each individual. This is due to the strength of the
1 Kitaab as-Salaab (p. 461) by ibn al-Qayyim.
82
euneretJationa{Prager
evidences supporting this opinion and the clarity of the texts
from the Quraan and Sunnah. Allah Knows best.
The Ruling of a Congregational for the Optional Prayers
Aside from the obligatory prayers, the prayers are
divided into three types:
The Sunan prayers: These include the set prayers
prayed after the obligatory prayers as well as the Witr and
Tahajjud prayers.
The Mustahabbaat (recommended): Any prayer for
whose excellence there occurs a text but there is nothing
narrated that would indicate that one should be constant in
performing them.
At-Tatawwu 'aat (optional): Any other prayer prayed
for which no specific text occurs but the servant is free to
perform.
These three types are called nawaafil or tatawwu '.
The Meaning of Nawaafilln the Language
Nawaafil is the plural of naafilah. An-nafal and an
naafila mean additional. At-tanafful means to perform
something optional.
The Meaning of Nawaafilln the Sharee 'ah
"[Nawaafil is] a term referring to what has been
legislated over and above that which is obligatory. It is also
called mandub (recommended), mustahabb (recommended)
and at-tatawwu ' (optional)."I
It is also called "sunnah, al-muraghghabfeehee (that
which is desired), and al-hasan (good)."Z
"Nawaafil is so called because it is additional to what
Allah, the Exalted, has obligated.l'J
I At-Ta 'reefaat (p. 315) by Shareef al-Jarjaanee.
2 al-Qaamoos al-Fiqhee Lugbatan ioa lstillaaban (p. 358) ofSa'dee AbuJaib.
~ Mugbnee al-Muhtaaj (1/219) bySharbeenee al-Khateeb.
83
CongregationalPrayer
The Position of the NawaafilAmong the Other Prayers
The levels of the Nawaafil differ in accordance to the
excellence mentioned in the ahaadeeth and narrations
concerning any particular prayer.
The Types of NawaafilPrayers with Respect to Praying Them
in Congregation
The different madh-habs have their own conventions
for categorizing the nawaafil prayers but this is not the place to
mention them, for all we are concerned with here is to
understand the ruling of praying them in congregation.
With respect to praying nawaafil in congregation, the
nawaafil fall into two categories:
The Type That is Sanctioned to be Performed With a
Congregation:
SalaatulKusoof(The Prayer of the Solar Eclipse)
It is legislated to pray this in congregation by
agreement of the Jurists. As for the lunar eclipse, Maalik and
Abu Haneefah said that it is not to be prayed in congregation.
It is to be prayed individually. Ash-Shaafi'ee and Ahmad said
that the Sunnah with regards the lunar eclipse is that it be
prayed in congregation like the solar eclipse. As for other
natural events, such as earthquakes, lightening storms, and
darkness during the day, according to Abu Haneefah, Maalik
and ash-Shaafi' ee there is no legislation requiring one to pray
on these occasions. It is reported from Ahmad that one prays in
congregation for each of these natural events and it is reported
from Alee that he prayed during an earthquake.l
Refer to Rahmah al-Ummab fee Ikhtilaaf ai-A' immah (pp. 65-66) by Abu
AbduUaah Muhmmad bin Abdurrahman ad-Dimishqee ash-Shasfl' ee.
84
I
07ngregationa{Prayer
Salaatullstisqaa rrhe Prayer for Seeking Rain)
According to the Maalikee l, Shaafi'ee
2,
and
Hanbalee-i scholars and the two students of Abu Haneefah
(Abu Yoosuf and Muhammad), it is sanctioned to pray this
prayer with a congregation. Abu Haneefah said, ''There is no
(congregational) prayer sanctioned for this. Instead the Imaam
is to go out and supplicate. If the people were to pray
individually, it is permissible.t''l
SalaatulEidayn rrhe Two Eid Prayers)
This is sanctioned in congregation by agreement of the
scholars. It is also permissible for a person to pray it alone but
he does not deliver a khutbah. There is no known difference of
opinion concerning this.
5
Salaatut Taraaweeh (The Night Prayer during Ramadaan)
It is sanctioned to pray this with a congregation and I
have devoted a separate chapter to discuss this.
The Nawaafil That Are Prayed Individually:
These are the specifically mentioned Sunan prayers,
such as those prayed with the obligatory prayers and any other
nawaafil prayer that is prayed during the day or night. It is
permissible to pray these in congregation according to the
Shaafi'ee
6
and Hanbalee
7
scholars. It is disliked to do so in
the opinion of the Hanafee scholars if the intent behind this is
to make it habitual. 8
IJawaabiral-Ikleel (ln4-76).
2 al-Majmoo' (3/501-509).
3 Kashjal-Qinaa' (1/414) andNayl al-Maarib (1/204).
4 al-Ifsaah 'anMa'aaneeas-Sihaah (1/178).
5 Refer toal-Majmoo' (5/22) by an-Nawawee andal-Muhallaa (5/128 no. 544).
6al-Majmoo' (3/501, 510, 528).
7 al-Mughnee (2/567).
8 al-Mawsoo 'ah al-Fiqhhiyyah (12/154-155).
85
Congrf!!Jatiorul(Prayer
According to the Maalikee scholars, praying the witr
prayer in congregation is a Sunnah and to pray the Sunnahs of
Fajr in congregation is not the best course of action. As for the
remaining (optional) prayers, it is permissible to pray them in
congregation with the condition that the congregation not be
large or the place not be famous. If this is the case then it is
disliked to pray them in congregation for fear of showing
off
l
and for fear of making the ignorant think that what is
being prayed is an obligatory prayer.
2
It is established from the Prophet (peace be upon him)
that he did both matters and his predominant course in praying
the optional prayers was to pray them individually)
Muslim reports from Anas bin Maalik that his
grandmother, Mulaika, invited the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) to a dinner that she had prepared. He partook of
it and then said,
" "J" t" " J" oJJ I" J
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"Stand so that I may pray with you. " Anas bin Maalik said,
"So I stood up on a mat which had turned black on account of
its long use. I sprinkled water on top of it and the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) stood on it and an orphan and I
formed a row behind him and the old woman stood behind us.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed two
rak'ahs with us and then left."4
I Ash-Sharh as-Sagbeer (1/414) by ad-Dardeer,
2 Path al-Baaree.
3al-Mughnee (2/567).
4 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/320 no. 1387].
86
Congregationa{Prayer
An-Nawawee said, "His saying, 'Stand so that 1may
pray with you' contains the permissibility of praying nawaafil
in congregation."!
Bukhaaree reports from Itbaan bin Maalik al-Ansaaree
who said,
... J -;0...... .... JJ J ... 0tS--'" Ie:.. .... L.. f
J rHJ J r-:- c.,.;--
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"I used to lead my people, Bani Saalim, in prayer and there
was a valley between me and that tribe. Whenever it rained, it
became difficult for me to traverse the valley in order to reach
their mosque. So 1 went to the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) and said, 'I have weak eyesight and the valley
between my people and me flows when it rains and therefore it
1 Irshaad as-Saaree hi Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaaree in the margin ofwhich is
Sharh Saheeh Muslim (3/347).
87
CongregationalPrayer
becomes difficult for me to cross it. I wish that you could
come to my house and pray at a place so that I can take that
place as a musalla [designated place for prayer].' The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, 1 will do so. '
The next morning the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and Abu Bakr came to my house after the sun had risen high. I
gave him permission to enter my house but he did not sit until
he asked, 'Where would you like me to pray in your house?' I
pointed to a place that I wished to pray in. The Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) stood there and said the takbeer and
we aligned in a row behind him. He prayed two rak'ahs and
then he said the salaam and so did we..."1
His (peace be upon him) praying nawaafil in
congregation is authentically reported from ibn Abbaas,
Hudhayfah and Aa'ishah (RAA) as reported by al-Bukhaaree
and others.
2
Even though, the best course is to pray nawaafil
individually, except for those previously mentioned nawaafil
that are sanctioned to be prayed in congregation. Ibn Hazm
adh-Dhaahiree was of the opinion that it is recommended to
pray all nawaafil prayers in congregation)
I say: The correct opinion is that it is permissible to
pray the nawaafil in congregation regardless of whether they
are the set sunnahs (prayed with the obligatory prayers) or the
recommended sunnahs or any optional prayer. However, this
only holds true for the condition that this is not taken as a
habitual action and that it does not become famous and
commonly employed and that there be a reason for it, such as
the owner of a place requesting it or it happening by chance
such as the host and guest deciding to pray Witr in
congregation. There is also the condition that it does not lead
to innovation or enacting a matter that has not been legislated.
1 Sabeeb al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 2/154 no. 279].
2 Refer toal-Muntaqaa minAkhbaar al-Mustafaa (1/554 no.'s 1265-1267).
3 al-Mubal/aa Sharb al.Mujallaa (4/61-65), Tarh at-Tathreeb fee Sbarh at
Taqreeb (3199).
88
Congregational Prager
Qivaam Ramadaan 1 or Salaalll
Taraaweeh in Congregalion
From the nawaafil prayers that are to be prayed in
congregation is Salaatut Taraaweeh during Ramadaan. Before
I delve into the ruling of this prayer and the manner of
performing it, it would be good to first clarify a number of
matters.
The Reason Behind Its Being Called Sa/aalol Taraaweeh
The author of al-Mubdi' (1/17) said, "It was called so
because the people used to sit after every four rak 'ahs to rest.
It is also said that it is derived from al-maraawiha which
means the repetition of an action."
The Ruling of Sa/aalol Taraaweeh
Salaatut Taraaweeh is a recommended sunnah that is
established from the Prophet (peace be upon him), both his
saying and action.
As for his sayings, al-Bukhaaree reports from Abu
Hurayrah that he heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) saying concerning Ramadaan,
'" "i":. ", ", J ", ",
.. -" I" ~ I " ., I "I" _. \ Il', \ J" I ~ "
oW.:> ",J..,A; ~ 4,J ~ u ~ Uu. 4.tUl ....
"'; '-J \ .rr: . ,. J ~ '-'
"Whoever prays during it out of faith and hoping for reward
then all of his previous [minor] sins will be forgiven."Z
Al-Kirmaanee said., "They have agreed thatthemeaning ofQiyaam Ramadaan
isSalaatut Taraaweeb." Refer toNayl al-Awtaar (3/57).
2 Saheeb al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 3/126 no. 226].
89
I
0
CongregationalPrayer
As for his actions, the Prophet (peace be upon him)
prayed it in congregation with the people for two nights. AI
Bukhaaree reports from Aa'ishah that
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed in the
mosque one night and some people prayed with him. The next
night, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed in the mosque
again and even more people prayed with him. On the third
night, the people gathered together waiting but the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) did not come out to pray with
them. The next day he said, 'Indeed I saw what you did and
nothing prevented me from coming to pray with you except
that I feared that it would become obligatory upon you.' And
that was in Ramadaan." I
An-Nawawee said, "They [the scholars] have agreed
that Salaatut Taraaweeh is a recommended sunnah."2
At-Tahaawee reports in his Sharh from al-Hasan ibn
Ziyaad al-Luluai al-Hanafi that Abu Haneefah said,
"Taraaweeh is for both men and women. This is what the later
people inherited from the Salaf. A group of the Rawaafidah
said that it was a sunnah for men and not for women. Another
group said that it is not a sunnah at all, neither for men or for
women and that it was innovated by Umar bin al-Khattaab.
According to Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa 'ah, it is the Sunnah of
Sabeeb al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 2/128 no. 229], sabeeb Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/367 no. 1666] and Abu Daauood [Eng. Trans. 1/359 no. 1368].
Z Sbarb saheeh Muslim (6/39).
90
I
Ctmgreoatitma[Prayer
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for he prayed it
(in congregation) for some nights and then explained the
reason behind his not persisting in praying it in
congregation-this being his fear that it become obligatory
upon them. Then the Khulaafaa ar-Raashideen persisted in
performing it after him and the people were gathered during
the time of Umar bin al-Khattaab to this day." 1
How Should Taraaweeh be Performed?
The Jurists have differed as to how Salaatut
Taraaweeh should be performed. There are five opinions.
The First Opinion: It is recommended to perform it in
the mosque. This is the opinion of some of the Companions
and the Followers, from among them: Umar bin al-Khattaab,
Alee bin Abee Taalib, Abdullaah bin Mas'ud and others.
2
This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee
3
scholars, textually reported from some of the Shaafi'eef
scholars and some Hanafee scholars.
5
The Second Opinion: It is legislated as a communal
act to pray it in congregation such that if the people of a
mosque were all not to pray it, they would be sinful. The one
who does not pray it in congregation has left the best course.
This is the chosen opinion of the Hanafee school.6
The Third Opinion: It is best to pray it in one's
home, individually. This is the opinion of some of the
Companions and the Followers, including Abdullaah bin
Umar, 'Urwah, Sa'eed bin Jubair, Saalim, al-Qaasim, and
Naafi', It is the opinion of ash-Shaafi'ee and the majority of
his companions, Abu Haneefah, Ahmad and some of the
Maalikee scholars.
7
The Fourth Opinion: It is recommended to pray it
individually in one's house with the conditions that, first, the
mosque does not become neglected, second, one is eager and
I Anees al-Fuqahaa (p. 107).
2 Al-Mugbnee (2/605).
3 Ibid.
4 al-Majmoo' (3/525).
sal-Mugbnee (2/605).
6 al-lnaayah Sharh al-Hitlatyah (2/586).
7 al-Majmoo' (3/525).
91
Congregationa!Prager'
energetic in praying it at home and, third, that he be distant
from the Two Holy Mosques. If anyone of these conditions is
missing, it is best to pray in the mosque. This is the chosen
opinion of the Maalikee school! and an opinion of the
Shaafiee schoo1.
2
The Fifth Opinion: To pray it in congregation is a
bid'ah. This is the opinion of the Itrah (the children of
Faatimah and the Prophet's (peace be upon him) wives))
The Strongest Opinion
Upon investigating the above opinions, it becomes
clear that the fifth opinion is totally invalid, having no proof to
support it. As for the remaining four opinions, they are close to
each other in the sense that they agree that it is sanctioned to
pray Taraaweeh in congregation despite their differing as to
what ruling this congregation takes. The opinion that is closest
to the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
Khaleefah ar-Raashid Umar bin al-Khattaab and those who
came after him is to pray it in congregation in the mosque.
Based on this opinion, praying Taraaweeh in congregation in
the mosque is a recommended sunnah for both men and
women. This is due to three reasons:
The Prophet's (peace be upon him) endorsing
congregational prayer for Taraaweeh.
The Prophet's praying it in congregation.
His explaining its excellence.
What follows is an explanation to the above three
reasons.
The Prophet's Endorsing of the Congregation
This is based on the hadeeth of Tha'Iaba bin Abee
Maalik al-Qardhee who said,
1 Refer toNay/a/-Awtaar (3/59) anda/-Mudawwana a/-Kubraa (1/222).
Za/-Majmoo' (3/525).
3 Nay! a/-Awtaar (3/59). The wordllTab refers tothe children ofFaatimah and
the Prophet's (peace be upon him) wives. Por the difinition of a/-IlTab see
Mu'jam Lugba a/-FUljabaa' (p. 304). [In theabove context, it is used torefer to
the leaders oftheShiah who are descended from Faatimah.]
92
ConIJregationalPrayer
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J L."lj J J)""") r../
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out to the
mosque one night during Ramadaan and saw some people
praying in congregation in a part of the mosque. He asked,
What are they doing?' A person replied, '0 Messenger of
Allah, these people do not know any of the Qur'aan so Ubayy
bin Ka'b recites and they pray with him.' He said, They have
done well' or They are correct,' and he did not dislike their
action."!
His Establishing It Himself
There are many ahaadeeth concerning this, including
the previously mentioned hadeeth of Aa' ishah concerning his
praying in congregation for two nights.
Ahmad reports from Anas who said,
1 Sunan aJ-Kubraa (2/495) andal-Bayhaqee said thatit was mursaJ sabeeh.
93
Congregatiol1oIPrayer
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed in
Ramadaan and I came and stood behind him. Then another
person came and then another until we were a group. When the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) realized we were
behind him, he shortened his prayer, stood and entered his
house. When he went into his house, he prayed a prayer that he
had not prayed with us. The next day we asked, '0 Messenger
of Allah did you see us last night?' He replied, 'Yes and that
was what led me to do what I did. ,,,I
Al-Haakim reports in al-Mustadrak from an-Nu'maan
bin Basheer who said,
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"We stood in prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) on the night of the twenty-third of Ramadaan until
the first third of the night. Then we stood in prayer with him
on the twenty-fifth night until half the night had passed. Then
we stood with him on the twenty-seventh night until we
thought that we would miss the falaah. We used to call the
sahoor (the pre-dawn meal),jalaah."2
AI-Haakim said, "This hadeeth contains clear evidence
that praying Taraaweeh in congregation in the mosque is
I MusnadAhmad (3199, 212,291).
2 aJ-Mustadrak (1/440), al-Haakim declared it saheeh.
94
CrmgregationalPrayer
sanctioned. Alee bin Abee Taalib encouraged Umar bin al
Khattaab to establish this sunnah until he did so."
His Explaining Its Excellence
Abu Dharr reported that
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"We fasted but the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
did not pray with us on the twenty-fourth but prayed with us
on the twenty-fifth until half of the night had passed. We
asked, '0 Messenger of Allah what if you were to pray this
optional prayer with us for the rest of the night?' He replied,
'Whoever prays with the Imaam until he leaves, it is as ifhe
has prayed the whole night. ' Then he did not pray with us until
three days of the month remained, praying with us on the
twenty-seventh, calling his family and wives, till we feared
that we would miss the falaah (success)." I asked, 'What is
falaah?, He replied, 'As-sahoor,' 1
Imaam ibn al-Arabee, may Allah have mercy upon
him, said,
Praying the night (in congregation) is a sunnah
from the sunan of Islam. It was done by the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and then he left it
for fear that it would become obligatory upon
Al-Tirmidhee (4/28 with Aaridab al-Abwadbee) and hesaid that itwas hasan
saheeh.
95
I
CongregatioM{Prayer
his nation. This was because at his time laws
were being revealed and the obligations would
be increased and decreased. When Umar was
appointed as khaleefah, he renewed this
sunnah and ordered that it be prayed in
congregation as was done by the Prophet
(peace be upon him) since the reason for
which the Prophet (peace be upon him) left the
congregation was no longer present. This can
be seen in his [the Prophet's] saying,
"Nothing prevented me from coming out and
praying with you except that I feared that it
would become obligatory upon you."}
The Reason the Prophet (peace be upon him) Did Not
Continue to Perform the Prayer In Congregation
From the previous words of ibn Arabee, it becomes
clear that the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not pray in
congregation for the remainder of the month fearing that the
night prayer during Ramadaan would become obligatory upon
his nation, such that they would be unable to perform it, as
occurs in the previously mentioned hadeeth of Aa'ishah, This
fear was no longer present after his passing away due to Allah
having completed and perfected the Sharee 'ah, Or this was
due to the fact that whatever he continuously did with the
people in congregation used to become obligatory as
mentioned. Aaishah said,
I Ibid.
96
CongregatiolUllPrager
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"The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to leave an action that
he loved to perform for fear that it might become obligatory
upon his nation." 1
It is also possible that the reason be as al-Qaadee Abu
Bakr al-Baaqilaanee, may Allah have mercy upon him,
explained,
A possible reason behind this is that Allah
revealed to him that persisting in this prayer in
congregation would have made doing so
obligatory. Either obligatory simply because
Allah wished it, if one takes to the opinion that
the actions of Allah do not have to have a
wisdom behind them, or because He knew that
certain affairs and situations would arise
among the Muslims that would be better for
them than the obligation of this prayer upon
them. It is also possible that he feared that
someone of his nation after him would make it
obligatory upon the people if he continuously
performed it. All of these possibilities
disappeared after the death of the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him). So, ifthis were
the case, when the reason that prevented him
from praying in congregation disappeared, the
permissibility of praying the night prayer in
Ramadaan in congregation becomes
established. This hadeeth constitutes the basis
for permitting the praying of optional prayers
in Ramadaan in congregation.
1 Sabeeb Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/348 no. 1548].
97
CongregationalPrager
Performing Ga/aalol Taraaweeh Improperly
Some Imaams in various Muslim lands, may Allah
guide them, have become accustomed to quickening the
Taraaweeh prayer such that they leave off some of the pillars
and recommended acts of the prayer. [For example, they are]
not being calm and still in ruku' and sujood and they recite
very fast, such that they merge letters and words into each
other, praying twenty three rak 'ahs in about twenty minutes.
This is from the greatest ploys of Shaytaan for the believers.
He makes the action of the actor void to the point that his
prayer seems closer to being mere play then being an action of
worship. It is a duty upon the one who is praying to establish
the prayer-obligatory or optional-in the sanctioned manner
both outwardly and inwardly: Outwardly by reciting the
Qur'aan, standing, bowing and prostrating; inwardly by having
khushoo', presence of the heart, being calm and tranquil,
sincere, and contemplating upon the meaning of the Qur' aan.
Innovations and Evil Actions Done During Taraaweeh Prayer
From the evil actions and innovations that are
widespread in many of the Muslim lands is the saying of some
of them when commencing Salaatut Taraaweeh, "All those
who are present invoke salaah upon the chosen Prophet", or
their announcing, "Salaatul Qiyaam, may Allah reward you."
Similarly the practice of tahleel and takbeer between every
two taraaweehs and invoking salaah upon the Prophet1 and
doing all of this in a loud voice, thereby causing commotion in
the Houses of Allah, are all innovations and misguidance that
is necessary for one to avoid.
The saying ofsome of the Imaams when there remains
three rak'ahs of Taraaweeh, "Witr may Allah reward you" is
an innovation. Similarly the saying of some ofthemin a loud
voice, "Glory be to the Unique (Waahid), the One (Ahad), The
Self-Sufficient (as-Samad)" and then praying a rak'ah ofwitr
1 [It should be noted that there Is nothing wrong with many ofthe matters
mentioned above in and of themselves, however what Is objected to is the
institutionalisation ofthese matters. Allah knows best Trans.)
98
is also an innovation. It is necessary to steer clear of these
types of acts.
Reciting the Qur' aan With a Musical Voice and To Be
Enraptured by It
The meaning of this is that the one elongates the letters
and goes to extremes in pronouncing the madd [elongated
vowel sounds] and lengthens the vowel points such that they
begin to sound like additional letters.
Imaam Maalik said, "Recitation with a musical voice
does not appeal to me. 1 do not like the Quraan to be recited in
this way during Ramadaan or any other time because it
resembles singing and causes one to laugh at the Quraan, It
also causes one to say that 'I am a better reciter than such and
such.' It has reached me that the slave-girls are taught to recite
the Quraan in the same way that they are taught singing."
Abu Dharr said that he heard the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) fearing that his nation would take the
Qur'aan as a tool for music and they would have leading them
not the most learned of them but the one who would satisfy
their (desires).
By this reading, they do not intend to understand the
Quran's meanings, such as its commands and prohibitions,
promises and threats, exhortation or deterrents, its parables or
other such things for which the Qur'aan was revealed. Instead,
all they wish is to gain pleasure and delight and hear melody
and song, such as they gain from listening to actual songs.
Allah, the Mighty and Magnificent, censured the Quraysh by
saying,
... f{S '" J# 0 "''' "
aJJ.:..aJ ..s:; 'JI wI . lJlS"
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"Their prayer at the House was nothing but whistling and
clapping their hands" [al-Anfaal (8):35].
Indeed, the Qur'aan has been revealed so that its
verses be contemplated and understood. Allah said,
'" 'IJ '" '" 0 t "IJ
1 '"J,J our
i
\
N - ).;J. -, j. - y . .
,
"A Book which We have revealed, full ofblessings that you
may ponder over its verses" [Saad (38):29].
99
Congregationa{Prayer
This fact alone prevents one from reading the Qur' aan
in a musical voice that resembles singers because this is the
opposite ofkhushoo ' and fear.
Mimicking the Voices of and Blindly Following Some Reciters
Some people in this time have started to blindly follow
some reciters and have expended great efforts in doing so,
such that the sole intention of the person becomes to beautify
his voice and attract and charm the people. Such a person
organizes the loudspeakers such that his voice reverberates and
echoes around the mosque in further attempts to charm the
people. On top of this, the people seek out and come only to
these mosques in which this is done and end up abandoning
their own local mosque and praying with their neighbors and
their locality.
Artificial Crying and Excessive Displays of Humility When the
Qur' aan IsRecited
It is truly strange that it has become common in some
mosques that the Imaam cries (artificially) and those behind
him do so, such that it has come about that some of the
followers start crying just upon hearing the voice of the Imaam
even if they do not understand what he has said. All of this is
merely Satan playing with the humans.
Going from Mosque to Mosque During Ramadaan
If the Muslims were to consider what they are missing
by going from mosque to mosque, then anyone of the
following points would be sufficient in preventing them from
doing so:
(1) Some people go to a mosque that is far away and
lose a great deal of time in doing so. If they, instead, were to
use this time in going to the mosque close to them in order to
sit in the first row and wait for the prayer to start, the reward
for doing this would be many times that which they sought in
going to the far away mosque.
100
CDngrtgatitma[Prager
(2) Some of them are forced to go in cars via busy
roads (in order to go to other mosques) and it is possible that
something might occur, such as an accident, that would cause
them to miss or be late for the prayer.
(3) By doing this, the people miss out on meeting with
their neighbors and the congregation oftheir mosque.
(4) The gathering in the mosques could lead to an
aspect of showing off and showing preference to the Imaam of
that mosque, such that it enter his heart that all these people
are coming to his mosque because of him. Inna lillaaahi wa
inna ilayhi raaji 'oon.
(5) [It demonstrates] a lack of concern for fulfilling the
rights of the Imaarn, the Mu 'adhdhin and the congregation of
one's local mosque.
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy upon him, said,
while mentioning the evidences that prove that what leads to
something prohibited in turn becomes prohibited even if in and
of itself the act is permissible, "The fifty-fourth evidence: The
Lawgiver has prohibited that a person disregard the mosque
that is close to him and instead go to others. Baqiyyah bin al
Majaashi' bin Arnr bin Ubaidullaah reports from Naafi' from
ibn Umar that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
e -: J"\;k;.{ Lt; -iiI . _.I,
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.... ..
'Let one of you pray in the mosque that is close to him and not
disregard it and go to another. "'1
Ibn al-Qayyim continues in Ilaam by saying, "The
reason behind this is that doing so is a cause for abandonment
of the mosque that is close to him and abandoning the Imaam.
As for the case where the Imaam does not perform the prayer
correctly or he is accused of innovation or openly shows
disobedience, there is no harm in going to another mosque."2
1 Flaam al-Muwaqqi'een (3/160) and this is the wording of the hadeeth
contained therein. In Faydh al-Qadeer (51392 no. 7707) ofaIMunaawee, the
wording is, "Let the person pray in the mosque that is close tohim andnot go
from mosque to mosque." Refer to Muhammad Naasir aI-Deen al-A1baani,
Silsilat alAbaadeeth al-Saheehah, no. 2200. - Trans ]
2 F laam al-Muwaqqi een an Rabbi/ 'Aalameen (3/160).
101
CottgregationalPrayer
Ibn al-Qayyim also wrote in Badaai al-Fawaaid, "On
the authority of Muhammad bin Bahr who said, 'I saw Abu
Abdullaah-meaning Ahmad bin Hanbal-in the month of
Ramadaan while Fadl bin Ziyaad al-Qattaan came and prayed
Taraaweeh with Abu Abdullaah and he used to have a
beautiful recitation. So the scholars and some people in the
area gathered together until the mosque was full. Abu
Abdullaah left and went up one floor of the mosque, looked at
the gathering and said, 'What is this? You leave your mosques
and go to another?' He prayed with them for some nights and
then stopped doing so due to his dislike of what had
happened.' Meaning the vacating of the other mosques and
that it is upon the one neighboring a mosque to pray in his
mosque."!
I say: The reason for all of this happening is people
being distant from correct knowledge, lack of understanding of
the religion, blind following that is devoid of any thought and
lack of concern as to what the Salaf of this nation and their
Imaams were upon. Furthermore, the prohibition of going from
mosque to mosque is textually stated in the hadeeth and has
been voiced by many scholars, from the earliest of them
Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy upon him.
It is not known from any of the people of knowledge that they
were of the opinion that it was virtuous to go from mosque to
mosque and to find an Imaam that has a beautiful recitation.
The very least that can be said is that such going from mosque
to mosque is permissible but it goes against what has been
stated here and such a practice has not been narrated from any
of the early scholars. This is not even to mention the fact that
praying behind an Imaam with a beautiful voice is not a goal
of the Shareeah; it is something that occurs secondarily. And
Allah knows best.
Al-Haafidh ibn Katheer said, rejecting what some
people did in putting others to trial through their voices and the
neglect of looking to the true purposes of the Sharee'ah, "The
purpose here is to point out that the legislated objective is to
beautify one's voice in a way that would inculcate
contemplating the Qur'aan, understanding it, having khushoo',
submission, humility and obedience. As for these newly
1 Badaa 'j at-Fawaa'id (41149).
102
invented musical tones consisting of scales and entertaining
rules, the Qur'aan is free of them and is far greater and
deserves far more respect than to recite it in accordance to this
way." I
"1 advise every Muslim who recites the Book of Allah,
the Exalted, especially the Imaams of the mosques, to refrain
from mimicking and blind following when it comes to reciting
the Book of the Lord of the Universe. The Speech of Allah is
too great and deserves far too much respect for the reciter to
bring about something that is not sought by the Sharee'ah, by
beautifying his voice over and above his natural ability
through this mimicking and blind following, rather than
beautifying his voice according to his natural ability. He
should refrain from blind following as much as is possible for
Allah, the Exalted said about His Prophet (peace be upon him),
"''''' D "" ""
~ \ ~ u t ~ J
'Nor amlone of those who pretend' [Saad (38):86].
Let the servant exert himself in having presence of
heart and a good intention and let him recite the Qur'aan in a
nice voice without going to extremes. Let him avoid going to
these extremes involving musical tones and reciting obscurely.
It is desired for the one to whom Allah has given authority to
choose the most knowledgeable and pious Imaam, the one who
has sound belief and is secure from the disease of doubts and
following desires and give precedence to a naturally beautiful
voice rather than an artificial one.
Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr, may Allah have mercy upon him
said, 'As for beautifying one's voice and giving the person
with a nice voice precedence, there is no difference concerning
this.'2"3
1 Fadaa'ilal-[Jur'aan (pp. 125-126).
2 Fath al-Baaree f9n2).
3 BUla'ul [Jurraa al-Qatkemah wal Mu'aastrab (pp. 55-56) by Shaykh Bakr
Abu Zayd.
103
Congregatiotlll(Prayer
Saying the Supplication for Completing the Qur' aan Within
the Prayer
Some of the Imaams go to great lengths in doing this,
they write supplications with specific musical notes, going to
extremes in crying and changing their voice to one that was
different from the one they used in their recitation of the
Qur' aan, for example--a Book which if it had been revealed
on a mountain one would have seen the mountain humble itself
and cleave asunder for fear of Allah. Furthermore, supplicating
for finishing the Qur'aan within the prayer is not supported
from authentic ahaadeeth nor was it done by the Rightly
Guided Khaleefs. Those who do this do so based upon the
action of the Salaf of saying this supplication upon completing
the Quraan outside of the prayer and based upon the general
texts pertaining to supplication.
The likes of such texts are not sufficient to prove the
validity of saying these supplications within the prayer, not to
mention being used as the support of these supplications that
these Imaams go to extremes in composing. They make the
supplications very long and boring. They compose rhyming,
extravagant supplications. If only they said a succinct
supplication within the prayer when they finish the Qur'aan
and they depended upon the action of the Salaf outside of the
prayer, this would be much easier upon the people. However, it
is best not to say this supplication within the prayer and
instead to adhere to what the Salaf of this nation were upon
and those who followed them in good. Peace and blessings be
upon Muhammad and his Companions.
104
Congregationa(Prayer
Wailing Ilr aClnareaalilnal
Praver Is Better Than Pravina
Individuallv allhe Onsellilhe Time
FIr Thai Praver
The Muslims are unanimously agreed that the five
daily prayers are set according to the well known times that
have been generally mentioned in the Qur'aan and specified in
detail by the Sunnah. The Jurists are agreed that the best time
to pray the prayer is at the beginning of the time for each
prayer. However, some of them recommended that the
.individual delay the prayer in hopes of attaining the
congregational prayer, in order for him to gain its excellence. I
Al-Bukhaaree reports from Muhammad bin Amr bin
al-Hasan bin Alee that, "The pilgrims went to Madeenah and
we asked Jaabir bin Abdullaah about the times of the prayers
and he replied,
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'The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray Dhuhur at mid
day, Asr when the sun was still hot, Maghrib (after the sun had
set) as it has been obligated. Ishaa was offered early if a lot of
people had gathered but late if only a few had gathered. Fajr
was offered when it was still dark and the dawn was about to
break.,,,2
Refer to Qawaaneen al-Fiqhhiyyah (p. 43) by ibn al-Juzzayy al-Maalikee and
ash-Sharb as-sagbeer (1/127) byad-Dardeer.
Z saheeh alBukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/315 no. 540].
105
I
Congrefjationa{Prayer
Ibn Daqeeq al-Eid, may Allah have mercy upon him,
said, "When a person is presented with two options, one of
them being to pray individually at the beginning of the time
and the other being to delay praying so that he may pray with
the congregation, which is better? The most correct opinion in
my view is that delaying until one prays in congregation is
better and the hadeeth mentioned here proves this due to his
saying,
-.
? J-"I J
'And when he saw them slow in coming he delayed.'
Therefore he delayed praying in congregation despite having
ability to pray early. [The congregation is more important] also
because of the severe threat of leaving the congregational
prayer and the encouragement towards performing it being
clearly stated in the authentic ahaadeeth. The virtue of praying
the prayer early is mentioned in the texts in order to encourage
performing it but there is no threat mentioned if one were to
delay it as there is mentioned for missing the congregational
prayer. All that has been mentioned is proof for waiting for the
congregational prayer rather than praying individually at the
earlier time." I
"Meaning that praying in congregation, even if it be at
the end of the time for that prayer, is better than praying it
individually at the beginning of its time."2 This does not
contradict what al-Bukhaaree and Muslim report with regards
the excellence of praying at the beginning of its time, it being
among the best of deeds and it being beloved to Allah.
'rhe Texts That Occur with Respect to This Issue
Ibn Mas'ud said,
1lbkaam al-Ahkaam (l/134) byf ibnDaqeeq al-Eid.
2 aJ-Uddab (2/32-33) by as-Sana' aanee andaJ-Mabsoot (1/148) by as-Sarkhasee
al-Hanafee.
lOG
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"I asked the Prophet (peace be upon him), 'Which action is
most beloved to Allah?' He replied, 'Performing the prayer at
its time Calaa waqtihaa).' 1 asked, 'Then which one?' He
replied, 'Good treatment to parents.' I asked, 'Then which
one?' He replied, 'Jihaad in the Way ofAllah.' The Messenger
of Allah told me these and if! had asked further he would have
replied further."1
There is nothing in this hadeeth that would make one
understand that praying at the beginning ofthe time is better
than praying at the end and there is nothing in this hadeeth that
would dictate the need of praying at the beginning or end of
the time. This is because his saying "at its time" means
praying at any time that falls withinits time.
2
Similarly, the
recommendation for delaying for the purpose of praying in
congregation is not contradicted by his saying, "Prayer at its
time {li waqtihaa)" for there is no strong indication here
mentioning the beginning period ofthe prayer.
3
AI-Haakim, ibn Khuzaimah and others record the
hadith of ibn Mas'ud in which the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was asked, "What action is best?" and he replied,

,
"Prayer at the beginning of its time."4 But this hadeeth is
from the report of Alee bin Abu Hafsah al-Midaanee about
whom ad-Daaruqutnee said, "I do not think that he preserved
this properly because he grew old and his memory failed
1 Sabeeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 4135 no. 41].
2 a1-Uddah Haashiyah al-lhkaam al-Ahkaam (2/134).
3Ihkaam al-Ahkaam (1/134-136).
4 a).Haakim (1/188) andibn Khuzaymah (1/169 no. 327).
107
C01'IJl"9atWnoiPrayer
him." 1 In al-Majmoo Sharh al-Muhadhab, an-Nawawee said
that this narration was weak.
2
Abu Daawood, at-Tirmidhee and al-Haakim, who said
it was saheeh, report from the hadeeth ofUmm Farwah that
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
~ ~ J ~ ~ ; ~ I J w ~ \ J : ~ f
" "
"The best of actions is the prayer prayed at the beginning of its
time." The chain to this hadeeth contains an unknown
narrator.3
Therefore, these ahaadeeth do not lend evidence to it
being better to pray individually at the beginning of the time
for prayer rather than delaying for the purpose ofpraying in
congregation. Such was also concluded by an-Nawawee.
4
What is Exempted From the Virtue of the Beginning Time
The following cases are exempted from the general
rule of trying to pray a prayer early in its time: The one who
needs to go to the toilet, when the food has been served and
one craves it, the one who has performed tayammum and is
certain that he will come across water later, the one who is ill
and is not capable of standing at the beginning period but he is
sure that he will be able to stand later on, the one who is alone
and knows that the congregation will be held later on and so
on.
The above opinion is further supported by what al
Bukhaaree recorded from Abu Musaa al-Ash'aree that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
I al-Uddoh (2/10).
2 al-Majmoo' Sbarh al-Mubadhdhab (3/53). [It is true that aI-Nawawl and
others have declared this hadith weak. At the same time, others, such asal
Albaani and Abdul Qaadlr aI-Arnaaoot, have raised it tothe level ofbasan. Allah
knows best. see, for exampe, Muhammad Naaslr al-Deen aI-Albaani, Sabeeh al
Targbeebwa al-Tarheeb (Riyadh: Maktabah aI-Maarlf, 1988), vol. 1,p. 231.]
s at-Ta 'keq al-Mugbnee 'aloa Sunan ad-Daaruqutnee (1/247).
4 al-Majmoo' (3/60-61). [TIle point here is that these ahaadeeth do not prove
that praying the prayer early takes precedence over praying it in a congregation.
However, the general recommendation to pray at the beginning of thetime
remains. - Trans.]
108
CongregationalPrayer
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''The people with the greatest reward are those who have the
farthest to walk [to the mosque] and the one who waits for the
prayer until he prays it with the Imaam"-Muslim adds in his
report "in congregation," [al-Bukhaaree continues,]-"he has
greater reward than the one who prays and then goes to
sleep."!
I Sabeeh al-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/353 no. 623].
109
COTIIJ'ttlationalPrayer
110
-- --
CunfJregatiormlPrayer
The Tille When Ihe People
Siand lor Ihe Congregational Praver
There are three issues linked to this:
The time that the followers stand for congregational
prayer;
The sanctioned time gap between the adhaan and
iqaamah;
The errors that some people who pray fall into with
regards to this.
The Time When the Followers Stand for Congregational
Prayer
The Jurists fall into four opinions as to when it is
recommended for the followers to stand for prayer. I shall
summarize them here:
The First Opinion: The Hanafee scholars are of the
opinion that the followers stand when the statement "hayya
alaa al-falaah (rush to success)" is said in the iqaamah after
the Imaarn has stood.
The Second Opinion: "The Maalikee scholars are of
the opinion that this is based upon the ability ofthe people.
They can stand during the iqaamah, or at its beginning or at its
end due to their being nothing textually reported concerning
this save what is reported from Abu Qataadah that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
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'When the iqaamah for prayer has been said do not stand until
you see me.'"1
I Saheeb ibnKhuz4ymah (3/14). [Actually, this hadith isrecorded by al-Bukhari,
among others, as the author shall point outshortly. It is not clear why, inthe
author's footnote here, only ibn Khuzaymah is mentioned.-]ZI
ill
CongregatiJJnaf Prayer
Ibn Rushd al-Maalikee said, "If this hadeeth is
authentic,1 then it obligates acting by it. Ifnot, then this issue
remains as it is, meaning that the person is free to stand when
he wishes."2
The Third Opinion: The Shaafi'ee scholars are of the
opinion that everyone stands when the one calling the iqaamah
has fmished and the Imaam is present in the mosque with the
congregation.
3
The Fourth Opinion: The Hanbalee scholars are of
the opinion that it is preferred to stand when the Mu 'adhdhin
says, "qad qaamatis salaah" (the prayer has been established).
The use of the term Mu 'adhdhin herein referring to the one
saying the iqaamah is in accordance to the terminology that
theyuse.
4
The Strongest Opinion
I say that the strongest opinion is the fourth opinion, as
the most appropriate time to stand is in response to the
statement, "qad qaamatis Salaah" (the prayer has been
established). If one takes the opinion ofthe Shaafiees, their
reasoning is that standing is a pillar of the prayer and the first
pillar to be enacted to commence the prayer [hence, there is no
need to stand until one starts the prayer, that is, after the
iqaamah has been completed].
The Allowed Gap Between the Adhaan and the Iqaamah
The Jurists have made it clear that it is recommended
to pray (two rak 'ahs) or sit between the adhaan and iqaamah
or wait some time to allow the congregation to gather while
keeping in mind the recommended time to pray. Maghrib
prayer is an exception to the above. This is due to what is
reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
that he said to Bilaal,
1 I say: It is authentic for it has been reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/348
no, 610].
~ Bidaayatul MUjlahid waNihaayatuJ Muqlasid (1/145).
3 al-Majmoo' (3/237).
4 al-Insaa!(2/38-29).
112
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"Make a gap between your saying the adhaan and the iqaamah
such that the one making wudu' has time to relieve himself
with ease and the one who is eating can finish eating with
ease."! ...
Errors That Must Be Pointed Out
I have noticed in some of the mosques and on the part
of some of the worshippers certain mistakes that I would like
to note such that they may be avoided. These include the
following:
Sometimes, some of those who pray stand before the
iqaamah has started, or they stand as soon as it has started, and
some delay standing until the Imaam has started the prayer and
some of them hurry the Imaam by making him direct the
Mu'adhdhin to start saying the iqaamah ifthe Imaam is in the
mosque.
Some of them look left and right so that they can see
when the Imaam enters and as soon as they see him, they
stand, even before the iqaamah has commenced. Sometimes
they stand and put the Mu 'adhdhin into a difficult situation by
making him give the iqaamah even before the regular or
appointed Imaam has entered the mosque.
I have witnessed in some Muslim lands the
Mu 'adhdhin calling the adhaan outside the mosque while all
the congregation was inside the mosque standing and waiting
for the prayer. As soon as the Mu 'adhdhin fmished the
adhaan, they immediately made someone else inside the
mosque say the iqaamah,
Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no. 195). Itschain isweak and al-Haafidh declared
the hadeeth weak in Path (2/106). He also explained that the hadeeth has
supporting evidence but they are extremely weak and therefore thehadeeth
cannot be raised to a level whereby it can be depended upon. A1-Haythamee
mentions it in Majma' az-Zawaa'ill (2/4) and declares it defective due to
having a broken chain.
113
1
All of these are errors to be avoided and it is upon the
followers to know the opinions of the Jurists that have
preceded so that they know when they should stand for the
prayer.
ll4
OmgregatU:ma{Prager
Repeating Ihe Congregational
Praver In the Same Mosque
Repeating the congregational prayer in the same
mosque falls into one of six cases:
Case One: The prayer is repeated in a mosque in
which there is no appointed Imaam. In this situation, repetition
is permissible.
Case Two: The prayer is repeated in a mosque in
which there is an appointed Imaam but the mosque is too small
for the congregation. This is also permissible.
Case Three: The prayer is repeated, being led by an
Imaam who is not the appointed Imaam, after the appointed
Imaam has led his congregation. The scholars fall into three
opinions concerning this:
The First Opinion: This is unrestrictedly disallowed.
Therefore, it is not permissible to repeat the prayer in
congregation in a mosque that has an appointed Irnaam and is
not along a general roadway. This is so the people will not
avoid attending the congregational prayer of the appointed
Irnaam. This is the opinion of a number of the People of
Knowledge, among them: Sufyaan ath-Thawree, ibn al
Mubaarak and ash-Shaafi' ee. It is the Hanafee position and the
position textually reported from Imaam Maalik; it is the
position reported from a group of the Salaf and from Imaam
Ahmad. 1
The Second Opinion: Ifeach congregational prayer is
completely independent and separate from the other, then this
is unrestrictedly permissible. The evidence for this lies in the
hadeeth of Abu Sa' eed:
1 Refer to al-Mabsoot (5/135) by as-Sarkhasee (ai-Hanafee), al-Mudawwanah
al-Kuhraa (1/89), andal-Furoo' (1/583) by ibnMutlih.
115
CongregationalPrayer
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"A man entered the mosque and the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) had just finished praying with his Companions,
so the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, Who
will give charity to this person and pray with him?' A man
stood up and prayed with him."1
This is the opinion of more than one ofthe People of
Knowledge from the Companions of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) and the Followers. They say, "There is no harm in a
group of people praying in congregation in a mosque in which
a congregation has already been held." This is the opinion of
Ahmad, Ishaaq- and some of the Shaafiee scholars; it is the
chosen opinion of the Dhaahiree school of thought. 3
The Third Opinion: This opinion distinguishes
between different cases by saying: It is not disliked to repeat
the congregational prayer led by an Imaam who has not been
appointed after the appointed Imaam has finished leading his
congregation except in the three Mosques--Mecca, Madeenah
and al-Aqsa. It is disliked to repeat the congregational prayer
in these mosques in order to inculcate the desire to join and
increase the congregation/l
The Correct Opinion: The correct opinion is the
second opinion that unrestrictedly allows repetition without
taking into consideration what mosque it is. This conclusion is
based on the generality of the Prophet's (peace be upon him)
saying to the one who missed the congregation, 'Who will
give charity to this person and pray with him?" It is clear that
this occurred in his mosque and, furthermore, the meaning of
the hadeeth dictates this unrestricted permission because the
1 Abu Daawood (Eng. Trans. 1/151 no. 574], at-Tinnidhee (2/21Aaridah at
Ahwadhee), Ahmad (3/5,64,85, 5/254, 269).
Refer to al-Muntaqaa min Akhbaar al-Mustajaa by Majd ad-Deen Abu
Barakaat ibn Taymiyyah (1/614 no. 1395).
3 al-Muhallab (4/236) by ibn Hazm.
4 al-Insaa!(2/219-220).
ll6
2
CongregatiDna{Prayer
excellence and reward of the congregation is achieved in his
mosque as in all other mosques. Allah knows best.
Case Four: The congregational prayer is repeated in
the same mosque at the same time. This is disliked due to the
confusion and turmoil it will cause.
Case Five: The congregational prayer is repeated in a
mosque that has been built in a market or a place which many
people go by (such as a motorway). In this case it is'not
disliked to repeat the congregational prayer because a mosque
of that nature is not considered to have a set congregation due
to the multitude of people that pass by it. Therefore, the
forbidden aspect related to another congregation does not exist
there-this being the congregation neglecting to pray behind
an appointed Imaam.!
Case Six: The same Imaam prays the same prayer
twice, leading two different congregations. This is forbidden,
even if he were to intend the second time to pray a missed
prayer and the first time to pray the obligatory. The Imaams
are agreed that this is a despicable innovation.
2
1 Refer to lqaamah al-Hujjah alaa al-MusalleeJamaa'alan qabla al-Imaam
ar-Raatib (p. 33) by jamaal ad-Deen al-Qaasimee, Haashiyah ibnAabideen
(1/553) andal-lnsaaj(2/219-220).
2 al-Fiqh al-Islamee waAtJillatuhu (2/163-166) by Wahbah az-Zuhaylee.
117
congrtt/atiJJlIolPrayer
118
Congregational Prager
Repelling I Prlver in
Congregation
The linguistic Meaning of al-I'aadah
Al-Faadah means to return something to its original
state or to perform something a second time.
The Sharee' ah Meaning of al-I'aadah
According to the Shaafi'ees, it means: What is done
(again) within the time of performance due to a deficiency
found the first time.
According to the Hanafees, as ibn Aabideen said, it
means: Performing the likes of the obligation in the time of
that obligation due to a deficiency found in it (when performed
the first time) that, however, did not invalidate the action.
According to the Hanbalees it means: To perform
something a second time.
According to the Maalikees it means: To perform the
act of worship in its time after having already performed it,
due to leaving out a portion, such as a pillar, or due to a
deficiency in completion and perfection, such as the one who
prays alone (and not in congregation).
The Best Definition: Performing the likes of the
obligation again in the time of that obligation due to a valid
excuse.!
1 al-Mawsoo ab alFiqbbiyyab aJ.Kuwaytiyyab (5/1770.
119
CongregatiDna{Prager
The Reason for Repeating a Congregational Prayer
It is possible to repeat the prayer due to something
opposing the Sharee'ah that has occurred in the prayer or due
to the realization of an overriding benefit.
The Different Scenarios for Repeating the Congregational
Prayer
(1) The one who has already prayed finds a
congregation and then repeats the prayer. There are two
possible cases: (a) He has previously prayed alone, then he
finds a congregation and prays the same prayer again. (b) He
has previously prayed in congregation, finds another
congregation and prays the same prayer again.
(2) The follower repeats the prayer because he had
stood in the wrong place with respect to the row.
(3) Someone repeating the prayer due to having prayed
behind a sinning Imaam, either with respect to his actions or
his beliefs.
(4) The reciter of the Qur'aan repeating the prayer due
to his having prayed behind an illiterate Imaam (who cannot
recite correctly).
(5) Someone repeating the prayer because he prayed
an obligatory prayer behind one who has prayed an optional
prayer.
What follows is a detailed analysis of these different
cases.
1. The Person Who Has Prayed Alone finding a
Congregation and Praying Again
It is possible to miss the congregational prayer due to
many reasons, such that the person is left having to pray alone,
or it is possible that a person has prayed in congregation and
then finds another congregation praying the same prayer. In
these cases, is it legitimate for him to repeat the prayer or not?
We say there are two possible cases:
120
Congregatinna{Prayer
a) APerson Prays Alone and Then Finds a Cong.regation
It is recommended for such a person to repeat the
prayer with the congregation. There is no difference of opinion
over this. The proof for this lies with the command of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) to pray in congregation even for
the one who has already prayed. Jaabir bin Yazeed al-Aswad
reports from his father that he said,
"I accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) on his Hajj
and I prayed Fajr with him in the Mosque of Khayf. At that
time I was a young man. When he had finished the prayer, he
saw two people who had not prayed with him. He said, 'Bring
them to me. ' So they were summoned and came
apprehensively. He asked them, What prevented you from
praying with us?' They replied, '0 Messenger ofAllah we
have already prayed in our houses.' He said, 'Do not do this
again. If you have prayed in your houses and then come to a
congregation in a mosque, pray with them, for it will be
counted as an optional prayer for you."'l
However, the Jurists have differed as to which of the
prayers can be repeated, dividing into a number of opinions:
J Sunan at-Tirmidhee (2/18 Aaridah a/Ahwadhee), SunanAbu Daauood
(Eng. Trans. 1/151 no. 575) andMustadrak al-Haakim (1/244).
121
First Opinion: Any prayer can be repeated. This is the
chosen opinion of the Shaafi' ee school and a reported opinion
from the Hanbalee and Maalikee schools.
Second Opinion: Every prayer can be repeated except
for Maghrib. This is the chosen opinion of the Maalikee and
Hanbalee schools and a reported position of the Shaafi'ee
school.
Third Opinion: The Dhuhur and Ishaa prayers can be
repeated but not the others. This is the chosen opinion ofthe
Hanafee school.l
The Proofs for the First Opinion: It is established
from the Prophet (peace be upon him) that he said to Abu
Dharr, when he informed him ofthe rulers who will delay the
prayers beyond their times,
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"Pray the prayer in its time. If you then happen to come across
the prayer with them, pray and do not say, 'I have already
prayed and so I will not pray again. "'2
They also use the following previously mentioned
hadeeth as evidence:
"If you have prayed in your houses and then come to a
congregation in a mosque, pray with them, for it will be
counted as an optional prayer for you."
There is also the saying of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) to Yazeed bin Aamir al-Ansaaree,
Refer to al-Kaafee (1/218) by ibn Abdul Barr, al-Majmoo' (3/223), al
Mughnee (2/11)andal-Mabsoot (1/152).
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/313 no. 1357].
122
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"What prevented you from praying with the people?" He
replied. "I have prayed in my house believing that you had
already prayed." So he said, "When you come for prayer and
find the people praying, pray with them, even if you have
already prayed. It will count as an optional prayer for you and
this will be counted as the obligatory prayer." 1
They also quote the hadeeth in which Abu Mahjan bin
Abu Majan ad-Du'Iee was sitting with the Prophet (peace be
upon him) and the adhaan was called. The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) stood and prayed and then returned to
find Mahjan still sitting in his place. The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"What prevented you from praying with the people? Are you
not a Muslim?" He replied, "Of course, 0 Messenger of Allah,
but I have already prayed with my family." He said, "When
Sunan Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans 1/152 no. 577]. [Meaning that the second
prayer will be the optional one and the first will becounted asthe obligatory as
mentioned in Awn al-Ma' bood - Trans] [Most scholars, including al-Nawawi
and al-Albaani, consider this particular narration from Abu Dawood to be
weak.-;Z]
123
I
Congregationa[Prayer
you come (to the mosque), pray with the people even if you
have already prayed."!
The general sense of these ahaadeeth prove the
legitimacy of repeating a prayer by the one who has already
prayed and they do not differentiate between one prayer and
another. Hence they prove the permissibility ofrepeating all of
the prayers for the one who first prayed them individually.
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: The proponents
of the second opinion also base their view on the previous
ahaadeeth to prove that all of the prayers can be repeated, but
they make Maghrib an exception. They argue that if it were to
be repeated, the number of rak'ahs would end up being even.
The Maghrib prayer has only been legislated with three
rak'ahs in order to make the total number of rak'ahs (of
obligatory prayer) prayed during the day and night both odd.
Also, repeating the Maghrib prayer would mean that one has
prayed three rak'ahs of optional prayer and this has no basis in
the Sharee 'ah, Therefore the Maghrib prayer is not to be
repeated.
2
The Proofs for the Third Opinion: The proponents
of this view also rely on the previously mentioned proofs but
they make Fajr and Asr an exception. They say that praying
optional prayers after Fajr and Asr is not allowed due to the
periods following these prayers being the times in which it is
not allowed to pray optional prayers. Also, they say that
Maghrib should not be repeated, giving the same reasoning as
has preceded.3
The Strongest Opinion: The strongest opinion is the
first opinion due to the generality of the ahaadeeth concerning
this matter and due to the absence of any proofs that would
specify that these ahaadeeth refer to some prayers and not
others.
1 Abu Daawood (1/386), Maalik (Eng. Trans. Pg, 61 no. 290], an-Nasaa'ee
(2/112), Ahmad (4/34), al-Haaklm (l/244) and it is asabeeh hadeeth.
2 Refer toal-Kaafee (l/218) by ibn Abdul Barr andai-MuM;' (2j45).
3 al.Mabsoot (l/152).
124
COI1IJTl!IJationol Prayer
b) APerson Prays in Congregation and Then Finds
Another Congregation
The scholars differ as to whether or not it is
permissible for this person to repeat the prayer, falling into two
opinions:
The First Opinion: The prayer is not to be repeated a
second time. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanafee and
Maalikee schools and a reported opinion of the Shaafi'ee
school.l
The Second Opinion: The prayer can be repeated but
with the condition that this prayer be established while the
person is in the mosque or he enters the mosque and the people
are praying. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee,
Shaafi'ee and Dhaahiree schools.
2
The Proofs for the First Opinion: The first opinion is
supported by the hadeeth of ibn Umar who said: I heard the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saying,
, ,
. ~ " ." . - ~ \ .1' ~ ~
,fl/ ~ ~ 0 .r-'
, ,
"Do not pray the same prayer twice in one day."'3
Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) prohibited
that the prayer be repeated another time. This hadeeth is taken
to refer to the one who has already prayed in congregation, in
order to reconcile it with the (previously mentioned)
ahaadeeth that order that the prayer be repeated.
There is also the previously mentioned hadeeth of
Jaabir bin Yazeed al-Aswad,
Refer to al-Mabsoot (1/135), al-Mudawwanab (1/88) and al-Majmoo'
(4/223).
2 al-Mughnee (2/519).
, Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/152 no. 579], an-Nasaa'ee (2/114) andAhmad
(2119) with abasan chain.
125
I
CcmgregationolPrager
"If you have prayed in your houses and then come to the
mosque to find a congregation there, pray with them, for it will
be counted as an optional prayer for you."
There is also the previously mentioned hadeeth of
Yazeed bin Aamir,
, 0 '" _" '" ...: '" """,- .... 0 ""
01J j.:a; o\L.aJI Jl
" ,.;' ,. ,.
.. 0 '" __,. "', ....
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.
,
"",. ..
"When you come for prayer and find the people praying, pray
with them, even if you have already prayed. It will count as an
optional prayer for you and this will be counted as the
obligatory prayer."
These two ahaadeeth prove that he commanded the
one who prayed alone at home to repeat the prayer in
congregation and this further proves that that the one who has
already prayed in congregation should not repeat the prayer. I
They also depend upon a rational proof, saying: The
reason behind the person who has previously prayed alone
repeating his prayer in congregation is so that he can gain the
reward of the congregation that he has missed. On the other
hand, the one who has already prayed in congregation has
already gained the reward of the congregation. Therefore, there
is no reason for him to repeat the prayer. If it were permissible
for this person to repeat his prayer a second time in
congregation, it would also be permissible for him to repeat
the prayer a third, fourth and fifth time and so on. Such a thing
has not been said by anyone.2
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: The proponents
of the second opinion rely upon proofs from the Sunnah,
narrations, the underlying reasoning and analogy.
From the Sunnah they quote the following: The
previously mentioned hadeeth of Jaabir bin Yazeed al-Aswad,
1al-Mughnee (2/5190 by ibn Qudaamah.
2 [Ash-Shawkaanee quoted this reasoning from ibn aI-Arabee aI-Maalikee inNayl
al-Awtaar. - Trans.]
126
CongrfilatimwlPrayer
"If you have prayed in your houses and then corne to the
mosque to find a congregation there, pray with them, It will be
counted as an optional prayer for you."
They also quote the hadeeth reported by Abu Daawood
from Abu Mahjan ad-Du'Iee that has previously been
mentioned,
"" }o,
1'\
I,,;.)JV
- U" 10-
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"When you corne, pray with the people even if you have
already prayed."
There is also the hadeeth of Abu Dharr al-Ghifaaree,
"" '!l- 0' "" 'iJ "" "" ,,"" J I ...
:u '1 wlJ
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'iI I

"And if the prayer is established while you are in the mosque,
pray and do not say, 'I have already prayed and so I will not
pray again. '"
They also refer to the action of Mu'aadh bin Jabal,
wherein he used to pray Ishaa in congregation behind the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and then return to his people and
pray this same prayer again with them. The narration is
explicit that he prayed Ishaa in congregation on both occasions
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) did not object to his
action. Hence, this proves the permissibility ofrepeating the
prayer in congregation for the one who has already prayed in
congregation. I
The reason for using these ahaadeeth is that their
general sense includes the sanctioning of repeating a prayer for
the one who has prayed alone and the one who has prayed in
congregation.
I Refer toal-Mugbnee (215190, andal-Majmoo' (41223).
127
CottgregatiotuJ[Prayer
They depend also on the actions ofthe Companions,
wherein it is reported that they used to pray in congregation
and then go to the mosque and pray another time.
An example of this nature is what is reported from
Anas who said, "Abu Musaa al-Ash'aree prayed the afternoon
prayer with us at Murbad, then we ended up at a mosque and
found that the prayer had been in process ofstarting and we
prayed behind Mugheerah bin Shu'bah."!
As for reference to the underlying reasoning, ifone
were not to repeat the prayer with the congregation, this would
make him deserving of the accusation of turning away from
the congregational prayer. But when one prays with the
congregation, such a danger no longer exists.
As for analogy, they argue that just as the one who has
previously prayed alone can repeat his prayer in a
congregation, similarly the one who has previously prayed
with a congregation can also repeat prayer in congregation.
The Strongest Opinion: The second opinion is the
strongest. Therefore, whoever is in the mosque and the prayer
is established or whoever enters the mosque while the prayer is
in progress should pray with the congregation even ifhe has
already prayed in congregation. This is due to the generality of
the texts that do not differentiate between the one who has
prayed alone or in congregation and also to repel the
accusation of turning away from the congregational prayer.
Allah knows best.
2. The Follower Repeats the Prayer Because He Was
Standing in the Wrong Place
If the person stands alone behind the last row or he
stands to the left of the Imaam (and not his right when praying
alone with him) [what should then be done]?
In the case where the follower prays standing alone
behind the last row, he has performed something prohibited by
agreement (ittifaaq). However, the Jurists differ as to whether
or not his prayer is acceptable, holding two opinions:
First Opinion: His prayer is valid and he should not
repeat it. This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars.
1 al-Mughnee (2/521) byibnQudaamah.
128
Cotttfregational Pra!Jer
This is the chosen opinion of the Hanafee, Maalikee and
Shaafi'ee schools and a reported opinion from the Hanbalee
school. It is also the opinion of Hasan al-Basree, al-Awzaa'ee
and ibn al-Mundhir, 1
Second Opinion: His prayer is not valid and it is
necessary for him to repeat the prayer ifhe has performed one
complete rak 'ah in this state. This is the chosen opinion of the
Hanbalee and Dhaahiree schools and it is the opinion of an
Nakha'ee and others. 2
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said, "This was the
opinion of a group of the early companions of Ahmad, the
opinion of some of the later Hanbalees and the opinion of a
group of the Salaf."3
The Proofs for the First Opinion: Anas said,
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood and an
orphan and I made a row behind him and the old woman stood
behind us. He prayed two rak'ahs with us.,,4 The old
woman was Umm Sulaym, the mother of Anas bin Maalik.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) allowed her to
stand alone in a row following his lead. Therefore, this hadeeth
proves that the prayer of one who prays on his own in a row is
correct and it is not necessary for him to repeat the prayer.
There is also the hadeeth of Abu Bakra. He performed
the initial takbeer behind the last row, bowed and walked to
the last row. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
I Refer toaI-MuM;' (2/87) andal-Mugbnee (2/211).
2 Refer toal-Mughnee (1/211), al-Insaaf (2/289) andal-Muhallaa (4152).
3Mukhtasar Fataawaa al-Mtsriyyah (p. 50).
4 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/320 no. 1387].
129
Congregationa{Pra!Jer
"May Allah increase you in eagerness, do not repeat [it]."!
Al-Baghawee said, "His saying, 'Do not repeat, ' is a
prohibition with the intent of showing the best course, not the
prohibition of forbiddance. Had it been the prohibition of
forbiddance, he would have ordered him to repeat the
prayer."2
The hadeeth proves that Abu Bakra performed some of
the prayer on his own behind the last row--this being the
opening takbeer-yet despite this the Prophet (peace be upon
him) did not order him to repeat the prayer. This proves that
the prayer was valid and accepted. 3
They also use a rational proof, saying: Standing alone
behind the last row is the place for a woman when she prays in
congregation with men. Therefore, it can also be the place for
a man.
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: Al-Baghawee
recorded via his chain that Waabisah bin Ma'bad said,
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw a man
praying on his own behind the last row and ordered him to
repeat the prayer." Al-Baghawee said that the chain was hasan.
Abu Daawood and at-Tirmidhee reported itA It was
declared saheeh by ibn Hajr in al-Fath, and by ibn Khuzaymah
and ibn Hibbaan who said, "Those who do not necessitate the
repetition take the command in the hadeeth ofWaabisah bin
Ma'bad to mean a recommendation."
There is also the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace
be upon him) prayed with his Companions and when he had
completed the prayer and turned around, he saw a man alone
behind the last row. The Prophet (peace be upon him)
1 [Sunan AbuDaawood (Eng. Trans. 1/176 no. 683) and others- Trans.]
2 Sharh as-Sunnah (3/378 no. 822) byal-Baghawee.
Refer to aJ-Mabsoot (1/192), Fatb al-fJadeer (1/309) and al-Majmoo'
(41296).
4 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/176 no. 682], Tlnnidhee (no. 231), Sbarb as
Sunnab (2/378-379).
130
3
Co11lJTegationafPrayer
remained where he was until the man had completed his prayer
and then said,
1M"': D "" "" ;' 0 0
~ \ WJ;:. :/) 1 o ~ ~ 2 . L ~ ~ \
, , ~
"Repeat your prayer for their is no prayer for the one who
prays alone behind the last row."
This hadeeth contains the command to repeat the
prayer for the one who has prayed alone behind the last row
due to therebeing no prayer for him.
The Strongest Opinion: A third opinion concerning
this issue is considered to be the strongest. This is that one's
prayer is not valid if one were to pray alone behind the last
row without a valid reason. However, if there were a valid
reason the prayer would be valid, such as the last row being
full and there being no place for the person to stand, or the
Imaam already being in ruku' and the person is close to the last
row, so he also performs ruku' in order to have attained that
rak'ah and then walks to the last row while being in the state
of bowing.
This is the opinion of al-Awzaa' ee and az-Zuhree and
this is the opinion that is supported by the principles of the
Sharee'ah.
l
b) The Person Repeating the Prayer Because He Stood
on the left Side of the Imaam
The sunnah has clarified the place of standing for the
Imaam and the follower. The regulations concerning the rows
of a congregational prayer are as follows:
The Imaam stands opposite the middle of the first row
when he is leading more than one person.
If there is only one person with the Imaam, he stands
on the right side of the Imaam, parallel to him.
If there are three people, one of them (the Imaam] is to
stand in front of the other two.
Children are to stand with the men. But if there are a
large number of men and children, the men stand in front of
I Refer toSharh QS-Sunnah (3/379-380) by al-Baghawee.
131
Congregatiotta{Prayer
the children. If there are women present, they stand behind the
children.
If there are only men and women, the men stand
behind the Imaam and the women stand behind the men. This
is what the sunnah has described.
In the lengthy hadeeth narrated by Jaabir bin
Abdullaah al-Ansaaree there occurs,
"...So the Messenger of Allah stood to pray and I came and
stood on his left side. He took me by my hand and directed me
to stand on his right side. Then Jabbaar bin Sakhr carne,
performed wudu' and stood on the left side of the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) took hold of both our hands and pushed us back
until we stood behind him...l
Anas bin Maalik said,
"An orphan and I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) in our house and Urnm Sulayrn was behind us."2
Al-Baghawee said, "In this hadeeth, there is proof that
men stand ahead of women in prayer and that the child stands
with the men because it is possible for the child to lead the
I SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 4/1547 no. 7149].
2 Saheeb Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/321 no. 1387].
132
C011!JTegationa{Pra!jeT
men. But if there are a large number of men and children, the
men stand ahead ofthe children and the women at the back." I
Al-Mardaawee wrote in al-Insaaf, "If all the different
types of people gather, then the men stand in front, then the
boys, then the hermaphrodites, and then the women. This is by
way of recommendation and this is the chosen opinion that is
followed by the majority of the followers (of the Hanbalee
school). This was the chosen opinion of ibn Adroos in his
Tadhkirah and ibn Tameem."2
The prayer is a presence before Allah, the Glorious
and Exalted. Therefore, it is necessary that the Imaam and the
follower follow the correct mannerisms of worship, such as
tranquillity and solemnity, standing in their correct places, and
having the taqwaa of Allah in their prayers, so that Allah may
unite their hearts upon the truth and guidance.
But what is the ruling of the one who stands in the
wrong place in prayer. For example, he stands on the left side
of the Imaam when he should have stood on the right? What is
the ruling of his prayer with respect to its validity and having
to repeat it?
There are a number of possible cases that can occur:
The follower stands to the left of the Imaam when
there is already a follower behind him or on his right.
The follower stands to the left of the Imaam while
there is a row behind the Imaam.
The follower stands to the left of the Imaam when
there is no one behind him or on his right.
In the first two cases, his prayer is valid.
As for the third case, the Jurists have differed. There
are two opinions:
First Opinion: His prayer is valid and there is no need
to repeat it. This is the opinion of the majority of the
scholars--the Hanafees, Maalikees and Shaafi'ees and it is an
opinion reported from the Hanbalees. 3
Second Opinion: His prayer is not valid and it is to be
repeated if he completes one rak'ah while standing on the left
1 Sharb as-Sunnab (3/00.829).
2 al-Insaaj(2/283).
3 Refer toai-Badaa ' i as-Sanaa' i (1/159). al-Mudawwanab al-Kubraa(l182),
al-Majmoo' (4;188), andal-Insaaj(2/282).
133
DmgregawnoIPrayer
side of the Imaam. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee
School. 1
The Proofs for the First Opinion: First, there is the
hadeeth reported by ibn Abbaas who said,
'iJ '" rP rP , '" ..", "" J.
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"I spent the night at my aunt's. The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) stood to pray the night prayer. I stood and prayed
on his left side. He took hold of my head and made me stand
on his right side."
This hadeeth shows that ibn Abbaas stood for the
beginning part of his prayer, wherein he performed the
opening takbeer, on the left side of the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) who was the Imaam. The Prophet (peace
be upon him) allowed him to continue the prayer and did not
order him to repeat the opening takbeer. Hence, this proves
that the prayer of the one who stands on the left side of the
Imaam is valid.
There is also the hadeeth of Jaabir and Jabbaar that
was previously mentioned wherein the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) did not order them to repeat the opening
takbeer. Again, this proves that the prayer of the one who
prays on the left side of the Imaam is valid and is not to be
repeated. This is so because the validity of the prayer is
dependent upon its conditions and pillars being fulfilled and all
of these are fulfilled by the person who stands on the left side
of the Imaam. Therefore, there is no need to repeat it because it
is considered valid. Furthermore, that is a valid place to stand
if there is someone to the right of the Imaam. Hence, it is one
of the acceptable places to stand in the prayer.
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: There is the
hadeeth reported by ibn Abbaas who said,
I al-Mugbnee (2/212).
134
CungrtfJatWnal Prayer
., j'A 'ill
r.,r-: J , - l.5"'"" 4F' I$' , .
I .... .J '"
,
'JJ I J", til
,
.,i;:.t ;;. JUI
'" .... '" ....

'" -"," v '-ri'.
, ,
"I spent the night at my aunt's, The Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) stood to pray the night prayer, I stood and prayed
on his left side. He took hold of my head and made me stand
on his right side." There is also the hadeeth of Jaabir that has
preceded.
These ahaadeeth show that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) rejected the actions of ibn Abbaas, Jaabir and Jabbaar
when they stood on his left side, thereby proving that it is not
lawful to stand on the left side of the Irnaam. Building upon
this premise, whoever stands in this position has invalidated
his prayer, as otherwise the Prophet (peace be upon him)
would have left them to stand where they were.
The Strongest Opinion: The first opinion, that the
prayer of the one who stands on the left side of the Imaam is
valid, is the stronger opinion. This is especially so because the
Prophet (peace be upon him) did not order ibn Abbaas, Jaabir
and Jabbaar to repeat their opening takbeerdue to their having
performed it while standing on his left side and the soundness
of the evidences concerning this.
Ash-Shaykh Abdurralunaan as-Sa' dee said, "The
correct opinion is that the persons' standing on the right side of
the Imaam is a stressed Sunnah (Sunnah Mu'akkadah) and not
obligatory, such that it would invalidate the prayer ifhe were
not to stand on the Irnaam's right. Therefore, the prayer of the
one who stands to the left of the Imaarn is valid even if there is
no one standing on his right side. This is because the
prohibition only occurred with respect to the one who stands
alone in a row. As for his (peace be upon him) directing ibn
Abbaas to stand on his right, all that does is prove that this is
more excellent and it does not prove that this is obligatory
since he did not forbid that this action be done. Actions of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) prove that the action is a Sunnah
(when not accompanied by an order). The same applies to his
moving Jaabir and Jabbaar behind him after they had stood on
135
Congregati0n4{Prayer
his left and right sides, for this is equivalent to his directing ibn
Abbaas and proves only that this position is more excellent."!
I say: This is the best opinion concerning this issue. If
there is only one follower and he stands on the left side of the
Imaam, it is necessary for the Imaam to direct him to his right
side, thereby following what the Prophet (peace be upon him)
did with ibn Abbaas. Allah Knows best.
4. The Person Repealing His Prayer Because He Has
Prayed Behind a Sinning Imaam
Leading the Muslims in prayer is a great position and
an excellent action that was carried out by the Prophet (peace
be upon him) for the duration of his life and after him by the
four Rightly Guided Khaleefahs. There is no doubt that the
role of the Imaam in society is important. Indeed, how could it
be otherwise when he leads the people in the greatest pillar of
Islam after the two testimonies? This is why it is desired that
the one who has been appointed as Imaam have praiseworthy
characteristics that befit the requirements of his position and
its importance. The Jurists do not differ with regards the fact
that praying behind a just, knowledgeable, God-fearing Imaam
is better than praying behind one who does not have those
characteristics.
Al-Haakim recorded from Marthad bin Abee Marthad
al-Ghanawee, who was one of the Companions who fought at
Badr, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
J "" 0 ,,!, III ... 0
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"If your desire is that your prayers be accepted, then let the
best of you lead you, for indeed the [the Imaams] are your
representative between yourselves and your Lord, the Mighty
and Magnificent.t'
1 al-Mukhtaaraat al-jaltyyah minMasaa il al-Fiqhiyyah (pp. 61-62).
za/.Mustadrak (3/222). lThis hadith is defmitely weak. Infact, it can befound in
a number of collections of fabricated hadith. See, for example, Muhammad
136
CongregationlllPrayer
Imaam Ahmad wrote in his Kitaab as-Salaah, "From
the obligatory duties upon the Muslims is that their best and
most religious people lead them--those who have knowledge
of Allah, those who fear Allah and those who supervise and
are attentive to their duties to Him. This is due to the hadeeth,
" J., '" " '" J ~ , '"
J ~ . 1\(." _I ~ "". .-J 0." _::11 I ~ " I \ \ l ~ \
, , ~ .r r- ".J?'".YA if J r.r- U"J' r
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'When a person leads a people while there is someone else
better than him, they will remain in perdition.:"!
There is no difference among the Jurists that it is
disliked to pray behind a sinning Imaam due to the lack of
confidence that he will fulfil the conditions ofprayer and that
making such a person an Imaam will decrease the
congregation by diminishing their desire to pray behind him.
2
But if one were to pray behind a sinning Imaam, is his
prayer valid such that he has no need to repeat it or is it invalid
such that he would have to repeat it? The discussion
concerning this revolves around two different cases:
The First Case: The Imaam is a sinner with respect to
his actions, such as the one who has performed a major sin,
like fornication, stealing and drinking alcohol, or one who
persists in performing a minor sin, such as shaving the beard or
smoking.
The Second Case: The Imaam is a sinner with respect
to his beliefs, such as being a Mu'tazili or Sheea, especially
the extremists from among them.
The Imaam Who Is a Sinner With Respect to his Actions
The Jurists differed about the validity of the prayer of
a person who prays behind such an Imaam. There are four
opinions on this question:
Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, SiMat al-Ahaadeeth al-Dhaeefah (Riyadh: Maktahah
al-Maarif, 1988), vol. 4, pp. 303-305.-:JZ]
Refer toFaydh al-(Jadeer (6/88) by al-Munaawee. [This hadith isalso definitely
weak. It is recorded by al-Uqaili in al-Dhuafaa and declared weak by scholars
such as al-Munaawee (in thereference theauthor refers to) and al-Albaani.-:JZ]
2 Badaa '; as-Sanaa '; (1/55).
137
I
Cmtgregationa(Prayer
First Opinion: His prayer is valid and should not be
repeated. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanafee and
Shaafi'ee schools and a reported position of the Hanbalee and
Maalikee schools. 1
Second Opinion: His being an Imaam is not valid and
therefore those who prayed behind him should repeat their
prayer. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee school and
a reported position of the Maalikee school. 2
Third Opinion: If the Imaams' evil is linked to the
prayer, his leading is not valid and whoever prayed behind him
should repeat the prayer in its time as a recommendation. This
is the depended upon position of the Maalikee school.
Fourth Opinion: If the Imaam openly sins, his
leading is invalid and those who prayed behind him have to
repeat their prayer. As for the one who does not openly sin, it
is valid to pray behind him. This is a reported position of the
Hanbalee school. 3
The Proofs for the First Opinion: There is the
hadeeth of Abu Dharr who said,
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"
""", ",- ,,'IJ... "" 0 "" ... 0 <It' 0 0 ;!,
d.1;\S \".... J",,, 019 ,':.-:;"'.1 0
" "t-' J
'" '"
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said to me,
'How will you be when you will be governed by leaders who
delay the prayers beyond their times?' I asked, 'What do you
enjoin me to do?' He said, 'Pray the prayer at its time, and if
you come across the prayer with them, pr? the prayer and it
will be counted as a supererogatory prayer."
This hadeeth proves that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) allowed one to pray behind them and
made it as a supererogatory prayer. The apparent meaning of
1 Refer toal-Mabsoot (1140), at-Taaj waal-lkleel (2/93), al-Majmoo' (41134),
and al-Mughnee (2/187).
2 Refer tothe preceding references and al-lnsaaj(21252).
3 al-Insaaj(21252).
4 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/313 no. 1353].
138
ConIJreoationa!Prayer
the hadeeth shows that if they were to lead the prayers in their
correct times, it would have been obligatory to pray behind
them. There is no doubt that the one who misses the prayer and
prays it in the wrong time has been unjust.
Also Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"The Imaams pray for you, so if they pray correctly then both
you and they [will be rewarded.]. But if they make a mistake,
you will be rewarded and [the sin] will be on them." I The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) permitted the prayer
behind the rulers and clarified that if what they did was
correct, all would be rewarded. However, if they did
something wrong, it would be upon them only and not upon
the followers. The permissibility of praying behind them
indicates the permissibility of praying behind evil-doing
people.
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"The obligatory prayer is obligatory behind every pious or
sinning Muslim even if he commits major sins."2
It is also recorded that ibn Umar used to pray behind
al-Hajjaaj who was an oppressive ruler and a sinner. However,
ibn Umar never repeated his prayers, nor did any other
Companion who prayed behind him. Hence, this constitutes a
consensus from them that it is permissible to pray behind a
sinning Imaam.
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/375 no. 663).
2 Sunan AbuDaawood [Eng. Trans. 1/156 no. 594) and its chain is broken.
139
C<mgregationa[Prayer
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: There is the
hadeeth of Jaabir that states,
,. M ,.,.,. tP,. ,. tP tP tP.I ,. "
tn\ I"A' IS JW:C I..... .u.l\ J
o" - r-) ..-
\);; 0f Ji J1 I;)
..
,. 0,. ,. 0 0,. tP ,. tP" t tP
tIl" .... -" . i "\ .. " \' .. \". \ ..
0 (.) l # f:'u r.J!. l) t..I- f r.J!.
,.,. /,.
,. ,.,. ,.
..
''The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) addressed us
saying, '0 people! Repent to Allah before you die... '" At the
end of the hadeeth there occurs, "Do not let women lead men,
or a bedouin lead the Muhaajir, or the sinner lead the believer
unless he be strengthened with authority such that the believer
fears his sword or whip."I
Therefore, a sinner leading the prayer is not valid just
as it is not valid to appoint him to lead and whoever prays
behind an unbeliever or the likes must repeat his prayer.
The scholars of this opinion also depend upon the fact
that the duty of leading is a trust and responsibility. The
Imaam recites on behalf of those he is leading. The sinner,
though, is suspect and it is not guaranteed that he will recite
anything, just as it is possible that he omit one of the
conditions of the prayer, such as purity and there may be no
indication to suggest that he has performed ablution.
Therefore, for as long as he is suspect, it is not correct to have
him lead. Whoever prays behind such a person should repeat
his prayers due it not being allowed to take such a person as a
leader of the prayer in the first place.
The Proofs for the Third Opinion: Ifthe person's sin
is not connected to the prayer, he would perform the prayer
completely and his sin would not affect its validity. This is
1 Reported by ibn Maajah (1/128-129 #1081, Book: Iqaamah as-Salaah, Chpt:
Fard al-lumu' ah). Its chain contains Abdullaah bin Muhammad aI-Adawee and
he isabandoned, it also contains Alee bin Zayd bin jud'aanwho isweak. [For an
excellent discussion concerning the various routes ofnarration and wordings of
this hadeeth refer toMuhammad Naasir aI-Deen al-slbaani, lnaaa al-Ghaleelfi
Takhreej Ahaadeeth Manoar al-Sabeel, #591. - trans.]
140
C07fgrt?gationa{Prayer
because the validity of prayer is dependent upon its conditions,
pillars and obligations being fulfilled, and this person is able to
fulfill them. As for the case of his sins being connected to
prayer, it is not valid to have him lead because it will be
largely assumed that his prayer would be invalid due to his not
fulfilling one of the conditions or pillars.
The Proofs for the Fourth Opinion: The one who
openly sins is not deserving of leading the prayer. Therefore, it
is not correct to have him lead. Hence, the prayer of whoever
prays behind him is invalid. This is also true because there is
no excuse left for one to pray behind him when his condition
has become absolutely clear for all to see. As for the case of
the one who conceals his sin, it is permissible to pray behind
him due to the excuse of not knowing his state of affairs.
The Strongest Opinion, and Allah Knows Best: The
prayer behind one who is sinning in actions is valid and is not
to be repeated. However, it is desired that such a person not be
appointed as an Imaam so that maybe he will check himself
and stop performing the sin. But if such a person were to be
appointed as an Imaam, the prayer of the one who prays
behind him is valid and is not to be repeated, in order to
remove any harm or difficulty from the Muslims.
b. Repeating the Prayer Due to Praying Behind an Imaam
Who is Evil With Respect to His Beliefs
The Jurists have differed as to whether or not one
should repeat his prayer after praying behind an Imaam who is
evil with respect to beliefs. There are four opinions on this
question:
First Opinion: The prayer is valid although disliked.
It is not necessary to repeat it. This is the chosen opinion of the
Shaafi'ee and Hanafee schools, and a reported opinion of the
Hanbalee school.
I
Second Opinion: The prayer is valid. However, if
there is time remaining, it is recommended to repeat the
prayer. This is the chosen opinion of the Maalikee school.
Refer to Path al-Qadeer (1/304),jawaahir al-Ikleel (1/...), and al-Majmoo
(4/143).
141
I
Congregationa{Prayer
Third Opinion: The prayer is unrestrictedly void and
whoever prayed behind such an Imaam has to repeat his
prayer. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee school and
a reported opinion of the Hanafee school.I
Fourth Opinion: If he is calling to innovations,
openly manifesting his evil, the prayer is not valid behind him
and is to be repeated. However, if he is not calling to his
innovation nor openly manifesting his evil, the prayer prayed
behind him is not to be repeated and it is valid. This is a
reported opinion of the Hanbalee schoo1.
2
The Proofs for the First Opinion: The Prophet
(peace be upon him) is reported to have said,
;,/ 0 I
.(\)\ \1\ \I Jli J,L;:.
"
"Pray behind whoever says, 'There is none worthy of worship
save Allah. ",3
There is also the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace
be upon him) said,
"" ... 'II J l
.;>.' UJ J5'" J,L;:.
tI'''
"Pray behind every pious and sinning person/''l
There is also the hadeeth of Abu Dharr that was quoted
earlier,
"" "" W! 0 J "" 'IJ "" J "".... "" "" 0 'l 0 ""
")\J J.i J1 j.t \lJ
" "

"And if you come across the prayer, pray with them and do not
say tha'f, 'I have already prayed and so I will not pray again. '"
I Refer to al-Kaafee (I;182) by ibn Qudaamah and al-Badaa ' i as-Sanaa' i
(1/157).
2 Refer toal-Kaafee (1/182-183).
3 Sunan ad-Daaruqutnee (2/56-57) and he said (after mentioning other
ahaadeeth with similar wordings), "None of these ahaadeeth are confirmed."
Refer toNasb ar-Raayah (2/27-28).
4 Ibid and Sunan AbuDaawood [Eng. Trans. 1/156 no. 594).
142
Congregationa!Prayer
The validity of prayer is linked to its pillars being
fulfilled and the sinning Imaam is able to fulfill these pillars.
Therefore, the prayer behind him is valid even though it may
be disliked. However, something being disliked does not
~ ~ d e r it invalid. If the prayer is valid bf!hind such an Imaam,
It IS not to be repeated. .
They also make analogy to the fact that if such a
person were to pray on his own, his prayer would be valid.
Therefore his leading other people in prayer, by extension,
would also be valid. And if his leading other people in prayer
is valid then the prayer itself is valid and is not to be repeated.
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: The prayer
behind such an Imaam is valid but disliked. Therefore, if there
remains time, it should be repeated in order to pray it in a more
complete form in which there is no factor that is disliked. This
is done by praying it behind a just Imaam.
The Proofs for the Third Opinion: One proof is
Allah's statement,
" '" .""."." ... "."."
4JJ ~ ' 'i ~ \ i 4JlS" ~ ~ 4JlS" ~ i
"So is the one who believes no better than the one who is
rebellious and wicked? They are not equal" [as-Sajdak
(32):18]. This noble verse proves that the believer is not the
same as the sinner. In fact, the condition of the believer is
better than that of the sinner. Therefore, if this is the case, it is
not correct to have the sinner lead the believer, and ifhis
leading is not correct, the prayer of whoever prays behind him
is not valid and is to be repeated.
There is also the hadeeth of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) in which he said,
"Appoint the best of you to be your Imaams, for indeed thel'
are your representative between yourselves and your Lord."
And the sinner is not the best of us.
"Also because the sinner is suspect and censured with
regards to his religion, he is not trusted with the duty of
1 Sunan al-Bayhaqee (3/90).
143
Congregatio11l11Prayer
leading the prayer or fulfilling its conditions, in this way he
resembles the unbeliever. Therefore, when his leading is not
valid, the prayer of whoever prays behind him is not valid and
is to be repeated. This is because he has been led by one
concerning whom it is not valid for him to lead, just as if he
were to be led by a woman."!
The Proofs for the Fourth Opinion: The innovator
who calls to innovations and manifests his sin is not deserving
of the duty ofleading. Hence, it is not correct for him to do so.
Therefore, the prayer of whoever prays behind him is invalid.
This is not true of the one who keeps his innovation and sin to
himself. Therefore, it is not necessary to repeat one's prayer if
the Imaam is not open about his innovation.
This resembles the case of one who prays behind an
Imaam who was broken his wudu' but the follower does not
know of this. In such a case, the prayer is not to be repeated.
But if one was to pray behind an unbeliever or one who cannot
recite, it is necessary to repeat the prayer due to the condition
of such people being apparent in most cases.
The Strongest Opinion: If there is none but a sinner
to lead the prayer, even ifhis evil is with respect to his beliefs,
his leading is valid and whoever prayed behind him is not to
repeat the prayer. This is in order to remove harm or difficulty
from the Muslims. Allah knows best.
5. The Reciter Repeating his Prayer Because He Has
Prayed Behind One Who Cannot Recite Correctly
The meaning of Ummee is one whose recitation in
prayer is poor regardless of which part of the Qur'aan it may
be.
2
According to the Shaafi'ees and Hanbalees, it means the
one who cannot recite the whole of al-Faatihah well, he leaves
out a word or letter, or makes grammatical mistakes such that
the meaning is altered.3
There is no doubt that the one who can recite well is
more privileged than the one who cannot, especially in the
case of leading prayer. It is obligatory that only the one who
1 al-Mubda (2/65).
2 Refer toal-Mutla' (pg. 10), and ash-Sharh as-Sagheer (l/437).
3 Refer toal-Mughnee (2/195-197) and al-Majmoo' (4/166).
144
Cungregational Prayer
can recite well be allowed to lead the people in prayer, as the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
f/j " 0....... ....0
ill\ ut:SJ ", ":1\
,. ,. . ,.,. ir i):
"Let the most proficient of the people in reciting the Book of
Allah lead them [in prayer]."!
But if someone whose recitation of the obligatory part
of the prayer was poor were to lead the prayer, what would be
the ruling of the prayer of those who prayed behind him with
respect to its validity and having to repeat it? The Jurists
differed about this, expressing four opinions:
First Opinion: The prayer is not valid behind him and
whoever has been led has to repeat the prayer, This was the
opinion of Abu Haneefah, Maalik, ash-Shaafi'ee and Ahmad.
2
Their prooflay in his (peace be upon him) saying,
ut:s:J\ f" "." I ", 1
..... .... .... .
,. ,.
"There is no prayer for the one who has not recited the
Opening Chapter of the Book."3
This hadeeth proves that it is obligatory to recite Surah
al-Faatihah. Whoever is deficient in his recitation of it is not
considered to have recited in a complete way and, therefore,
whoever prayed behind him has to repeat their prayer.
Second Opinion: Praying behind him is permissible,
Since it is permissible, it is not necessary to repeat one's
prayer. This is the opinion of 'Ataa bin Abee Rabaah,
Qataadah, al-Muzanee, Abu Thawr, and ibn al-Mundhir.
They reasoned that he is not able to fulfill a pillar of
the prayer and it is permissible to pray behind him just as in
the case where the follower prays behind an Imaam who
cannot stand.
4
1 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/326 no. 1420].
2 Refer to al-Babr ar-Raa' iq (1/382), at-Taaj wal-Ikleel (2/98), al-Majmoo
(41166-167) andal-Insaof(2/268).
3 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/404 no. 723], Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans.l/215 no. 773].
4 al-Majmoo' (41167-168).
145
Congregatiotu1.fPrayer
Third Opinion: It is permissible for the reciter of the
Quraan to pray behind one who cannot recite correctly in
those prayers that are prayed silently but not in those that are
prayed aloud. This is a reported opinion of the Shaafi'ee and
Hanbalee schools.
They reasoned that (in the silent prayers) everyone is
commanded to recite for themselves and, therefore, their
prayer is valid and there is no need to repeat it. I
Fourth Opinion: If the one who cannot recite
correctly was to lead those who cannot recite correctly, their
prayer is valid. This is the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee
School. If the one who cannot recite correctly were to lead a
mixture of those who can and cannot recite, then the prayer of
those who cannot recite is valid, but the prayer of those who
can recite is not valid and needs to be repeated. If one person
who cannot recite correctly were to lead another who can, the
prayer of both of them is not valid and needs to be repeated.
This is because the one who could not recite correctly intended
to lead while, in fact, he prayed by himself.
2
The Strongest Opinion: The strongest opinion is the
fourth opinion but some conditions need to be met:
(I) It is not permissible that the one who cannot recite
be appointed as the permanent Imaam when there is a person
in the congregation who can recite.
(2) It is not permissible for the reciter to start his
prayer while being led by one who cannot recite correctly.
(3) If the one who can recite is led by one who cannot
recite while not knowing his condition, his prayer is valid due
to the generality of his saying,
.A" (Ji """,, , , ~
~ \ ~ \ ~ l ~ Jli ~ ~ \."LP
'"
"Pray behind whoever says, 'None has the right to be
worshipped save Allah. '"
1 Refer toal-Majmoo' (41167), and al-Mugbnee (2/30 - new edition).
2 Refer toal-lnsaa](2/268-270) and al-Mugbnee (3/30-41 Egypt edition).
146
Congregationa{Prager
6. The One Who Has Intended an Obligatory Prayer
Repeating his Prayer Because He Prayed Behind One
Who Had Intended an Optional Prayer
There are three possible situations that the follower
may find himself in with respect to the Imaam:
(1) The follower and Imaam are in complete
agreement inwardly and outwardly, such as both ofthem are
praying Dhuhur or Asr.
(2) The follower and Imaam are in agreement
outwardly but not inwardly, such as someone praying an
obligatory prayer behind one who is praying an optional
prayer.
(3) The follower and Imaam differ outwardly and
inwardly, such as the one who is praying Dhuhur behind one
who is praying Maghrib.
The Researching Scholars have differed about these
issues. This difference is based on whether or not it is a
condition that both the Imaam and follower be in agreement
both inwardly and outwardly or whether it is sufficient that
they be in agreement outwardly only. The outset of this
difference is based upon a difference in understanding the
meaning of some ahaadeeth, such as the Prophet's (peace be
upon him) saying,
4.J LJI
r or:
.- .- .
"Indeed the Imaam has been appointed only to be
followed."! There is also the hadeeth of Mu'aadh bin Jabal in
which he prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) and then led his people in prayer.
2
What follows is a detailed analysis concerning this
difference of opinion.J
First Opinion: The famous opinion of the Hanafee
and Maalikee schools is that it is obligatory that the Imaam
I Saheeh al-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/372 no. 656, 657], Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/226 no. 8171.
ZSaheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/378 no. 669].
3 an-Niyyab wa Atbaruhaa fee al-Ahkaam ash-Sbar' iyyah (1/364) by the
author, Saalih as-Sadlaan.
147
Cungregatiorul{Prayer
and follower be in agreement both outwardly and inwardly.
Therefore, it is not permissible for the one who intends to pray
an obligatory prayer to pray behind someone who is praying an
optional prayer. This opinion is also one of the two reported
positions of the Hanbalee school and it is their chosen
opinion.l Based on this, whoever prays an obligatory prayer
behind someone praying an optional prayer must repeat his
prayer.
Second Opinion: The Shaafi'ee school is of the
opinion that it is permissible for the follower and the Imaam to
differ both inwardly and outwardly. They said that it is
permissible for someone praying an obligatory prayer to pray
behind one who is praying an optional prayer and vice-versa.
This opinion is the second of the two reported opinions of the
Hanbalee school and it is the chosen opinion of the Dhaahiree
school. The Dhaahiree school, however, only deems it
permissible that the follower differ with the Imaam in the
inward matters and not the outward.
2
The Proofs for the First Opinion: The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
"Indeed actions are by intention, and for every person is what
he intended."3
There is also the hadeeth,
..." ....... .J ., ....
I . JIJ 4.J .. WI
., ..

"Indeed, the Imaam has been appointed only to be followed, so
do not differ from him."
They replied to the action of Mu' aadh by saying that
either it was specific to him or Mu'aadh prayed an optional
prayer behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
1 Refer to Tabyeen al-Haqaa' iq (1/141-142), al-Muwaahib al-]aleel (2/126),
andal-Mughnee (2/126).
Z Refer to Fath al-Baaree (2/195), Tabyeen al-Haqaa' iq (1/141-142), andal
Muhallaa Sharh al-Mujallaa (3/411) byibnHazm,
3 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans.l/l no. 1], Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans.
3/1056 no. 4692].
148
CongregatwnoJPrayer
obligatory prayer with his people. Building upon this
explanation, the adherents of this opinion say that it is
permissible for one to pray optional prayers behind one who is
praying an obligatory prayer (but not the opposite).
They also relied upon the fact that the intention of the
follower is independent of the intention of the Imaam and,
therefore, the Imaam cannot carry the intention of the follower.
This is why it is not allowed to follow an Imaam while having
a different intention [because then it cannot be considered a
congregation, for all the people would not be praying the same
prayer and hence would not have gathered for the same
purpose]. For example, it is not acceptable for someone to pray
Jumu 'ah behind one praying Dhuhur.
1
The Proofs for the Second Opinion: There is the
story of Mu'aadh, reported by Jaabir, that Mu'aadh used to
pray Ishaa with the Prophet (peace be upon him) and then
return to his people and lead them in the same prayer. There
occurs in some reports of this hadeeth,
". 0 "" ". J.'" "
~ ~ ~ J t ~ 4 J ~
"It is counted as an optional prayer for him and an obligatory
prayer for them." 2
They also relied upon the fact that the intentions of the
Imaam and follower differing do not prevent the validity of
following in prayer. With regards to differing in the outward
matters, they relied upon two points:
The two prayers are in conformity with respect to their
form, although they may be different with regards to number
oi rak'ahs.
It is permissible for the follower to enter the prayer
with an intention of splitting off from the Imaam. They took
the hadeeth, "Indeed, the Imaam has been appointed only to be
followed, " to refer to the majority of situations and not all.3
1 Refer to Fatb al-Baaree (2/195), Tabyeen al-Haqaalq (1/141) and an
Niyyab (11465).
2 [Reported in theMusnad asb-Shaafi 'ee andothers. Declared tobesabeeb by
an-Nawawee and ibnHajr. Refer toMajmu' (4;170) andFatb (2/249) - Trans.]
3 [For example, it ispermissible for thefollower tobepraying Maghrib behind an
lmaam praying Isbaa knowing full well that after thethird rail'abhewill no
longer befollowing theImaam. - Trans.]
149
CongregatiDlul{Prayer
The Strongest Opinion: The strongest opinion is that
of the Dhaahiree school and the reported opinion of the
Hanbalee school: It is obligatory that the Imaam and follower
agree in the outward matters but not the inward. Therefore, it
is not allowed that the follower pray 'Asr behind an Imaam
praying Maghrib, or pray the prayer of Eclipse behind an
Imaam praying Eed, or the opposite. It is permissible for the
follower to differ with the Imaam in the inward matters.
Hence, it is allowable to pray Dhuhur behind an Imaam
praying 'Asr, or one who is praying a prayer in its time behind
one who is making up a missed prayer, or one who is praying
an obligatory prayer behind one who is praying an optional
prayer and other similar instances.
They say it is possible to reconcile the hadeeth,
'1ndeed, the Imaam has only been appointed to be followed,"
with the story of Mu' aadh by the fact that the hadeeth proves
that it is not permissible to differ with the Imaam in the
outward matters. As for differing of the inward matters, we can
understand this from the story of Mu' aadh. Also, there is no
way to know the intention of a person because it is from the
hidden matters and, therefore, the legally responsible person
cannot be enjoined to do things that he cannot know about.
Therefore, the prohibition is only with regards to one who
differs with the Imaam in outward matters and this is why the
Prophet (peace be upon him) exemplified the hadeeth by
saying, 'When he says the takbeer, say the takbeer. When he
performs the ruku perform the ruku' ... " and he did not
mention any of the inward matters. 1
I Refer toa/-Muhallaa (3/411) andan-Niyyah (1/463-465) by the author.
150
eungregatUmafPrayer
Praver in eonareaation After the
Time Has Expired
The continuous practice of the Prophet (peace be upon
him) was to pray the prayers at the beginning of their times.
This was practiced by him throughout his life. None who is
versed in the Sunnah differs over this. There are number of
sayings from him (peace be upon him) that prove this, such as
his saying,
"The best actions is the prayer at its correct time." Other
ahaadeeth have the same meaning.
But it is possible that for some reason or other the
individual or congregation, due to a valid reason, misses a
single prayer or a number of prayers. It is also possible that
one misses a prayer deliberately out oflaziness or apathy. In
these cases, is the prayer to be made up or not? If we say that it
permissible to make up the prayers, how are they to be made
up?
The Obligation to Make Up Missed Prayers
"The Jurists of the Four Schools of Thought are agreed
that it is obligatory to make up the missed obligatory prayers,
regardless of whether one left them due to a valid reason, such
as sleep or forgetfulness, or out of negligence and laziness,"!
As for the legislated prayers that are due to a specific
event, such as the prayer for rain and the prayer for the eclipse,
1 al-lstidhkaar Ii Madhaahib Puqabaa al-Amsaar wa Ulamaa al-Aqtaar
(1/1070 by ibn Abdul Barr al-Qurtobee,
151
Congregationa{Prayer
it is not sanctioned to make them up. On this point, there is no
difference of opinion.l
The Manner in Which Prayers are Made Up
1) It IsRecommended to Pray In Congregation
This is the opinion of the majority of the scholars
except al-Layth bin Sa' d, who only allowed it for making up
Jumu 'ah prayer and who held that only the iqaamah is to be
said for the remainder of the prayers. Authentic ahaadeeth and
the consensus of the scholars rebuke his opinion.
2
Imaam Muslim recorded from Abu Hurayrah that,
1 Bidaayah al-MujtahitJ (1/175) andSharh an-Nawawee 'alaaSaheeh Muslim
(5/181).
2 Fath al-Baaree (2flO) andal-Majmoo' (4;88).
152
ConIJrf9ationa(Prayer
aJl i,A JJ\ J' "tp': :
J ," , .Y') Y r-' " ("T"; J)
'.: 0 ' Lit ur

" ,
"" '" , "" "" "" "" IJJ 0 ... "" "". "" ""
Ju 4JJ\ t+J',a.)"; o"i:aJ\ :.rs :; Ju
" ,
J 0 "" """ "" "" 0 "" ""
0\ 01S' ' r > Ju <"lJ o"i:aJ\
Jfi . J I.:?..r"
, ,
o '/I
t.S..r
, <".ill
,
"While returning from the expedition of Khaybar, the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) became sleepy when
night fell and so stopped to rest. He said to Bilaal, 'Remain on
guard for us during the night.' Bilaal prayed as much as he
could while the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and
his Companions slept. When the time for dawn approached,
Bilaal leaned against his camel facing the direction in which
the dawn was to appear. He was overcome with sleep. Neither
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Bilaal nor any of
his Companions awoke until the sun shone on them. The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was the first to awake
and became startled. He called to Bilaal. Bilaal replied, 'May
my father and mother be sacrificed for you, 0 Messenger of
Allah! The same thing overpowered me that overpowered
you.' The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'Lead the beasts
on.' So they led their camels to some distance. The Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) performed ablution and ordered
Bilaal to pronounce the iqaamah and then led them in the
Morning Prayer. When he had fmished he said, 'Whoever
forgets to pray should pray when he remembers. Allah said,
"'..u "r
4S.r"
, ,
"And observe the prayer for My remembrance" [Taa Baa (20):
14]."'1 Yunus said, "Ibn Shihaab used to recite the verse,
' ... for remembrance."
An-Nawawee said in Sharh Saheeh Muslim,
I SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/331 no. 1448].
153
CongregationalPrayer
This hadeeth contains evidence that the
obligatory prayer which has been missed must
be made up, regardless if one left it due to a
valid excuse, such as sleep or forgetfulness or,
due to no valid excuse. The hadeeth mentions
only the excuse of forgetfulness due to it being
said after the occurrence of a specific event
but (is to be applied generally). If it is
necessary for one who has a valid excuse to
make up the prayer, it is even more so required
for the one who has no valid excuse.
Therefore, the hadeeth is informing us of this
by means of using the lesser thing to alert to
the greater thing. I
Al-Bukhaaree records that Irnraan bin Husayn said,
,.. ..-:'" 0',.. ,.. rP ,..
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"We went on an expedition with the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) and we lay down to sleep and we did not
wake until we felt the heat of the sun. The people stood in
alarm and haste due to their missing the Fajr prayer. The
Messenger of Allah said, 'Mount your steeds and ride.' So we
1 Sharb Sabeeh Muslim (5/1810.
154
Cmrgregationil[Prayer
rode until the sun had risen. Then he got offhis mount and so
did we. The people relieved themselves and performed
ablution. The Messenger of Allah ordered Bilaal to call the
adhaan and he prayed the two Sunnahs of Fajr. Then he
ordered Bilaal to perform the iqaamah and he led us in the
prayer. We said, '0 Messenger of Allah should we not pray
this prayer at its correct time?' He replied, 'Allah would not
forbid you from dealing with interest and then accept it from
you.:"!
Ibn Qudaamah said after mentioning the various
reports concerning this story, "All of these reports show that
he prayed the two rak'ahs of Fajr in congregation with his
Companions. Therefore it is recommended to make up missed
prayers in congregation.t'
Al-Bukhaaree reports from Jaabir bin Abdullaah:
"On the Day of al-Khandaq, Umar bin al-Khattaab came
cursing the disbelievers of Quraysh after the sun had set and
said, '0 Messenger of Allah, I have not been able to offer the
'Asr prayer until the sun had almost set.' The Prophet (peace
be upon him) said, 'By Allah, I have not prayed it.' So we
stood facing But-haan and the Prophet (peace be upon him)
performed ablution and so did we. He offered the prayer after
the sun had set and then he offered the Maghrib prayer."3
I Saheeh al-Bukhaaree (41232-233).
2 al.Mughnee (21348-349).
3 Saheeh alBukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/327 no. 570].
155
Congregationa!Prayer
Al-Haafidh ibn Hajr said,
A-Kinnaanee said, "If you were to ask: How
does this hadeeth prove that the prayer was
done in congregation? I would reply: It is
possible that the wording of the hadeeth has
been summarized, or the proof lies in the fact
that the hadeeth has used the same wording for
praying the missed prayer- 'Asr- as was
done for the prayer that was to be prayed in its
time-Maghrib. There is no doubt that he
prayed Maghrib in congregation because this
is what is known from his habit. The first
possibility is what ibn Muneer Zayn ad-Deen
declared with certainty. If it is said: The
hadeeth is not explicit that he prayed in
congregation. I would reply: The content of
the chapter heading is derived from his saying,
'The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed
ablution and so did we." I [ibn Hajr] say: It is
the first possibility that actually occurs; in the
report of al-Ismaa'eelee there occurs that
which would dictate that he (peace be upon
him) prayed with them. He reports this
hadeeth via the route of Yazeed bin Zaree'
from Hishaam with the wording, "and so he
led us in the 'Asr prayer."1
I [Shaikh Saalih] say: A similar report has been
reported by ibn Khuzaymah in his Saheeh from 'Imraan bin
Husayn who said, 'We were on a journey with the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him)... ," mentioning the hadeeth
concerning their sleeping until the sun had risen and then he
said,
J.... fP""" ", .... J
d ~ 1 ~ ~ ~ <..pt; ?
.- .
''Then he called the adhaan and the people prayed." Ibn
Khuzaymah then said, "This hadeeth is evidence to the
contrary of the opinion of those who think that missed prayers
1 Path al-Baaree (2/68.70).
156
ConfJrt!tJationa{Prayer
should not be prayed in congregation and instead should be
prayed individually."!
It is also permissible to delay the congregational
performance of the prayer that is to be made up if this is done
for a valid reason.
2
2) 'rhe Ruling of Praying Aloud or Silently In Congregation
for the Made Up Prayers
If the prayer being made up in congregation is one in
which the recitation is silent, meaning Dhuhur and 'Asr, the
Imaam is not to recite aloud, irrespective of whether this
prayer is made up during the day or night. The author of al
Insaafsaid, "I know of no difference concerning this."3
If the prayer being made up in congregation is one in
which the recitation is aloud and is being prayed at some time
during the night, then the Imaam should recite aloud. The
author of al-Insaaf said, "I know of no difference concerning
this as well."
If the prayer being made up in congregation is one in
which the recitation is aloud and is being prayed at some time
during the day, the Imaam should recite silently according to
the correct opinion of the Hanbalee school/l
1 say: This does not apply to the Fajr prayer because
although Fajr is a prayer of the day from the point of view that
it is prayed after the appearance of the dawn, its ruling is that
of a night prayer from the point of view that one recites aloud
in it. Therefore, when taking this into consideration, it is closer
to the truth that it be prayed aloud when making it up. This
opinion is supported by what Muslim and others report from
Abu Qataadah concerning the story of their sleeping past the
time ofFajr,
1 Saheeh ibnKbu.zaymah (2/98-99 nos. 987, 997).
Zaz-Zawaa ' ill fee Fiqh al-Imaam Ahmad binHanbal (1/116) by ibnHusayn.
3 al-Insaaffee Ma ' rifah al-Raajih min al-Khilaaf(2/67) by al-Mardaawee.
4 al-lnsaaf(2/57).
157
Congregationa{Prayer
~ '" '" ~ oa oa.J '" 11 '" "" tl '" ....: .J
-: r, ~ ill \ I"- ill\ J' I' _a o ~ G JJ\.J 0 ~ \ ....
r-J ,- ~ , ~ J l.>- .. ~
, , ,
oa .J "" "" "" '" "" 0 ~ ,.., .J 0 ""
r";. ~ ~ ~ i a ; 0lS' W-- 2',a
9
o\:i;J \ ~ ?;;;;S-J
.. '
"... Then Bilaal called the adhaan for prayer and the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed two rak'ahs
and then said the morning prayer in the same manner as he did
everyday."1
The grandfather of Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have
mercy upon him, said, "This hadeeth contains evidence that
the recitation of Fajr prayer is done aloud when made up
during the day."2
3) The Ruling of Praying the Missed Prayers In Their Proper
Order When There Is a Fear of Missing the
Congregational Prayer (of the Present Prayer)
To pray the obligatory prayers in order is an
obligatory. None of the Jurists differ about this.
3
Hence, it is
not permissible to pray Dhuhur before Fajr or 'Asr before
Dhuhur because the prayer does not become obligatory before
the onset of its time of observance.
But if the time for prayer has come and gone, and the
person has not prayed that prayer, and the time of the next
prayer has started, is praying the prayers in order considered
obligatory such that the person has to make up the missed
prayer before he prays the prayer whose time has started?
The Jurists have differed about this and their opinions
are summarized below:
(l) Making up the missed prayers in order is
obligatory, but the obligation is lifted due to forgetfulness, due
to there being the fear that the time of the present prayer will
end, or there being the fear that the prayer in congregation for
the present prayer will be missed. This is the opinion of Sa' eed
bin al-Musayyib, al-Hasan, ath-Thawree, Ishaaq, al-Awzaa'ee,
1 SabeebMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/332 no. 1450].
2 al-Muntaqaa (l/237no. 613).
3 Tub/atul Puqabaa (2/231).
158
CmtgregationofPrayer
the Ashaab al-Ra'i and the chosen opinion of the Hanbalee
school.
Therefore, if one were to have started praying the
prayer whose time it was and remembered that he still had to
make up a missed prayer and there is not much time remaining
for the present prayer, or he has not started the present prayer
but there is not enough time left of the present prayer for him
to pray the missed prayer and the present prayer without the
time for the present prayer expiring, he should start with the
present prayer and then pray the missed prayer. Similarly, ifhe
has forgotten to pray the missed prayers, all the prayers he
prayed afterwards are valid. I
(2) Making up the missed prayers in order is
obligatory no matter what the circumstances, whether the
missed prayers are small in number or large. This is reported
from Imaam Ahmad
2
and Zufar from the Hanafee scholars.3
(3) Making up the missed prayers in order is
obligatory as long as they do not exceed the number that is
prayed in a night and day. This was the opinion of Abu
Haneefahf and Maalik.5
This is because having to make up a number exceeding
the prayers of a day and night in order becomes difficult and
falls under having to repeat the same prayers. Therefore, the
case becomes the same as that of making up the missed fasts of
Ramadaan [in that one does not have to make them up in
order].6
(4) Making up the missed prayers in order is
recommended. This is the opinion of Taawoos, Hasan al
Basree, Shurayh, Muhammad bin al-Hasan, Abu Thawr
Daawood and it is the chosen opinion of the Shaafi'ee school.?
They said: These are all to be considered as his debts and as
such it is not obligatory that he pay them off in order unless
Refer to al-Insaaf (1/444), al-Mughnee (2/344), as-Salaab wa Hukm
Taarikihaa (pp. 133-134) by ibnal-Qayylm, al-Majmoo' <3nS), az-Zawaa' ill
fee Fiqh al-Imaem Ahmad (1/117-118), Bidaayab al-Mujtabid (1/187) by ibn
Rushd, andMajmoo Pataauaa (2/106).
2 al-Insaaf(1/444).
3'al-Mabsoot (1/188).
4 al-Mabsoot (1/188).
5 Bidaayab al-Mujtabid (1/187) by ibnRushd.
6 Refer to al-Majmoo' <3nS) andal-Mugbnee (2137).
7 al-Majmoo' (3nS).
159
I
CongregationafPrayer
there be a clear evidence that proves this. In this case there is
no such evidence. If a person were to pray them without
following their order, he has still performed the prayer that he
has been commanded to pray. Therefore, it is not necessary to
perform something additional to this without clear evidence. 1
The Strongest Opinion: The first opinion is the
strongest due to its conforming to all of the authentic texts
concerning this issue. Therefore, praying the missed prayers in
order is obligatory irrespective of whether the person prays
them in congregation or individually. If a person forgets or
fears that there is not enough time left before the time of the
present prayer expires, then he prays the present prayer first.
The same applies to the one who fears that he will miss the
congregation if he were to pray his missed prayers first and he
has no hope that there will be a second congregation-this
holds true even if their is plenty of time remaining before the
time of the present prayer expires, according to the correct
opinion of the scholars.
2
The Prophet (peace be upon him) missed four prayers
on the Day ofal-Khandaq and he made them up in order. At
Tirmidhee reports with his chain of narration from Naafi' bin
Jubayr bin Mufam from Abu 'Ubaydah bin 'Abdullaah from
'Abdullaah that he said,
I Ibid.
2 Refer to al-Masaa 'u al-Fiqbiyyab min Kitaab ar-Riwaayatayn toa al
Wajhayn (1/133) by Qaadee Abu Ya' laa, al-Insaaf(1/444), Majmoo Fataawaa
ibn Taymiyyab (22/106), al-Mabsoot (1/188) by as-Sarkhasee, and al
Mukbtaaraat al-Jaliyyab (p. 29) by ibnas-Sa' dee.
160
Congregationll[Prayer
"The polytheists distracted the Messenger (peace be upon him)
from four prayers on the Day ofal-Khandaq until whatsoever
Allah wished of the night had passed. He ordered Bilaal to call
the adhaan. Then he called the iqaamah and they prayed
Dhuhur; then he called the iqaamah and they prayed Asr; then
he called the iqaamah and they prayed Maghrib; then he called
the iqaamah and they prayed 1shaa."
At-Tirmidhee said, "Ahaadeeth concerning this have
been reported from Abu Sa' eed and Jaabir bin' Abdullaah .,,1
Imaam ibn al-' Arabee said, "The scholars differ as to
the meaning of this hadeeth---if a legally responsible person
were to miss a number of prayers, is he to pray them in order
or pray them in whatever order he wishes? Imaam Maalik, Abu
Haneefah-and it is the meaning of the saying of Ahmad and
Ishaaq-said that praying them in order is obligatory as long
as he remembers; but the obligation is lifted ifhe forgets [their
order]. This applies as long as he has not missed the same
prayer more than once or the number of missed prayers is not
large."
Ash-Shaafi'ee and Abu Thawr said that there is no
need to make them up in order. A similar opinion is reported
from al-Hasan al-Basree, Taawoos and Shurayh.
Ibn Qudaamah said, "They are obligatory prayers that
should have been prayed in their respective times. Therefore, it
is obligatory to pray them in order just as five daily prayers are
prayed. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
.
.r-+"J

'Pray as you have seen me praying."'Z
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said, "Praying the
missed prayers in order is obligatory according to the majority
of scholars as long as their number is small. This was the
opinion of Abu Haneefah, Maalik and Ahmad-indeed in a
report from Ahmad, he considers it to be obligatory to pray the
Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no. 179 - 1/291 in 'Aaridah al-Ahwadhee) and an
Nasaa' ee (1/297-298). The chain tothe hadeeth has some weakness but it has
supporting evidence that convey the same meaning and strengthen it toa level
that it can beused asevidence.
2 al-Mughnee (21237).
161
I
Congre;gationa[Prayer
missed prayers in order whether they are small or great in
number. Furthermore, these scholars differ among themselves
as to what constitutes a small number.l'J
Addendum: There is another issue linked to this one.
Suppose a person is praying the present prayer and then,
during the prayer, he remembers that he has still to make up a
missed prayer. This person falls into one of two cases: Either
there is still plenty of time remaining for the present prayer or
there is not.
If there is still plenty of time remaining, the person
should complete the prayer with the intention of having prayed
an optional prayer. He should then perform the missed prayer
and then perform the present prayer. This applies whether the
person was the Imaam or follower or praying on his own. This
is the strongest opinion of the two opinions of the scholars
concerning this issue.
2
If there is a small amount of time remaining, the
question is whether he should he begin with the missed prayer
even if the time for the present prayer expires or is he free to
choose? The scholars differed over this. Imaam Maalik said
that he should commence with the missed prayer. The opinion
of ash-Shaafi'ee, the Ashaab ar-Ra'i, and the correct opinion
of the Hanbalee school as has preceded, is that one commences
with the present prayer. Ash'hab said that one is free to
choose.3
Al-Haafidh said, "'Ayaadh said, 'The controversy is
when there are only a small number ofprayers to be made up.
If, however, there are a large number ofprayers to be made up,
there is no difference of opinion that one should start with the
present prayer. The scholars differed as to what constitutes a
small number--some saying four prayers and other saying the
prayers of one whole day."'4
1 Majmoo' Fataawaa (22/107-108).
2 Refer toal-Mughnee (2/338) and 'Aaridoh al-Ahwadbee (1/292-293).
3 Refer toFath al-Baaree (2nO) and al-Mughnee (2/340-341).
4 aI-Fath (2nO).
162
Congregatiotul(Prager
4) The Ruling of Making the Adhaan and Iqaamah for the
Missed Prayers
The prayers fall into a number of different types with
respect to the adhaan and iqaamah: I
There is a type for which the adhaan and iqaamah is
called--these being the five prescribed daily prayers.
There is a type for which the adhaan and iqaamah is
not called--these being the supererogatory prayers and the
Funeral prayers.
There is a type for which the call as-Salaah Jaami'ah
is made-these being the prayers of the eclipse, seeking rain,
and the two Eeds.
2
There is a type over which there is a difference of
opinion--these being the missed prescribed prayers. The
clarification of this matters follows.
The Jurists expressed five different opinions with
regards the ruling of calling the adhaan and iqaamah for the
missed (obligatory) prayers:
The First Opinion: "The Sunnah is to call the adhaan
and iqaamah for a single missed prayer, this being the opinion
of the Hanafee and Hanbalee schools and the established
opinion of the Shaafi'ee school. This is with regards to making
up the prayer in congregation)
If the person is making up the missed prayers on his
own, the recommendation is of a lesser degree of importance
with respect to him. This is because the purpose of the adhaan
and iqaamah is to publicly announce the prayer and there is no
need to do so here."4
The Second Opinion: Ifthere are a number of prayers
that need to be made up, then, according to the Hanafee
school, it is best that the adhaan and iqaamah be called
1 Al-Ashbaah waan-Nadhaa' ir (p. 434) by as-Suyutee.
2 What as-Suyutee mentions here that there is a call for thetwo Eed prayers and
the prayer for seeking rain, he contradicts the position of the generality of
scholars. We have mentioned it here only totruthfully and completely quote what
as-Suyutee says. All that is reported with regards totheir being acall for thetwo
Eeds is unauthentic, be it from the Prophet (peace be upon him) or the
Companions. Refer toNayl al-Awtaar (3/295-296).
3 Refer toal-Mughnee (2fi6) and Mawsoo 'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (2/369).
4 Refer to Badaa'i as-Sanaa' i (1/154), al-Muhadhdhab (1/62), Majmoo'
(3191), and Kashshaajal-fJinaa' (1/232).
163
CongregationalPrayer
separately for every prayer. According to the Hanbalee school,
and this is also the established opinion of the Shaafi'ee school,
it is recommended to call the adhaan (and the iqaamah) for the
first prayer and then only the iqaamah for the remaining
prayers. This is permissible according to the Hanafee school.!
The Third Opinion: Whoever misses a prayer or
prayers should call the iqaamah only for every prayer and not
call the adhaan. This is the opinion of the Maalikee school and
an opinion of the Shaafi'ee schoo1.
2
The Fourth Opinion: Ifone hopes that people would
join him in the prayer, he should call the adhaan and iqaamah;
if he has no hope of this, he should call the iqaamah only. This
is because the purpose of the adhaan is to gather the people for
congregation and if there is no hope of gathering the people,
there is no need to call the adhaan. This is an opinion ofthe
Shaafi'ee schoo1.
3
The Fifth Opinion: One does not perform the adhaan
or the iqaamah when making up missed prayer. This is the
opinion of Sufyaan at-Thawree.
4
The Strongest Opinion: It is recommended for
whoever misses a single prayer to pray it after calling the
adhaan and iqaamah; if he does not do this and prays, his
prayer is still considered valid and complete--this applies ifhe
is praying alone. If he has missed a number ofprayers, it is
recommended that he call the adhaan for the first prayer only
and the iqaamah for the rest. Therefore, the adhaan would be
called once, and the iqaamah for each missed prayer. It is
permissible to leave the adhaan and suffice with the iqaamah
only, even if these prayers are prayed in congregation.
S
Addendum: After deciding that this is the strongest
opinion, the person must be careful when he calls the adhaan
and iqaamah not to cause any disturbance among the people.
For example, one who is making up a missed prayer at the
time of Duhaaor after 'Asr should make the adhaan in such a
way as to fulfil the Sunnah, but not to cause confusion.
1 al.Mawsoo 'ah (2/370).
2 al-Istidhkaar (l/I11).
3 al.Majmoo' (3/90) (2n6).
4 al-Istidhkaar (l/111-113).
5 Refer to Saheeh ibn Khuzaymah (2/87 no. 973 2199 no. 997), al-Isttdhkaar
(l/111) and al-Mughnee (2n5).
164
Cmtgregat:iorul[Prayer
Wai'linllor the Appointed
Imaam and the Forbiddance 01
Establishing the Congregation
Belore Him Without Authoritv
The role of Imaam for the prayer is considered to be
one of the best actions in Islam. The best of the people should
be given the responsibility of carrying it out. "The best people"
refers to those who possess noble characteristics, such as
knowledge, piety, good recitation, and justice. The Jurists have
agreed that the appointed Imaam of a mosque has the most
right to lead the prayer.I This applies even ifthere are
others who are more knowledgeable, better reciters than him or
more pious than him. It is not permissible to commence the
prayer before him, overruling his authority. Similarly, it is not
permissible for anyone to be an Imaam in a mosque that has an
appointed Imaam except with his prior permission.
What follows is some of the statements of the Imaams
concerning this:
Imaam al-Haskafee from the Hanafee scholars said,
"Know that the owner of a house (in his house) and the Imaarn
of a mosque have the greatest right to be the Imaam,
unrestrictedly so-unless there be present the Sultaan or judge,
in which case they should lead."2
The annotator to his work, ibn Aabideen said, "The
meaning of his saying, 'unrestrictedly' is that this holds true
even if there be present those who have more knowledge and
are more proficient in reciting the Qur'aan thanhe."3 The
reason behind this is to close off the avenues that lead to
splitting and argumentation.
I Risaalahfee Iqaamab al-Hujjah 'alaa al-MusalJee!Jabl al-Imaam ar-Raatib
(p.21),
2 RaMal-Muhtaar 'alaaad-Da"al-Mukhtaar (1/375-376) by ibn Aabideen.
3 Ibid.
165
Congregatio111J1Prayer
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said, "The Legislator has
commanded that the people gather behind one Imaam with
respect to the Khaleefate, the Jumu 'ah (Friday Prayer), the
Two Eids, the prayer for seeking rain and the prayer of fear.
The reason behind this is to close off the means that lead to
disunity and difference and in order to unite the hearts and
words. This is from the greatest intentions of the Sharee'ah for
the Sharee 'ah has closed all doors that would lead to disunity
and mutual hatred, to the extent that it has ordered that the
rows of prayer be straightened so that hearts do not differ. The
evidences concerning this are too many to be mentioned."!
Ibn Furhoon from the Maalikee scholars wrote in his
Tabsirah, "Issue: If a mosque has an appointed Imaam who
leads some of the prayers, it is not allowed to pray behind
other than him in those prayers. Ibn al-Basheer said, 'There is
no difference with regards the prohibition ofthis."'2
Imaam ibn Abee Zayd al-Qayrawaanee said in his
Risaalah, "It is disliked that a second congregation be held in
any mosque that has an appointed Imaarn." The commentator
to his words, al-Manoofee said, "Meaning before the
congregation of the appointed Irnaam, alongside him or after
him. This is because this leads to mutual hatred and dispute
among the Imaarns. If such is the outcome, the action deserves
to be prohibited/'J
The Shaafi'ee scholars said, as mentioned in Minhaaj
at-Taalibeen, "The one who is the most knowledgeable and
most proficient in reciting the Quraan should be made the
Imaarn.. .. Ibn Hajr said in at- Tuhfah fee Sharh al-Minhaaj,
'That is in the case where there is no appointed Imaarn. If there
is an appointed Irnaam, he is the one who takes precedence
over all others in leading because he is the one who has been
given the legitimate authority to be the Irnaarn."'4
Ar-Raheebaanee al-Hanbalee said,
1 I'laam al-Muwaqqi 'een (3/157).
Z Tabsirah al-Hukkaam fe Usool al-Aqdiyyab waManaahij al-Abkaam by ibn
al-Firhawn al-Maalikee al-Madanee.
3 Refer to Risaalah fee Iqaamah al-Hujjah ' alaa al-Musalleejamaa' alan
qabl al-lmaam ar-Raatib minal-Kitaab waas-Sunnab ua Aqwaal Saa ' iral
A'immahal-Madhaahib (p. 20) byjamaal ad-Deen al-Qaasimee.
4 Ibid (p. 27).
166
Congreeationa[Prayer
It is forbidden for one who meets the
requirements of being an Imaam to lead the
prayer in a mosque for which there is already
an appointed Imaam without his permission.
This is because the appointed Imaam is of the
same standing as the owner of a house about
whom the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"Let not a person lead another person in his
house except with his permission." This is also
because it leads to hatred and moving away
from the appointed Imaam. It also invalidates
the benefit of appointing a specific Imaam in
the first place. Therefore, it is not valid that
one be an Imaam in a mosque in which there is
an appointed Imaam before the appointed
Imaam, without his permission. This is the
clear sense derived from the words of the
Hanbalee scholars. It is not prohibited that one
lead after the appointed Imaam has led
because he has fulfilled his duty and therefore
his right is no longer transgressed. The author
of al-Iqnaa' said, 'Except for the one who
hates the Imaam, meaning that it is not
permissible for him to lead after the Imaam
because his intention is to cause harm to the
Imaam and, therefore, he resembles the one
who leads before the appointed Imaam."!
The preceding quotes showus the important position
that the Imaam holds. They also show that what some people
do in following up and broadcasting the mistakes of the Imaam
in order to cause confusion and dislike of him is a serious
mistake and transgression of due right. It is as if, to these
people, the prayer consists merely of outward actions. So
where are they with regards to its inner aspects, such as the
I Mataaltb Ulee an-Nabee Sharh Ghaayah al-Muntahaa (5/614-615).
CongregationoIPrager
khushoo' and submission, and the uniting of the ranks under
the flag of one Imaam in this noble action of worship?
No matter what the case, the evidence is against these
people [who spread such evil] regardless of which sect or
madh-hab they may adhere to. If they had only carefully
considered the guidance of the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) and his companions, may Allah be pleased with
them, and the Righteous Salaf, then never would they have
taken this route of causing disunity in the mosques by turning
away from the congregation of the appointed Imaam and,
hence, dividing the congregation.
Abu Daawood reports in his Sunan from a number of
the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) that he said,
o " ,,0 t 0 J "J 0" #!' ""
".. 0/1\ Jli \ ". \0 J \I _ . c: i i :uJ .N
J .Q O.JIJP U U
" "
'" "

"Indeed it pleases me that the prayer of the Muslims--or he
said believers--be one." I
The one who causes people to become averse to the
Imaams should consider the Prophet's (peace be upon him)
pleasure and delight that the prayer of the Muslims is united
and one. Through this, we come to know that the one who
expends his efforts in fragmenting this unity has opposed the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), has turned away
from that which delights him and has actively disobeyed
him-and refuge is sought with Allah from that.
Abdur-Razzaaq reports in his MusannaJfrom Naafi'
who said, "The prayer was commenced in a part ofMadeenah
wherein Abdullaah bin Umar owned a piece of land. The
Imaam of that mosque was a slave and ibn Umar came in order
to attend the prayer. The Imaam said, 'Proceed and lead us.'
Ibn Umar replied, 'You have the most right to lead in your
mosque' and so the slave led the prayer."
Such was ibn Umar whose ranking in knowledge and
excellence far exceeded that of the Imaam, yet he had him lead
1 Sunan Abu Daauood [Eng. Trans. 1/130 no. 506].
168
CongregationafPrayer
due to his being the appointed Imaam. The aid of Allah is
sought [to fix our current situation].
Nobody is denying that there may occur disputes
between man and man regarding worldly and religious matters
throughout this life. Allah has decreed this through His
Wisdom. The reason behind this is that humans have been
created with different intellects and understanding, just as they
have been created having different goals, ideals and
temperaments. However, when we consider the Companions,
we find that they too had their differences and we find that
some chose the opinion of one companion and others chose the
opinion of another. Despite this, their mosque was one, their
Imaam was one and their Khateeb was one.
Is it not a tremendous calamity that some rash and
thoughtless people spend their time in discovering and
exposing the faults ofthe scholars and Imaams and it does not
distress them that their actions are foolish and transgressing
the rights of others? To these people and those who think like
them we say: Withdraw your hands from that which does not
concern you and concerning which you have no right to delve
into. Do not delve into that which you have nothing to do with
and will not be questioned about. The Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
"From the excellence of the Islam of a person is his leaving
that which does not concern him."!
We do not deny the fact that there are Imaams who do
not fulfil their responsibilities and who are lax in performing
their obligations. For example, you could see one of them
neglecting his mosque and not being constant in performing
his duty of leading the prayers, nor does he respond to the
advice of his followers. This is a grave error that should be
1 Reported by at-Tirmidhee (no. 2317), ibnMaajah (no. 3976) and it isabasan
hadeeth when taking into account its supporting evidence. [This hadith isonthe
borderline between basan and weak. However, most likely, it isaweak hadith.
For a detailed discussion of this hadith, see Jamaal ai-Din Zarabozo,
Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi (Boulder, co: A1-Basheer
Company for Publications and Translations, 1999), vol. 2,pp. 580-88.---:JZ]
169
Congregationa[Prayer
realized and corrected. Everyone should know the rights and
duties upon him. So fear Allah as He should be feared. Know
that Allah is the One Who Knows the true intentions of people
and he is the One who guides to the Straight Path.
170
Congregational Prayer
Closel, Following thelmaam
It is a must upon the follower to closely follow the
Imaam, irrespective of whether it be at the beginning or end of
the prayer. 'This is due to what Abu Daawood reports in his
Sunan from the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
J1 r!:>.-
"'" "'" "'" "'"
;',. ;';' 0;' ;';';' 0...-: ;' ... 0 1. ;'"

"When you come to the prayer and we are in prostration,
prostrate and do not count it as (a complete rak'ah]. Whoever
catches a rak'ah has caught the prayer."]
Sa' eed bin Mansoor reports in his Sunan from a group
of the People of Madeenah that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,
"Whoever finds me standing, bowing, or prostrating, let him
join me in the same state that he finds me in." 2
This holds true for everyone who comes to the mosque
and finds that the prayer has been started. He should not busy
himself with making up missed prayers, praying the prayer for
greeting the mosque or praying optional prayers, be it in his
house or in the mosque.
The reason for this is that when the Mu 'addhin starts
calling the iqaamah for prayer, it is one of the causes that
prevents the performance of optional prayers.
3
Muslim reports
1 Sunan AbuDaauood [Eng. Trans. 1/228 no. 892].
2 Refer toNayl al-Awtaar (3/173) andSayl al-Jarraar (1/267).
3 al-Mawsoo 'ah al-Fiqhiyyah (12/168-169).
171
CtmgregationalPrayer
in his Saheeh from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
"ootP..- """"" I""
')1

"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been said, there is no
prayer except the obligatory prayer." I Ahmad, may Allah
have mercy upon him, has the wording,
I t >
C ')1 C

"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been said, there is no
prayer except the one that has been established."2
There are three points that need to be discussed here:
(1) The ruling of what one should do when one enters
the mosque and the prayer has been started.
(2) What to do if the iqaamah is called while one is
praying an optional prayer.
(3) What to do if one has started praying an obligatory
prayer, one that has been missed or the present one, either
alone or in congregation, and the iqaamah is called.
The scholars have a detailed analysis of these three
points. I will summarize them here and mention the strongest
opinions-and the Aid of Allah is sought.
The Maalikee Opinion
It is forbidden for the one who arrives late to start
praying an optional or obligatory prayer after the iqaamah has
been called for the prayer that is to be led by the appointed
Imaam. When the iqaamah has been called in the mosque
while one is praying an obligatory or optional prayer in the
mosque or in his home, then, if he fears that he will miss a
rak 'ah with the Imaam, he, without any exception, should
discontinue his prayer and join the prayer with the Imaam. He
should discontinue his prayer by saying the salaam or by doing
I SoheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. No. 710, no. 631.
2MusnadAhmad (2/353).
172
Congregationa{Prager
something that would invalidate the prayer, such as talking or
making the intention to invalidate the prayer.
If, however, he does not fear that he will miss a
rak'ah, he should complete his prayer as an optional prayer
and as two rak'ahs. It is recommended that he pray it sitting
down.
If he is praying the very same prayer that has been
commenced-for example, he was praying the 'Asr prayer and
then the iqaamah for the 'Asr prayer was called for the
congregational prayer-he should finish the prayer before he
reaches the odd numbered rak'ahs and not complete the
prayer. If he has only prayed one rak'ah, he should add to it a
second. If he is praying his second rak'ah, he should complete
it. If he is praying his third rak'ah but has not completed it,
meaning that he has not yet performed its prostrations, then he
should sit again, say the tashahhudand then say the salaam.
This holds true for the case when he is praying the prayers that
consist of four rak'ahs.
If he is praying Fajr or Maghrib and the
congregational prayer is commenced, he should discontinue
his prayer and join the congregation, so that the possibility of
its being considered an optional prayer being prayed at a
prohibited time no longer remains. If, however, he has
completed the second or third rak'ah of Maghrib or the second
rak'ah of Fajr, he should complete the prayer with the
intention of it being the obligatory prayer. I
The Shaafl' ee Opinion
If one is praying an optional prayer and the iqaamah
for the congregational prayer is called, then, ifhe does not fear
that he will miss the congregational prayer, he should complete
his optional prayer and afterwards join the congregation. Ifhe
fears that he will miss the congregational prayer, he should cut
off his prayer because the congregational prayer is better and
more superior. One can also make the intention to enter the
congregation without actuaIly severing his (current prayer). If
he enters the mosque and the prayer has already been
Refer to ash-Sbarb as-Sagbee: (1/431) and Qawaaneen at-Ahkaam at
F;qbiyyah (p. 68).
173
I
CongregationalPrager
established, he is not to busy himself with praying optional
prayers due to the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying,
, I I 41" ".J",. I "
~ p \ \11 o ~ ')\j o ~ \ C : _ ~ \ \ ~ 1
~ ~
"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been said, there is no
prayer except for the obligatory prayer." 1
The Hanbalee Opinion
When the Mu'adhdhin starts calling the iqaamah for
the congregational prayer, there is no prayer save the
obligatory prayer. Therefore, one should not start praying any
optional prayers whatsoever nor the regular sunnah prayers, be
they the sunnahs of Fajr or any other prayer, be it in the
mosque or in one's house. This due to the generality ofthe
aforementioned hadeeth.
If one does pray an optional prayer after the iqaamah
has been called, this prayer of his is not counted due to what
the hadeeth mentions,
.J 0 0 r/I" ".J" I "
~ p \ \11 o ~ ')\j o ~ \ :.:. : _ ~ \ \ ~ 1
~ ~
"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been said, there is no
prayer except the obligatory prayer." 2
Also, al-Bayhaqee reported in his Sunan that, "Umar
bin al-Khattaab used to beat the people for praying after the
iqaamah had been called."3
If the prayer has been commenced while one is
praying optional prayers, even if he is not in the mosque, he
should complete the prayer with quick rak'ahs, even if he
misses a rak'ah of the congregational prayer. This is based on
Allah's words,
1 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. No. 710, no. 63],
2 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. No. 710, no. 63].
3 Sunan al-Kubraa (2/483) andrefer toal-Muhallaa (3/151, 308) by ibnHazm
adh-Dhaahiree.
174
CongregatiotulfPrayer
"...And do not invalidate your actions" [Muhammad (47):33].
He should not pray more than two rak'ahs. If he had
started a third rak'ah (when the iqaamah is called), he should
complete the prayer as four rak'ahs because this is better than
praying three. If, however, he were to end the prayer at the
third rak'ah by saying the salaam, such is also permissible.
All of this holds true unless the one praying the
optional prayer fears that he will miss the congregational
prayer altogether. In that case, he discontinues his prayer and
joins the congregation, because the obligatory prayer is more
important.l
The Hanafee Opinion
If one starts praying the obligatory prayer, or is
making up a missed prayer and the iqaamah for the
congregational prayer is called, then, ifhe is praying Fajr or
Maghrib and is still in the first rak 'ah--even if this be after
the prostration-it is upon him to discontinue his prayer by
saying the salaam and join the congregation. If he is in the
second rak'ah and has not yet performed the prostrations, it is
also upon him to discontinue his prayer. However, ifhe has
already performed the prostrations, he should complete the
prayer.
If one is praying a prayer consisting of four rak'ahs,
for example, Dhuhur or 'Asr and if he is in the first rak'ah and
before the prostration, he should discontinue his prayer and
join the Imaam. Ifhe has performed the prostrations of the first
rak'ah, he should complete the prayer in two rak'ahs and join
the congregation in order to attain the superiority and
excellence of the congregation. What he prayed is counted as
an optional prayer.
If he has stood for the third rak'ah and the iqaamah is
called for the congregational prayer before his performing its
prostrations, he should discontinue his prayer by saying one
salaam while standing. If he has completed his third rak'ah of
a four rak'ah prayer or Maghrib, he should complete his
prayer (as it should be) because performing the majority has
the same ruling as performing the totality. Then he should pray
1 Kasbsbaajal-Qinaa' (1/5390.
175
Congregationa{Prager
with the congregation. This prayer will be counted as an
optional prayer because the obligatory prayer cannot be
repeated in one time period. The evidence for this lies in what
was said by Yazeed al-Aswad,
"I accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him) on his Hajj
and I prayed Fajr with him in the Mosque of Khayf. At that
time I was a young man. When he finished the prayer, he saw
two people who had not prayed with him. He said, 'Bring them
to me. I So they were summoned and came apprehensively. He
asked them, What prevented you from praying with us? I They
replied, '0 Messenger of Allah, we already prayed in our
houses.' He said, 'Do not do this again. If you have prayed in
your houses and then come to the mosque to find a
congregation there, pray with them, for it will be counted as an
optional prayer for you. '" I
Whoever enters the mosque and finds that the prayer
has commenced, he is to join the congregation and he is not to
perform any optional prayers, unless they be the sunnahs of
Fajr which he should pray near the door of the mosque and
then enter. This is when he does not fear that by doing this he
will miss the congregational prayer. Ifhe fears he will miss the
prayer, he should join the Imaam in praying the obligatory
Sunan at-Tirmidhee (2/18 -Aaridah al-Ahwadhee), SunanAbu Daauood
[Eng. Trans. 1/151 no. 575] andMustadrak al-Haakim (1/244).
176
I
Cottgregationll{Prayer
prayer. This is because the reward of the congregation is
greater and the threat in leaving it is far more severe.I
The Correct Opinion
It is obligatory upon whoever hears the iqaamah that
he not involve himself in reciting the Qur'aan, reciting words
of remembrance of Allah, commencing a prayer, praying the
sunnahs of Fajr or performing any other prayer, be this in his
house or in the mosque. Instead, he must concern himself with
going [to the prayer] and following the Imaam.
Ibn Hazm wrote in al-Muhallaa, "Issue: Whoever
hears the iqaamali for the Fajr prayer and knows that were he
to pray the sunnahs of Fajr, he will miss a portion of the Fajr
prayer, even if only it be the opening takbeer, then it is not
permissible for him to involve himself in praying them. Were
he to pray them, he would have disobeyed Allah, the Exalted.
When he has completed the prayer with the Imaam he can, if
he wishes, pray the two sunnahs or he can leave them. This
also applies to the one who is praying optional prayers and
during them the iqaamab for the obligatory prayer has been
called [that is, he should leave his optional prayer if he fears
missing a part of the prayer.]"
Then he went on to say, "We do not know of any
evidence from the Qur'aan, the authentic Sunnah or even the
weak ahaadeeth, the consensus, analogy, and the saying of the
Companions that would support the opinion of Abu Haneefah
and Maalik. Hence, due to their opinion being devoid of proof,
we make recourse to our opinion [previously mentioned] and
found that the clear proofs lay with it."2
Then he mentioned a number of ahaadeeth and
narrations concerning this, including he previously mentioned
hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah,
, , ~ O ~ ; ' "",. I'"
~ ~ \ ~ l oJCP JU o"i:J\ c: . ~ \ \ ~ l
~ ~
I Refer toPath al-Qadeer 0/335-342) and Tabyeen al-Haqaa' iq 0/180-184).
zal-Muballaa (3/143-152 no. 308).
177
Congregationa{Prayer
"When the iqaamah for the prayer has been said then there is
no prayer except for the obligatory prayer." 1
There is also the hadeeth reported by ibn Buhaynah,
Abdullaah bin Malik,
WI L.. Jl\ J' r': c..:...;f
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"The Fajr prayer was commenced and the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) saw a man praying while the Mu 'adhdhin
was calling the iqaamah and he said, 'Are you praying Fajr as
four rak'ahs?"'2
Ibraaheem an-Nakhaee said concerning the one who
finds the Imaam praying while he has yet to pray the two
sunnahs ofFajr, "He starts with the obligatory prayer."
Sa' eed bin Jubair said, "Discontinue your prayer at the
time of iqaamah."
Similar other ahaadeeth and narrations come from a
number of the Salaf, may Allah be pleased with them all. This
is the opinion that Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah determined
to be the strongest.I as did his student, al-Allaamah ibn
Qayyim al-Jawziyyalrt and others. Allah Knows best.
1 SabeebMuslim [Eng. Trans. No. 710, no. 63].
2 Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/357 no. 632] and Muslim [Eng. Trans.
1/346 no. 1536] and the wording is Muslim's.
3 Majmoo ' Fataawaa (23/264).
4 l'laam al-Muwaqqi 'een (2/356-357).
178
C011fJ'egatio1101Prager
Conveving Ithe TalblJlJlSJ
behind thelmaam in
Congregational Praver
First: From the sunnahs of the prayer is that the Imaam
pronounces the takbeer, tasmee', and the salaam as loudly as
the need dictates so that the followers can hear him. It is
disliked for the Imaam to raise his voice more than what is
needed.
The takbeer and the statements made upon moving
from position to position in prayer are to come from the
Imaam. However, if his voice does not reach those who are
behind him, it is desired that one of the followers convey his
statements. The meaning of takbeer here is the opening
takbeer and the takbeers said upon moving from position to
position in the prayer.
Second: The linguistic meaning of tableegh
(conveyance), being derived from the verb ballagha, is to
convey and reach. It is said, "something ballagha to him"
when it was made to reach him. "The salaam has been
ballagha, " when it has reached him. 1
The Sharee 'ah meaning of this word is more specific
than the linguistic meaning. It means to announce and inform,
because one is conveying the information.
2
The meaning of tableegh in congregational prayer is to
convey the statements of takbeer made by the Imaam so that
those led can hear it.
3
.
The evidence for the sanctioning of tableegh lies in the
hadeeth reported by al-Bukhaaree from Aa'ishah who said,
1 al-Misbaah al-Muneer andMu'jam Lugha al-Puqabaa (1/120).
2 Radd al-Mukhtaar alaa ad-Darral-Mukhtaar (1/319) by ibnAabideen.
3Mu'jam Lugha al-Puqabaa (1/120).
179
Congregatimta{Prayer
.w iiI tp" \j"., i"A ". ..
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(JiI oJ 'IJ 0...... 0 , .................." .- J t
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...... f$ ........................
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"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fell ill
with the illness from which he died, Bilaal came to him to
inform him ofthe prayer. He said, 'Order Abu Bakr to lead the
prayer.' I (Aa'ishah) said, 'Abu Bakr is a soft hearted man and
were he to stand and lead the prayer in your place, he would
weep so much that he would not be able to recite the Qur' aan.'
The Prophet (peace be upon him) repeated the same request
three or four times and on each occasion I repeated what I said.
He then said, 'Indeed, you are like the companions ofYusuf;
order Abu Bakr to lead the prayer.' So Abu Bakr led the
prayer. In the meantime the Prophet (peace be upon him)
[recovered slightly] and came out with the help of two men
and it is if I can still see him dragging his feet on the ground.
When Abu Bakr saw him, he tried to retreat but the Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) indicated to him to continue
leading. Abu Bakr retreated and the Prophet (peace be upon
him) sat by his side and Abu Bakr repeated the takbeer of the
Prophet (peace be upon him) for the people to hear."}
1 Saheeb al-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/383 no. 680].
180
Ccmgrl?!JatiJJ1Ul{Prayer
The Opinions of the Jurists Concerning the Tab/eegh
The opinion of the Shaafi'ee! and Hanafee-i scholars
is that it is obligatory upon the one who is
conveying-;egardless of whether he is the Imaam or
follower-i-to have the intention to enter the prayer when
saying the initial takbeer. Ifhis intention was only to convey,
his prayer would not have been initiated. Ifhis intentionwas to
say the initial takbeer for entering the prayer and also to
conveythe wording, his prayer is valid.
The Maalikees are of the opinion that it is permissible
to appoint a specific person to convey the announcements so
that the people can hear, and his prayer is valid even ifhis
intention was (solely) to convey when he said the takbeer and
tahmeed (the saying of sami-Allaahu liman hamidah).3
The Hanbalees are of the opinion that "It is
recommended that the Imaam say the announcements loud
enough so that the followers can hear (and thereby know)
when he moves from position to position in prayer, for
example he says the opening takbeer aloud. If the words of the
Imaam are not heard by all the followers, it is recommended
that some of the followers raise their voices so the others can
hear."4
Ibn Qudaamah, may Allah have mercy uponhim, said,
"It is recommended that the Imaam say the takbeer loud
enough so the followers can hear him and then in turn say the
takbeer, for it is not permissible for them to say the takbeer
except after his pronouncement of the takbeer. If it is not
possible for him to make all the followers hear, it is
recommended for some of the followers to say the takbeers
loudly so that the rest, who could not hear the Imaam, can hear
them."5
From what has preceded we are able to establish the
following regulations:
1 al.Majmoo' (3/398).
Z Rasaa' il ibnAabitleen (11318).
sHaashiyah ad-Dasooqee (1/318).
4 a/-Mughnee (2/128-129).
; Ibid.
181
Congregationa{Prayer
The Sunnah is that the Imaam should say the takbeer,
tahmeed, and salaam aloud to the extent required, allowing
those following to hear him.
If it is not possible for all of the followers to hear due
to a reason linked with the Imaam, their being a large
congregation, or their being some obstacle that prevents his
voice from reaching them, is it permissible for one of the
followers to convey the voice of the Imaam? The clear position
arrived at from the Sunnah is that this is permissible and the
evidence has preceded.
But when we look to the reality in many oftoday's
mosques, we find that the tableegh has been used at other than
its correct occasion and in a way that has not been legislated.
This is because the tableegh in many Muslim lands has been
taken as something necessary and is used without considering
the wisdom and reason behind its legislation. Therefore, this
matter has become something customary rather than something
which is a Sunnah that is to be enacted due to specific reasons.
Conveying Behind the Imaam in the Two Holy Mosques
At this juncture it would be good to mention that it is
not desired to perform the tableegh behind the Imaam in the
Two Holy Mosques of Mecca and Madeenah. This is because
there exists no need for it since loudspeakers are employed that
fulfil the objective ofthe tableegh in a far more complete way.
The one who considers the words of the People of
Knowledge that have preceded and their difference concerning
this issue will find that they did not state the permissibility of
the tableegh except in specific circumstances and on rare
occasions. Indeed, some of them forbade the tableegh
unrestrictedly. I wish to alert everyone to this so that we are
able to distinguish our words and actions that are customary
from those that are done as actions of worship in the most
important pillar of Islam after the testimony of faith.
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taimiyyah said,
The tableegh and takbeer and raising the voice
when saying the tahmeed and tasleem were not
practiced during the time of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him), nor in the time of
182
his Khaleefahs, and not for a long time
afterwards, except on two occasions. The first
time was when the Messenger (peace be upon
him) injured himself by falling off his horse
and, therefore, prayed in his house sitting. Abu
Bakr conveyed the takbeer from him as is
reported by Muslim in his Saheeh. The second
time was on the occasion ofhis illness from
which he died and Abu Bakr conveyed from
him, and this is well known.
There is no difference among the scholars that
it is not recommended to do this tableegh
when there is no need. Indeed, many of them
explicitly stated that it was detestable and
some of them said that doing this invalidates
the prayer of the one doing it. This opinion is
voiced in the school of thought of Maalik,
Ahmad and others. The scholars have differed
concerning the case when there is a need, such
as (some of) the followers being far away from
the Imaam, or due to the physical weakness of
the Imaam or other such things. The well
known opinion among the Hanbalees is that
the tableegh is permissible under this
circumstance, and this is the most authentic
opinion of the two opinions voiced by the
Maalikees. It has reached me that Ahmad
refrained from voicing an opinion concerning
this. Given the opinion that it is permissible, it
is conditional upon the fact that the one
conveying omits none ofthe obligations ofthe
prayer.
As for the case when the calmness and
tranquillity of the one conveying is greatly
disturbed, his prayer is rendered invalid
according to the most of the scholars, as is
proven by the Sunnah. Also, if the one
conveying precedes the Imaam, this also
renders his prayer invalid according to what is
183
Cangregatiorra{Prayer
clear from the Hanbalee school of fiqh. This
opinion is proven by the Sunnah and
statements of the Companions. If the one
conveying omits the dhikr performed in the
bowing and prostrating, then there is a
difference as whether or not his prayer is
rendered invalid. The apparent stance of the
Hanbalee school of thought is that it is invalid.
There is no doubt that conveying without any
need is a bid'ah. Whoever believes that it is
unrestrictedly an action which draws one close
to Allah, then there is no doubt that he is either
ignorant or an obstinate denier. All of the
scholars have mentioned in their books, even
in their books in which they do not delve into
detail, that "none of the takbeers should be
articulated aloud unless one is the Imaam."
Whoever persists upon his belief that the
tableegh is unrestrictedly an action which
draws one close to Allah should be punished
for this act, due to his contradicting the
consensus-this being the least possible stance
taken against him. Allah Knows best.!
I Majmoo' Fataawaa (23/400-403).
184
Tbe Ruling 01 Reciting Bebind
tbe Imaam in Congregational Praver
The five obligatory prayers prayed in congregation are
either of the type in which the recitation is silent, such as
Dhuhur and Asr, or where the recitation is aloud, such as
Fajr, Maghrib and 'Ishaa. The recitation in these latter prayers
is considered to be aloud from the point of view that the
Imaam recites Surah al-Faatihah and what comes afterwards
in the first two rak 'ahs aloud and silently in the remaining
rak 'ahs of Maghrib and 'Ishaa.
This is with respect to the Imaam. With respect to the
followers, should they recite behind the Imaam in
congregational prayer? If so, when should they recite? What is
the ruling of this recitation according to the Jurists? This is
what we shall discuss here inshaa 'Allah.
The Prayer in Which the Recitation is Silent
The majority of the People of Knowledge are of the
opinion that the follower recites al-Faatihah silently behind
the Imaam for Dhuhur and 'Asr prayers, the third rak "ah of
Maghrib and the last two rak'ahs of Tshaa. However they
differ as to whether this is recommended or obligatory.
The generality of the evidences stress the desirability
that the follower recite and not be lax with regards to this,
especially with respect to Surah al-Faatihah. This is due to
what ibn Maajah reports with his chain of narrators from Jaabir
bin Abdullah who said,
185
CongregationalPrayer
"We used to recite Surah al-Faatihah and another surah in the
first two rak'ahs of Dhuhur and Asr. and al-Faatihah in the
last two rak'ahs when praying behind the Imaam:'
l
The Sunnah is to recite silently and it is disliked to
recite aloud.2
The evidence for this lies in what "Imraan bin Husayn
reported:
0f
k '" '" '" ..-: "'<I" '" rf"" "0 I 41
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The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed Dhuhur
and a person he was leading started reciting Surah al-A 'laa.
When the Messenger of Allah had completed the prayer. he
said. "Which one of you was reciting," or. "Who was the
reciter?" The man replied. "It was 1:' He said. '1 thought that
some of you were competing with me in it. "3
The Prayer in Which the Recitation is Aloud
The scholars have differed concerning this issue.
4
It is
reported from a group of the Companions that they obligated
reciting behind the Imaam and it is reported from others that
they did not use to recite behind the Imaam. Therefore the
Jurists have divided into three opinions concerning this:
First Opinion: Reciting behind the Imaam is
obligatory in both the aloud and silent prayers.
Second Opinion: The follower is not to recite behind
the Imaam, be it the aloud or silent prayers.
1 Sunan ibnMaajah (1/151 no. 827).
2 al-Mawsoo' ahal-Piqhbiyah (16/183).
3 SaheehMuslim [Eng, Trans. 1/218 no. 783].
4 Refer to Ma ' aalim as-Sunan by alKhattaabee, with Tahdheeb as-Sunan by
ibn al-Qayyim in themargin (1/394) andMajmoo' Pataawaa (22/294-296).
186
Congregatio1tJllPrager
Third Opinion: The follower recites in those prayers
in which the Imaam recites silently but does not recite in the
prayers in which the Imaam recites aloud, regardless of
whether he hears the recitation or not.
Before you is an analysis of each opinion along with
its proponents and their evidence.
The First Opinion: Reciting Behind the Imaam Is Obligatory in
Both the Aloud and Silent Prayers
This is the opinion of ash-Shaafi'ee and a reported
opinion of the Hanbalee school. It is also the chosen opinion of
Imaam al-Bukhaaree, ash-Shawkaanee and others.
Their evidence lies in the following:
First is the hadeeth reported by Ubaadah bin Saamit
that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
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,
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,
.
''There is no prayer for the one who does not recite the
Opening Chapter of the Book."l
There is also the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah in which
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
,,'" , "'... '" Jo J 0 '" , '"
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"Whoever prays a prayer in which he does not recite al
Faatihah, then it is deficient, it is deficient, it is deficient, it is
incomplete."2 This hadeeth is general and applies to the
Imaam, the follower and the one praying alone.
Next there is the hadeeth of Anas that the Prophet
(peace be upon him) asked (his Companions),
al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/404 no. 723], Muslim [Eng. Trans, 1/214 no. 771],
Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/210 no. 822], Tirrnidhee (no. 247), Nasaaee
(2/137-138), and al-Haakim in al-Mustadrak (1/238).
2 Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/215 no. 775].
187
I
CongregationalPrager
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"Do you recite in your prayers while the Imaam is reciting?"
They remained silent and he repeated the question three times.
Then a person said, "Indeed we do so." He replied, "Do not do
so but let each of you recite the Faatihah of the Book to
himself."1
And there are many other ahaadeeth of this nature.
Also, there are a number of authentic and established
narrations from the Companions that cement the fact that
reciting al-Faatihah behind the Imaam is recommended. These
include:
Yazeed bin Shareek at-Tameemee said, "I asked Umar
bin al-Khattaab, 'Should I recite when praying behind an
Imaam, 0 Leader of the Believers?' He replied, 'Yes.' I asked,
'Even if you recited?' He said, 'Even if! recited."'2
Imraan bin Husayn said, "Do not consider the prayer
of a Muslim to be correct except with purity, ruku' and the
Faatihah of the Book whether behind the Imaam or without
the Imaam."3
Abu ad-Dardaa said, "Do not leave reciting the
Faatihah of the Book behind the Imaam whether he recites
aloud or not." A similar statement was made by ibn Abbaas.
4
al-Haytharnee said, "Reported by Abu Ya' laaand at-Taharaanee inal-Awsat
and its narrators are trustworthy andprecise." Majmo' azZawaa'id(2/110).
[This hadith was recorded in a number ofbooks, including Sabeeh ibnHibbaan
and Sunan al-Baihaqi. The chains ofthehadith are atleast basan, asShuaib al
Arnaaoot and Khaldoon aI-Ahdah have pointed out. It was also used asevidence
by al-Bukharl himself. Cf., for example, Shuaib aI-Arnaaoot, footnotes toAmeer
Alaa aI-Deen aI-Faarisi, al-Ihsaan ft Taqreeb Saheeh ibn Hibbaan (Beirut:
Muassasat al-Risaalah, 1988), vol. 5,p. 153.-JZ]
2 at-Ta 'leeqa/-Mugbnee 'a/aa Sunan ad-Daa1'Ul{utnee (1/317).
3 al-Qiraa ' ahKhalfa/-lmaam (pg. 6) by al-Bayhaqee.
4 as-Sunan al-Kubraa (2/169) byal-Bayhaqee.
188
1
CongrrgationafPrayer
The Second Opinion: The Follower Does Not Recite in Either
the Prayers Said Silently or Aloud
This is the opinion of the Hanafee School and the
chosen opinion of the Hanbalee School and others.1
From their proofs is:
The mursal report of Abdullaah bin Shidaad that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
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4
1
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"Whoever has an Imaam, then the recitation of the Imaam is
the recitation for him."2
From the narrations they depend upon are:
Ibn Umar, replying to a question posed to him about
whether one should recite behind the Imaam, said, "When one
of you prays behind the Imaam, the recitation of the Imaam
suffices him. When one of you prays alone, let him recite."
1 Refer toPath al-Qadeer (1/294) and al-Insaaf(2/56) by al-Mardaawee.
2 Reported by Ibn Maajah (1/105) and it isweak. The author ofMishaah as
ZUjaajah fee Zawaa' ill ibn Maajab (1/105) said, "Its chain contains the liar
Jaabir and thehadeeth contradicts what the six works report from the hadeeth of
Ubaadah bin Saamit." Ibn Hajr said inTalkhees al-Habeer 0/232), "It Is well
known from the hadeeth ofJaabir and he reports it via a number ofroutes from
a group of the Companions and all theroutes are defective." Ad-Daaruqutnee
said inhis Sunan (1/331), "Jaabir and Layth are both weak" Al-Allaamah ibn al
Qayylm said in Tahdbeeb as-Sunan (1/349 in the margin ofMa 'aalimas
Sunan) , "They have no proof with this had.eeth because it ismursal and the
mursal had.eeth is weak and cannot betaken tooppose asaheeh had.eeth that
has itschain continuously linked back tothe Prophet (peace be upon him). Also,
the recitation of the Imaam cannot be considered to be the recitation ofthe
follower unless hehears it. As for thecase when hedoes not hear the recitation,
the Imaam's recitation cannot be considered his recitation. So it becomes
necessary for him to recite. 'This is alongside the multitude of ahaadeeth
enjoining one torecite inthe prayer. Also, itis not correct to remain silent when
one should recite. It istruly amazing thatwe find thePeople ofOpinion enjoining
the follower to recite the opening supplication, the tasbeeh while inruku' and
sujood, and the tashahhud while forbidding him from reciting the Qur" aan
thinking that the Imaam recites for all. Why is notthe same true for the takbeer,
tasbeeh and the other matters? 11lis is from the strange consequences ofblind
and rigid following. May Allah guide ustothe straight way."
189
ConIJrrgatibnllfPrayer
And Abdullaah bin Umar did not use to recite behind the
Imaam.l
Katheer bin Murrah said, "Abu ad-Dardaa was asked if
there was recitation in every prayer to which he replied, 'When
the Imaam leads a people, I do not see except that his
recitation suffices them."'2
The 'fhlrd Opinion: The Follower Recites In the Prayers That
Are Performed Silently but Not In Those Performed
Aloud
The third opinion is that the follower only does not
recite in the prayers said aloud, this is regardless of whether
the follower hears the recitation of the Imaam or not. This is
the opinion of Imaam Maalik and the majority of his
companions, Abdullaah bin al-Mubaarak, Imaam Ahmad and
the majority of his companions, Ishaaq bin Raahawayah and
others}
From their proofs is:
Allah says in the Quran,
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"When the Qur'aan is recited, listen and be silent so that
perchance you may have Mercy bestowed upon you" [al
A'raa!(7):204].4
There is also the hadeeth of Abu Musa al-Ash'aree
that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
I as-Sunon al-Kubrao (2/161).
2 at-Ta'leeq al-Mughnee "alaa Sunan ad-Daaruqutnee (11232 found inthe
margin ofSunan ad-Daoruqutnee).
~ NOllal-Awtoar (2/241).
4 They say that this verse isgeneral toal-Faotibah andother verses. But those
who opine that it is necessary torecite say that thegenerality ofthis verse has
been specified by the hadeeth of Ubaadah bin Saamit and the principle of
building the general upon the specific iswell established. Cf., NOllal-Awtaar
(2/241).
CongregationolPrayer
"...And when he recites, remain silent."l
They mentioned many more ahaadeeth but space does
not allow that they be mentioned.
The Strongest Opinion
From what has preceded, it becomes clear that the
reason behind the difference concerning this issue lies with the
different methods that the scholars used in reconciling the
various ahaadeeth.2
The Shaafi'ee scholars exempted the recitation of al
Faatihah from the general prohibition of reciting when the
Imaam is reciting aloud, enacting the hadeeth of Ubaadah bin
Saamit.
The Maalikee and Hanbalee scholars exempted the
recitation of al-Faatihah in the prayers in which the Imaam
recites aloud from the generality of the hadeeth, 'There is no
prayer for the one who does not recite the Faatihah of the
Book." This is due to the prohibition contained in the hadeeth
of Abu Hurayrah, "...and when he recites, remain silent" and
due to the saying of Allah.
, J " , "" , J , '0" J ... '"
4);';'") 1/,ntiJ JJ I;,;...IJ 1J\s.:J)1 t.>! I ~ ~ J
"When the Qur'aan is recited, listen and be silent so that
perchance you may have Mercy bestowed upon you" [al
A'raaf (7):204].
The Hanafee scholars exempted the obligation of
reciting by the follower for any prayer when being led by an
Imaam. They made the obligation of recitation to be upon the
Imaam only, enacting the hadeeth of Jaabir reported by
Muslim. So the hadeeth of Jaabir specifies the generality of the
Prophet's saying, "and recite what is easy which you have."
This is because they are not of the opinion that it is obligatory
to recite al-Faatihah in the prayer. Instead, what is obligatory
is that one recites a portion of the Qur'aan due to Allah's
saying,
1 [Referring to the hadeeth which haspreceded, "Indeed the Imaam has only
been appointed tobefollowed..." Trans.]
2 Refer toBidaayab al-Mujtabid (1/149) by ibn Rushd to see thereasons behind
thedifference concerning this issue.
191
{Prager
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"And recite what is easy thereof from the Quraan"
[Muzzammil (73) :20].1
I say: When the reason behind the difference becomes
clear to you with the resultant opinion and its evidence, it
behoves the Muslim that he take to every opinion that is
proven through evidence. Reconciling the evidences and
thereby enacting them all is better than acting upon some and
ignoring the rest. This is because the words ofthe Legislator
can never be contradictory; instead, they must be reconciled.
The opinion that the follower remains silent when the
Imaam recites aloud and recites when the Imaam recites
silently is the opinion that best reconciles the evidences.
Therefore, the texts commanding one to remain silent are to be
taken to refer to the prayer in which the Imaam recites aloud
and the texts commanding one to recite are to be taken to refer
to the prayer in which the Imaam recites silently.
However this matter will always fall into one of two
cases:
The first case is where the Imaam has periods of
silence (while reciting) to allow the follower to recite in those
periods. But this act of silence is not necessary.2 In this case,
it is not permissible that the follower be lax in reciting al
Faatihah.
Al-Mardaawee said, "It is recommended that one
recite during the pauses of the Imaam. This is the preferred
opinion and this is what the majority adhere to. Many of them
decisively stated this and it is said that it is obligatory to recite
during the pauses of the Imaam."3
The second case is where the Imaam does not have
periods of silence. In this case, the correct position is that it is
1 The hadeeth of Jaabir is reported by Muslim (1/304 no. 399 Kitaab as-Salaah,
chpt. 13) and Ahmad (2/420). "Abu Daawood and agroup ofthescholars said
that the hadeeth of Abu Musaa is not preserved and has been censured Al
Bayhaqee said, 'The agreement ofall ofthese hadeeth masters over theweakness
of this hadeeth takes precedence over theauthentication ofMuslim.'" Refer to
Faytlb al-Qadeer (1/416 no. 793) ofal-Munaawee.
2 Majmoo' Fataawaa (23/272).
3 al-lnsaa!(2/228-229).
192
Congregationa[Prager
obligatory upon the follower to listen to the recitation of the
Imaam and remain silent. This is due to the saying of Allah,
",,,,,,, ", , "" ,. '" ,,,,,,
li,an) AJ ..\i ts}
, ,
"When the Qur'aan is recited, listen and be silent" [al-A'raaf
(7): 204].
The command to remain silent adjoining the order to
listen stresses the importance of listening. Therefore, it is
obvious that remaining silent in prayer is the more deserving
course of action. If this were not the case, for whom is the
Imaam reciting?
Furthermore, if the followers were to recite for
themselves in the prayers read aloud, leaving the Imaam to
recite for himself, this means that the Imaam is not being
followed in this. This is incomprehensiblebecausethe Imaam
has been appointed only to be followed.
However, it is possible that there be certain
circumstances in which it is recommended for the follower to
recite al-Faatihah (in the aloud prayers). For example, the
follower may not be able to hear the Imaam due to being far
away or his only making out the murmuring of the Imaam, not
being able to understand the words. In such cases, he should
recite al-Faatihah, as is reported from Ahmad in one
narration.1
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah wrote,
The scholars are in a state ofdifference and
confusion over reciting behind the Imaam,
despite the widespreadneed ofunderstanding
this issue. The principle opinions are three:
two extremes and one balanced.
The first extreme is that one never recites
behind the Imaam. The second extreme is that
one always recites behind the Imaam. The
third view, being the opinion of the majority
of the Salaf, is if one hears the recitation of the
Imaam, he remains silent and does not recite.
If he cannot hear the recitation ofthe Imaam,
he recites for himself. Indeed his reciting is
I al-Insaa!(2/228-229).
193
Congregationll{Prayer
better than his remaining silent. This is the
opinion of the majority of scholars, from
among them: Maalik, Ahmad bin Hanbal and
the majority of their companions, a group of
the companions of ash-Shaafi'ee and Abu
Haneefah. It is the old opinion of ash
Shaafi'ee and it is the opinion of Muhammad
bin aI-Hasan.
Then he said, may Allah have mercy upon him,
When the Imaam recites aloud, the follower
listens to his recitation. Ifhe cannot hear due
to being far away, he himself recites according
to the most correct of the two opinions
voiced--and it is the opinion of Ahmad and
others. If he cannot hear due to deafuess or he
only hears the murmuring of the Imaam and
cannot make out the words, then there are two
opinions concerning this in the madh-hab of
Ahmad and others. The most apparent opinion
is that he should recite because he can either
recite or listen, and in this case he cannot be
considered to be listening for the purpose of
listening is not being attained. Therefore his
reciting is better than his remaining silent.1
1 Majmoo' Fataawaa (23/265288) [This then could beconsidered afourth
opinion in addition to the three that the Shaykh has already mentioned
Trans.]
194
Congregationa1Prayer
The States of'Ihe Follower with
His Imaam in Congregational Praver
The Imaam has only been appointed to lead and be
followed. He is "followed" in that the novements of the
follower occur after the movements of the Imaam, from one
position to the next, and he does not differ with him in any
action of the prayer. Furthermore, he observes his movements
with order and precision. This is because the follower follows
and the way of following is that he not precede the Imaam in
any action. "The majority of the Jurists hold that the prayer of
the follower is linked to and follows the prayer of the Imaam
with respect to the outward actions ofthe prayer."1
When the follower precedes the Imaam or acts at the
same time or (greatly) delays in following him, he has left the
commanded following.
Therefore, these are the states that the follower could
possibly be in with regards to his Imaam: (1) Preceding, (2)
Agreeing, (3) Following or (4) Delaying. In what follows lies
an explanation of each state and the ruling on the follower's
prayer.
The First State: Preceding the Imaam
This means that the follower precedes the Imaam in
saying the takbeer, bowing, rising from bowing, prostrating, or
saying the salaam. The Jurists are agreed that it is prohibited to
precede the Imaam.
Shaykh aI-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said, "As for
preceding the Imaam, this is unlawful by agreement of the
lmaams. It is not permissible to go into ruku' before the
Imaam or to prostrate before him."
The ahaadeeth of the Prophet (peace be upon him)
show the prohibition of this act. The prohibition of something
Nayl al-Awtaar (3/158) and an-Niyyab waAtharubaafee al-Ahkaam ash
Shar'iyyah (l/423) bytheauthor.
1.95
I
Congregational Prayer
dictates forbiddance. From these ahaadeeth is the hadeeth
reported by Muslim from Anas bin Maalik who said,
....: " "" '" tfj '" '" tP ttl tP J "" 0'
J L:.l; ., .r. 4l.1I 1"- ill! J G 1"
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tfJ\ ,-:. "JW .," "(if b(,.J\ -: J
r-'''''' 1$ o: "it:! .Yo - l.P'
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"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed with us
one day and when we had finished, he turned, faced us and
said, '0 people, I am your Imaam so do not precede me in the
bowing, prostration, standing (from bowing and prostration)
and leaving from the frayer. Indeed, I see all who are behind
me and in front of me."
Al-Bukhaaree reported from Abu Hurayrah that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
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lli\ llil
..
t.:.>
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"Is not the one who raises his head before the Imaam afraid
that Allah might transform his head into that of a donkey or
disfigure his face to that of a donkey?"2
Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee said,
The apparent meaning of the hadeeth dictates
the prohibition of rising before the Imaam due
to his being threatened with disfiguration and
this is from the most severe of punishments,
Imaam an-Nawawee declared this with
certainty in Sharh al-Muhadhdhab. Despite
1 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/255 no. 857].
ZSaheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/374 no. 660].
196
Congr'F!fJationafPrayer
the opinion that this is prohibited, the majority
are of the opinion that although the one who
does this is sinful, the prayer is still valid. It is
reported from ibn Umar that he was of the
opinion that the prayer is rendered invalid and
this was the opinion of Ahmad in one of the
reports from him and it is the opinion of the
Dhaahirees, building upon the premise that
prohibition necessitates fasaad (invalidity of
that action). In al-Mughnee it is narrated from
Ahmad that he said in his treatise on prayer,
"There is no prayer for the one who precedes
the Imaam due to this hadeeth, for if the prayer
was to be considered valid then reward would
be hoped for and punishment would not be
feared for him." 1
Deliberately preceding the Imaam invalidates the
prayer. Hence, if the follower deliberately precedes the Imaam
in a pillar of the prayer, such as the ruku' or sujood while
knowing this ruling, his prayer is rendered invalid. This is the
stronger of the two opinions voiced by the scholars. Indeed,
Imaam Ahmad clearly stated this in his famous book on
prayer.
2
It was also declared to be the strongest opinion by
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah.3
As for the one who precedes the Imaam out of
negligence, forgetfulness or ignorance, it is upon him to retract
from that action and redo it after the Imaam. If he does not do
this deliberately upon knowledge, his prayer is rendered
invalid. However, Imaam Ahmad, in his book on prayer, was
of the opinion that preceding the Imaam renders the prayer
invalid in any case.
The Strongest Opinion
If one is negligent or forgets, or is ignorant of the
ruling (of preceding the Imaam), his prayer is valid. This was
1 Fatb al-Baaree (21182-183).
2 ar-Risaalab assanniyyahfeeas-Salaab wamati Yalzimufeehaa.
3 Majmoo' Falaawaa (23/338).
197
eonuregatWnolPrayer
the opinion voiced by the Permanent Committee for Scholarly
Research and Legal Rulings.l
As for the case when the follower precedes the Imaam
in the opening takbeer, his prayer has not been commenced
and there is no difference among the scholars concerning this.
Al-Kasaanee said, "Upon this basis all ofthe issues
concerning following are concluded. When one precedes the
Imaam in saying the opening takbeer, his following is not
correct. This is because the meaning of following-and that is
the foundation-s-cannot be actualized here because building
upon something that is absent is impossible/'e
Al-Khaleel said, "(From the conditions ofthe prayer
are) his following the Imaam in the opening takbeer and the
salaam."3
Ash-Shaafi'ee said, "For whoever enters the prayer
before the Imaam, his prayer is rendered invalid."4
Abdur-Rahmaan bin Abu Umar bin Qudaamah said,
"If he says the (opening) takbeer before the Imaam then his
prayer has not commenced and it is upon him to say the
takbeer again, this time after the Imaam."5
The Second State: Agreement with the Imaam
The reality of this is for both the Imaam and follower
to move from one pillar to the next at the same time. Examples
of this would be the performance of ruku' and sujood and
saying the opening takbeer together. This is also erroneous
because one cannot be said to be following the Imaam in the
way that has been ordered in the Prophet's (peace be upon
him) saying,
1 Fatwa, no. 36, dated 2/3/1392.
2 Badaa 'I as-Sanaa 'ilee Tarteeb ash-Sharaa 'j (1/138).
3 AJ-Mukhtasar y,. 33).
4al-Umm (1/156).
5Asb-Sharb a/Kabeer (1/267).
CrmgregationafPrayer
"Indeed, the Imaam has only been appointed to be followed.
When he says the takbeer, then say the takbeer. When he goes
into prostration, then go into prostration. When he rises, then
rise. When he says, 'Allah has heard the one who praised Him'
say, '0 Allah! Our Lord to you belongs all praise.' When he
prays sitting, then all of you pray sitting."}
Agreement can occur in sayings or actions.
Agreement in saying: If the follower says the opening
takbeer with the Imaam and finishes saying it before the
Imaam finishes, his prayer is invalid. The Jurists of the Four
Schools of Fiqh have stated this.
Ar-Raheebaanee said, "As for the follower agreeing
with the Imaam in the statements of the prayer, such that he
says the opening takbeer with the Imaam or says it before the
Imaam finishes, his prayer is not considered to be valid
regardless of whether he does it deliberately or out of
negligence because its condition is that it be said after the
Imaam. He has missed this condition."2
Agreement In Action: Agreement in action occurs in
cases such as the follower bowing or prostrating at the same
time as his Imaam. The strongest opinion of the scholars
concerning this is that it is disliked. Al-Bayhaqee reports with
his chain from Hittaan bin Abdullaah ar-Riqaashee who said,
"Abu Musaa addressed us and taught us our prayer, explaining
to us the Sunnah that we should adhere to. He said, 'When
you pray, straighten your rows and let one of you lead. When
the Imaam says the takbeer, say the takbeer. When he says,
'Nor the path of those who have earned your Anger or gone
astray,' say, 'Aameen' and Allah will preserve you. When he
says the takbeer and goes into ruku " then say the takbeer and
go into ruku '..."3
Ibn Abdul Barr al-Qurtobee said, after mentioning this
hadeeth, "The hadeeth proves that the actions of the follower
I SaheebMusJim [Eng. Trans. 1/226 no. 817).
2 Mataalib Ulee an-Nahee (1/627).
3 Sunan (2/96).
199
C011!J'l!tJationalPrager
occur immediately after the action of the Imaam, such that
there is no time lapse. This is because thefaa (andlthen) in his
saying 'when the Imaam says the takbeer then (faa) say the
takbeer...' necessitates that this action occur quickly after the
action ofthe Imaam. It is established from the point of view of
narration and reason that the ruling ofhis saying, "when the
Imaam says the takbeer then say the takbeer" with regards to
the opening takbeer is that the follower start saying the takbeer
after the Imaam and finish saying it after him. Due to this
being the case, then, by analogy, the same applies to ruku "
sujud and, in fact, all the actions of the prayer."r-
The Third State: Delaying In Following the Imaam
2
The meaning of this is that the follower delays in
following the Imaam to the extent of a rak 'ah or two rak 'ahs,
more or less, regardless of whether this is due to a valid excuse
or not.
If the follower delays due to a valid reason and the
Imaam exceeds him by a complete rak 'ah or more, he should
(go to the point at which the Imaam is), continue following the
Imaam and then make up what he missed. If the Imaam
exceeds him by less then a rak'ah, he should catch up and
continue following the Imaam and there is nothing that he has
to do beyond that. Examples of a valid excuse are drowsiness,
negligence and absent-mindedness, or the Imaam performing
the prayer very quickly.
If the follower delays following the Imaam without a
valid excuse, such that he delays deliberately, his prayer is
invalidated because purposely he left following his Imaam.
The Fourth State: Following
This is what is desired from the follower. The reality
of this is that the follower move after the Imaam has moved
I at-Tambeed limaa fee al-Muwatta min aloMa "aanee wa al-Asaaneed
(6/147-148).
l Refer to al-Mugbnee (2/211-212) and al-Majmoo' Sharb al-Muhadhdhab
(4/131-133).
2lXJ
Cegat:imtJl{PrClJer
such that the follower starts each movement after the Imaam
has started [after his movement] but before he has completed
the part of the prayer he is performing. The same applies for
the statements. With respect to statements, the follower starts
saying them after the Imaam has started. 1
To be strictly correct: The statements of the follower
and his actions should commence after the Imaam has
completed his action or statement. This is due to what al
Baraa'a reports:
JJ t;.....

"When the Messenger of Allah used to say' Allah has heard
the one who praises Him,' we remained standing until we saw
him placing his face on the ground and then we followed
him,''2
Abu Musaa narrated that,"the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) addressed us and clarified to us our
Sunnah and taught us our prayer. He said,
....:' "..... J ... J....: 0.'.. J J... J '$.'" Q "
"Ole:- "' c...' \'u
.r.- & r r-......J::' r-' I"""'"'y..p &
, ,
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,
& U
,
& ...
'When you pray, straighten your rows and let one of you lead,
When he says the takbeer, then say the takbeer.., for indeed the
lmaam performs ruku' before you and rises before you."'3
Abu Hurayrah reported that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
I Refer to Majmoo' Sharb al-Mubadhdhab (41132) andal-Mughnee (2/161
1663).
2 Al.Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans.l/374 no. 658] and Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/252 no.
960].
3 SaheehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/221 no. 8(0).
201
"Indeed, the Imaam has only been appointed to be followed.
So when he says the takbeer, then say the takbeer. When he
performs the ruku then perform the ruku ', When he says,
'Allah has heard the one who praised Him,' say, 'Our Lord! To
you belongs praise.' When he performs the sajda, then
perform the sajda. When he prays sitting, then all of you pray
sitting."}
His words, "When he performs the ruku " then perform
the ruku ,,, dictates that the followers' ruku' happens after the
ruku' of the Imaam. This is because the wording comes with
the faa (then) which indicates that the action occurs
afterwards. This is like saying, "Zayd came and then (faa)
"Amr," that is, 'Amr came after Zayd, "So these proofs are
explicit statements that the follower starts his movements in
the actions of prayer such as rising, ruku " and sujood, after the
Imaam has completed his action."2
There are a number of narrations from the
Companions in which they said, "Indeed the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) used to stand straight while we
were still in prostration."
Ibn Mas' ud saw someone preceding the Imaam and
remarked, "You have not prayed on your own, nor have you
followed your Imaam." Meaning that there is no prayer for
him.
Ibn Umar saw someone preceding the Imaam and said,
"You have not prayed on your own, nor have you prayed with
the Imaam." Then he hit him and ordered him to repeat the
prayer) If this prayer were valid in the eyes of ibn Umar, he
would not have ordered him to repeat it.
These are explicit proofs that the follower commences
his actions of the prayer after the Imaam has completed his.
I The discussion ofthis hadith hasalready been given.
2 Ai-Mughnee (2/208-209).
3 Sharb Sabeeh Muslim (4/119).
02
C01I!J"9atinna[Prayer
Whoever considers the state of the majority of people today
with respect to their prayers in the mosques will find that they
do not establish the prayer in the way of the Prophet (peace be
upon him) and his Companions--except for those upon whom
your Lord bestows Mercy. For example, at the very point the
Imaam starts saying the takbeer, they say the takbeer; indeed
they precede him in it. The same applies to the ruku' and
sujood. As for the following that is enjoined, this is rarely
found. In this is proof that many of them are ignorant of the
Sunnah and are distant from the guidance of the Messenger of
Allah (peace be upon him) with respect to the prayer. And the
Aid of Allah is sought!
Congreeational Prayer
2iJ4
ContJrl?iJO-tWnoJPrager
The Principle 01 the Brevitv or
Elonlation 01 the Congregational
Praver
The Wise Legislator has recommended that the
congregational prayer be brief out of concern for the
circumstances of the people and to make matters easy for
them. The Imaams have been enjoined to make the
congregational prayer brief and not to perform a lengthy
recitation. This is a matter over which there is a consensus. It
is a recommended act.
The meaning of brevity (takhfeej) is that the prayer be
restricted to the least that would make it complete or perfect,
by fulfilling its obligations and the sunan. It does not mean to
decrease from this or to increase from this.
However, it is important to note that this does not
mean that lengthening the prayer should be left altogether.
Rather the followers should get accustomed to a longer prayer
from their Imaam. He should lengthen the prayer on occasion
in order to enact the Sunnah. In this way, there would be no
harm in lengthening the prayer. It is in this light that we can
understand the narrations that mention that the Prophet (peace
be upon him) used to lengthen his prayer. The Companions did
not use to consider the prayer to be long on those occasions
due to their great eagerness and desire to attain the good.
Therefore being brief in prayer, without leaving off
any obligations and sunan, and lengthening the prayer, without
going to extremes, are both proven by the Sunnah. Whether
one lengthens or prays briefly is dependent upon the state of
the people, taking into account time, place and weather
conditions. However, it is reprehensible for one to be so brief
that he is deficient in performing the various parts of the
prayers, for example, one does not have time to say the
tasbeeh three times in ruku' and sujood.
If lengthening the prayer is hard upon the followers
and they ask that it be shortened, it should be shortened. But if
205
CongregatiotulfPrayer
they do not find it hard or do not wish that the prayer be
shortened, it is not disliked to lengthen the prayer.
The person who is praying on his own can lengthen the
prayer as much as he likes, as long as this does not mean that
he exceeds the period of that prayer.
Furthermore, the matter of lengthening the prayer
differs with different prayers. The predominant case for the
Fajr and Dhuhur prayers is that they be long. For 'Asr and
'Ishaa, the predominant case is that they not be too long nor
too short. The predominant case for the Maghrib prayer is that
it be brief. It is permissible to differ from these predominant
cases sometimes as occurs in the texts.
Brevity is a relative matter that has no set definition in
the language or the custom of people, rather it varies from
person to person. Therefore, it is possible that some people
pray what they see to be a brief prayer but what others see to
be a lengthy prayer. Hence, it is recommended for the Imaam
to predominantly do that which was predominantly done by the
Prophet (peace be upon him), on occasion increasing in the
length and on occasion shortening due to some benefit, as was
sometimes done by the Prophet (peace be upon him). Hence,
the reference point for this is the Sunnah and not the desire of
the Imaam or the followers.
Here are some of the reports that describe this topic.
Abu Daawood reports in his Sunan with his chain from
Umar, and he heard this from Jaabir, that,
206
Congregatitma{PraJU
"Mu'aadh used to pray with the Prophet (peace be upon him)
and then return and pray with his people. One night the
Prophet (peace be upon him) delayed the prayer-on one
occasion the narrator said, 'The 'Ishaa prayer'<-and Mu'aadh
prayed with the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then Muadh
went to his people and (prayed with them) reciting al-Baqarah.
Due to this a person left the congregation and prayed on his
own. It was said to him, 'You have become a hypocrite.' He
replied, 'I have not become a hypocrite.' He went to the
Prophet (peace be upon him) and said, 'We tend the camels
used for watering and we work hard using our hands and he
comes and recites Surah al-Baqarah. ' The Prophet (peace be
upon him) said (to Mu'aadh), 'Are you putting these people to
trial? Recite such and such (surah) and such and such (surah).'
Abu Zubayr said, '(He mentioned) Surah al-A'laa and Surah
al-Layl,' We mentioned this to 'Amr and he said, 'Lthink he
mentioned (those Surahs).'''l
Ibn Hajr said, "Indeed, it was the lengthening that
became the reason of their leaving the (congregational) prayer
and disliking it."2
Al-Bukhaaree reports from the hadeeth of Abu
Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
,,"" I'. rJ' "" 0' #. J t tP ,
\ "'. "',aj\. J. ':..1; I \.\
J
v <JUI v 0":" ....1..aJ J.>.
..". .., \- '" "'" .. v ""
".
:w. r, ".
. r fr:J'J J
". ". ".
"When one of you prays with the people, let him pray with
brevity for indeed among them are the weak and the old. When
Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/378 no. 669], Muslim [Eng.
Trans.l/248 no. 936, 937], Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/203 no. 790] and an
Nasaa' ee (2/97-98).
2 aI-Path (1/195).
207
I
Congregational Prayer
one of you prays on his own, let him lengthen the prayer as
much as he likes."!
In another narration, it sates,
"[And among them are) the ill and the one who has a pressing
need."
AI-Bukhaaree also reports from the hadeeth of ibn
Mas' ud that,
A person said, "By Allah, 0 Messenger of Allah, indeed I do
not attend the morning prayer due to such and such a person
who lengthens it." I have not seen the Prophet (peace be upon
him) giving an exhortation in which he displayed more anger
than on that day. He said, "Indeed there are among you those
who cause the people to become averse to attending the
congregational prayer. Whoever prays with the people, let him
take a middle course (in his recitation), for among them are the
weak, the old, and those with a pressing need."2
Generally speaking, brevity is realized while in the
state of standing in prayer because it is dependent upon the
recitation of the Imaam. Due to this, Imaam al-Bukhaaree
entitled the chapter containing the previously mentioned
hadeeth, "Chapter: The Imaam being brief in the standing and
his completing the ruku' and sujud"
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/379 no. 671, 672).
2 Ibid [ 1/379 no. 670).
208
Congregatiotuz{Prayer
Ibn Hajr said, "Al-Kirmaanee said, 'The word "and"
(waw) here is taken to mean along with (rna'a) and it is as if
(al-Bukhaaree) is saying: Chapter: Being brief without
omitting any of the obligations. This is the explanation of his
(peace be upon him) saying, "Let him take a middle course, "
because he could not enjoin anything that would lead to the
invalidation of the prayer.' Ibn Munayyir, ibn Rasheed and
others said, 'Being brief has been restricted to the standing in
the chapter heading, even though the wording of the hadeeth is
general, because the one who lengthens predominantly does
this in the standing (through lengthy recitation). As for
perfecting any other action, it does not burden the people. It is
as ifal-Bukhaaree took the hadeeth mentioned in the chapter to
have the same meaning as that derived from the story of
Mu' aadh, for the command for brevity mentioned therein was
regards the recitation.''' 1
Muslim reports in his Saheeh from the hadeeth of
Anas bin Maalik that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) said,
"Indeed, I enter the state of prayer desiring to lengthen it but I
hear the crying of a child and, therefore, shorten the prayer due
to the severe anguish that its mother feels when it cries."2
It is reported from Makhool ad-Dimishkee that Abu
ad-Dardaa' led the people in prayer. It was a rainy day and the
roof of the mosque only covered the first row. When he had
completed the prayer he saw that the people had become
drenched in rain and said, "Was there no one of understanding
in the mosque who could have said, '0 you who lengthen the
prayer, be brief for the people are getting drenched'?"
Al-Baghawee said, "I say: This is the opinion of the
majority of the scholars. They preferred the opinion that the
Imaam not lengthen the prayer out of fear that this would be
hard upon the weak and those who have a pressing need.
I al-Fath (21197-198).
2 SaheebMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/250 no. 952].
209
Congreeatiotta(Prayer
However, if all of the people wish that the prayer be
lengthened, there is no harm in lengthening it."l
The Amount that the Prophet (peace be upon him) Used to .
Recite in the Prayer
Muslim reports in his Saheeh from Abu Sa'eed al
Khudree,
(0"'''' II, "" (/I (/I
. ,1.:.1\ .' "-" 0l5' : L 1"... "'':'11 0i
fi r--- J ,,- r...s-- l.,F
" " "
", .... '" '" o/IJJJ "'I. 0 ....
. as! -: J.; W-- 1<"" '. "1 )II . ::::<",,"'1\
- ) , ),j' t,J:::tJ .r
" "
"" " "0 f ' " " " l,
JJ Ju Jl :.,..:.;:. )J.; ;;'''/-)11
" "
.... .... .... o,'iJJ "'I 0...-: 0
" -: 4(- J.; W-- 1<"" '. "1 . ::::<""11 . -::11
, ),j'
"" "
" " " i."""
)J.; ;;';:')1I JJ 4.ii 0--; c
" "
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite about thirty
verses in each rak"ah of the first two rak'ah ofDhuhur and in
the last two about fifteen verses--or he said half that (of the
first rak'ah). For 'Asr, he used to recite about fifteen verses in
each of the first two rak'ahs and in the last two half that
amount."2
Muslim also reports from Anas and Abu Sa'eed al
Khudree,
I Sbarb as-Sunnah (3/409 no. 844) by al-Baghawee.
2 SabeehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/245 no. 911].
210
-- --
CongregationtlfPrayer
"When when the prayer for Dhuhur would be started, a person
could go to al-Baqee', relieve himself, perform wudu " return
and find the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) still in
the first rak'ah, due to its length."}
AI-Bukhaaree reports in his Saheeh from the hadeeth
of Abu Qataadah,
J
-- 1\ 0tS' : i--... 0i
.) -- J r-.) ---
"'0' Q1 fr/IJ"""
. ::lh . 0,1:.1\ o.
-- u-:-.) ---
, "'" ""'",

"The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to lengthen the first
rak'ah and pray the second rak'ah shorter in the Dhuhur
prayer. He also used to do this in the Fajr prayer." 2
And in a narration,
( 0 _:I( o.tl
l
0tS'
. <.J -- u-:

"He used to do this in Dhuhur, 'Asr and Fajr."

An-Nawawee reconciles the ahaadeeth regarding
being brief in the prayer and those regarding lengthening it by
saying,
The scholars said: The prayer of the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used
to differ with respect to its length due to
differing circumstances. When the followers
preferred that the prayer be long and there was
no work to distract them, he would lengthen it.
In that case, it would not be a burden on them.
If this were not the case, he would be brief in
the prayer. Sometimes, it was possible that he
desired to lengthen the prayer and then
decided to shorten it due to something that
called for this, such as the crying ofa child. It
1 Ibid [1/246 no. 916].
2 Sabeeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/405 no. 726, 1/413 00.743].
211
was also possible that he entered the prayer
when there was not much time remaining
before it expired and so he would shorten it. It
is also said that he would lengthen the prayer
sometimes, but mostly he would be brief. He
lengthened it to show its permissibility; but he
was mostly brief in it because this was the best
course and he ordered that the prayer be brief
in his saying,
"Indeed there are among you those who cause
the people to become averse to attending the
congregational prayer. When any of you prays
with the people, be brief for there are among
them the weak, the old and those who have a
pressing need." It is also said that he
lengthened the prayer on one occasion and
shortened it on another to show that there is no
necessary amount of recitation apportioned
after the recitation of al-Faatihah; instead, it is
permissible to recite a small or large amount.
Indeed, all that is necessary to recite is al
Faatihah. This is why the narrations all concur
on the recitation of al-Faatihah but differ as to
the amount that was recited after it. In sum,
the Sunnah is what the Prophet (peace be upon
him) enjoined due to the reason that he
explained. He only lengthened the prayer on
some occasions due to the absence of the
reasons that would dictate the need to be brief.
So, if someone sees that the reason for being
brief is absent, he can lengthen the prayer.1
1 Shorb Sobeeb Muslim (4/174).
212
C011fJ"9atiotulfPrayer
The Ruling 01 Praving in
Congregation behind Radio or
Television Broadcasts
From the new issues that have arisen in our times is
that some people's desire for going to the mosques and praying
in them has slackened. Their desire for performing that which
would multiply their good deeds and by which Allah would
raise their ranks has decreased. These people have started
praying behind radios or televisions [away from the
congregation], following the broadcast of the Imaam thinking
that by doing so they are praying in congregation. It is possible
that some of the people do this out of ignorance or they do it
out of laziness and considering this act from among the signs
of Allah to be inconsequential. This act being the
congregational prayer. Due to this fact it becomes necessary
for us to issue a warning concerning this.
Praying behind a radio or television broadcast and
following the Imaam while at home is invalid. Indeed, it is to
be counted among the innovations in worship. The Prophet
(peace be upon him) said,
~ . . . . " ........ t.... '
;)) *~ ~ L . ' ~ \5;, ,) Q::b..I:;
"Whoever introduces into this affair of ours that which is not
part of it, it is rejected." I
The Standing Committee for Scholarly Discussion and
Legal Verdicts gave a ruling on this, saying, "It is not
permissible for men or women, the weak or strong, to pray
alone or in congregation at home following the prayer of the
Imaam through merely hearing his voice on the speaker. This
is regardless of whether the prayer is an optional or obligatory
prayer, whether it is the prayer of Jumu'ah or any other prayer,
1 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 5/535 no. 861J and Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 3/931 no. 4266J.
213
Cm1tJregationol Prager
whether their house is behind the Imaam or in front of him.
This is because it is obligatory upon healthy men to pray the
obligatory prayers in the mosques while this obligation is lifted
from women and the weak."1
1 Fatwa no. 2437, dated 25/5/1399 A.H.
214
Congregatibtta{Prayer
Ruling lor the Congregational
Praver on aShip
Prayers While Upon a Boat
The Jurists have differed about praying on a ship
sitting when one is able to stand. There are two opinions:
The First Opinion: It is not correct to pray sitting
when one is able to pray standing. This was the opinion of Abu
Yusuf and Muhammad bin aI-Hasan (the two students ofAbu
Haneefah), Maalik, Shaafiee and Ahmad.
They proved this by the hadeeth ofImraan bin Husayn
who said,
JW ill\
, ", ." 0,. "" "" ,. 0 "'" "
I:. tk::" .; \WU Cf::",,; \ wu L:m
... .,. r-&",
"
"1 asked the Prophet (peace be upon him) about the prayer and
he replied, 'Pray standing. Ifyou are not able to, pray sitting.
And ifyou are not able to that, pray lying down.:"!
This hadeeth proves that if one is able to pray
standing, he has to do so and cannot pray sitting unless there
be a factor preventing him from standing.
The Second Opinion: It is correct for one to pray
sitting despite the ability to pray standing. This was the
opinion of Abu Haneefah.
2
He relied upon the hadeeth that is
reported from Suwayd bin Ghafla that he said, "1 asked Abu
Bakr and Umar about praying on a ship. They replied, 'If it is
moving, pray sitting; if it is still, pray standing.'"
I Saheeh aJ.Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/121 no. 218].
2 Badaa '; as-Sanaa '; (1/109).
215
ContJregationa[Prayer
AI-Kaasaanee gave the reasoning behind this by
saying, "The movements of the ship cause dizziness.
Therefore, one should pray while sitting."!
The Strongest Opinion: After considering the two
opinions and their respective evidences, it becomes clear, and
Allah knows best, that the first opinion is the stronger of the
two. This is due to it being supported by an authentic hadeeth
and because standing is a pillar from the pillars of the prayer.
Its obligation cannot be lifted unless one is incapable of
performing it.
As for the saying of Abu Bakr and Umar that Abu
Haneefah uses as evidence, it is possible that it is referring to a
case where there is no valid excuse or one where there is a
valid excuse. When an evidence is open to a number of
possible explanations it is no longer possible to use it as an
evidence.
As for the rational argument, no attention is paid to it
because it contradicts the hadeeth of Imraan bin Husayn which
is a saheeh hadeeth. Hence, the evidence of Abu Haneefah is
replied to and the first opinion is determined to be the
strongest: it is not permissible to pray on a ship sitting when
one is capable of standing.
Building upon what has preceded, praying on a ship is
permissible according to the Four Imaams. One should pray
standing; ifhe is unable to, he can pray sitting.
The Ruling of Praying In Congregation on a Ship
The Hanbalee scholars have unequivocally stated that
the prayer prayed on a ship should be in congregation. The
actions of the Companions indicate this; Jaabir bin Abdullaah,
Abu Sa'eed al-Khudree and Abu Hurayrah were on a ship and
they prayed in congregation, while standing, some of them
leading the rest, even though they were capable ofpraying on
the shore.2
1 Badaa>! as-Sanaa '; (1/109).
2 Reported by Sa' eedbinMansoor inhisSunan asmentioned inal-Muntaqaa
min Akhbaar al-Mustjaa by Majd ad-Deen Abu aI-Barakaat ibnTaymiyyah
(I/662 no. 1509, 1/326 no. 784 with thetahqeeq by Muhammad Haamid ai
Fiqhee).
216
CongregationalPra!p
This applies if those on a ship can pray in
congregation while standing. If they cannot pray in
congregation while standing but they can pray standing
individually, should they all pray individually or should they
pray in congregation while sitting?
There are two reported opinions concerning this in the
Hanbalee school of fiqh.
The First Narration: Everybody prays individually,
standing.
The Second Narration: If the Imaarn prays sitting,
those behind him pray sitting.
The reasoning behind the first opinion is that praying
standing is more important. If one were to pray sitting while
being able to pray standing, his prayer is not valid. However, if
one were to pray individually while being able to pray in
congregation, his prayer is still valid.
The reasoning behind the second opinion is that if the
Imaam prays sitting, the followers should pray sitting and their
prayer would be valid.l
1 Refer toBlJdaa ' j a!Fawaa 'iJ (4;144-145) by ibn alQayyim. [This isbecause
according to theHanbalee school it is sanctioned for thefollowers topray sitting
if the lmaam prays sitting due toa valid reason, this being the better course in
their eyes. - Trans.]
217
CongregationalPrayer
218
CongrefJatwno.(Prager
The Ruling of Congregational
Praver in aCar, Train or Plane
It is possible for the one driving a car to get out of it so
that he can pray the obligatory prayer on the ground. If,
however, for some reason he cannot stop and get out of the car,
he can pray in the car ifhe fears that he will miss the time of
that prayer. The same applies to trains.
As for a plane, it does not stop except at the
destination airport. Therefore, if the journey is long and one
fears that the time for prayer will expire before he reaches the
destination, he should pray in the plane and not delay the
prayer beyond its set time. This is something that is not
impossible and it is not difficult. We ourselves have
experienced it, and all praise is due to Allah.
However, if the areas between the aisles and by the
doors are too small to accommodate all the people who wish to
pray, it is possible to pray a congregation with the number that
space does allow and then pray another congregation after this.
This is based on Allah's saying,
, _ J ...
.... b.... \ ,,,: '::11\ \ ~ e l "
~ ~ , ~ "-A.I J I U ~
"Fear Allah as much as you are able" [at-Taghaabun (64):16].
219
congregationalPrayer
220
Congreuationa{Prayer
The Ruling lor Women Praving
in aCongregation
Women Attending the Mosques and Praying in
Congregation with the Men
It is not obligatory upon women to attend the
obligatory prayers in congregation. There is no difference of
opinion on this point. I
However, in general, it is permissible for women to
attend the prayer in the mosque due to what is established in
the Prophetic Sunnah that the women used to pray in the
mosque.
Aa'ishah said,
""".... IJI, 0" ...
? J
"" ,- "" ""
t "",' " ""
j;.., ' ..... G. - "JI -:. ...
fi ,J>."..I
"" '" .; '"
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray
Fajr and the believing women used to attend, covered with
their veiling sheets. After the prayer was finished, they would
return and not one of them would be recognized."2
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
J Mawsoo ahaJ-Ijmaa (2/622) by Sa' dee Abu Jaib.
2 Saheeh a/-Bukbaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/225 no. 368).
221
ConfJrfIJatiD11111Prayer
"Do not prevent your women from attending the mosques. And
their homes are better for them."1
Abu Daawood reports in his Sunan from Abu
Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
said,
"Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah from the mosques
of Allah, but let them go out without having perfumed
themselves.v-
However, the -best course for women, in general, is to
pray in their homes. Umm Salamah narrated that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
" " ...
, ~ J 0 .. ,'" ~ t \ I '" '" "0....
." .A! I..-.:J J.>..1.-4 .
~ . # .r- ~ ,,' .ft>'
" " "
"The best mosques for women are in the depths of their
houses."3
We will summarize the opinions of the Jurists on this
issue.
Abu Haneefah and his two companions said, "It is
disliked for young women to attend the congregation in any
case, due to the fear of fitna (alluring others). There is no
problem if an old woman were to attend the Fajr, Maghrib and
Ishaa prayers. This is because the rebellious sinners are
generally asleep for Fajr and Ishaa and busy eating at
Maghrib."4
The chosen opinion of the later Hanafees is, "it is
disliked for women to attend the congregation, even if this be
for Jumu'ah, Eed or any lecture, in any case, even if she be an
old women attending by night. This is because of the
corruption of the times and prevalence of sin."5
I Sunan AfJu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/149 no. 567].
2 Ibid [1/149 no. 565].
3 Mustadrak al-Haaktm 0/2(9).
4Fatb al-fJadeer 0/352).
5 al-Ftqbal-lslameewaAdtl/atuhu (2/154) byWahbah azZuhaylee.
222
Congregationa{Prayer
From the Maalikee scholars, ibn Rushd said, "The
detailed analysis of this issue in my opinion shows that women
are of four types:
a) The old woman for whom men find no urges.
Therefore, she has the same ruling as men in that she can go to
the mosque and gatherings of dhikr ...
b) The middle-aged woman towards whom the men
find no desire, although one cannot say that such is always the
case. Such a woman can go to the mosques for the obligatory
prayers and the gatherings ofknowledge and dhikr. However,
she should not frequently go out in fulfilling her daily needs.
c) The young woman who is not beautiful or ofnoble
lineage can go to the mosque for the congregational prayer or
the funeral prayer of a close relative only.
d) The young woman who is beautiful and of noble
lineage may make her choice. In general, she is free not to go
out at all."!
The Shaafi'ee and Hanbalee scholars said, "It is
disliked for beautiful women, be they young or old, to attend
the congregation because this could lead to fitna. Instead, they
should pray in their houses. As for those women who are not
beautiful, then, as long as they do not perfume themselves,
they can go with the permission of their husbands. But their
houses are still better for them."
The Correct Opinion concerning this is that if the
woman goes out, not having perfumed herself, adorned herself,
or worn decorative clothes, and she will not fall into fitna or
cause others to fall into fitna and she wishes to go out to the
mosques, then one must not prevent her. However, her house is
better for her.
2
Women Praying in Congregation by Themselves With
One of Them Leading
"Congregational prayer for women is sanctioned and
there is no difference of opinion concerning this. The most
proficient in reciting the Quraan should lead them according
1 asb-Sbarh as-Sagbeer (1/446-447) by ad-Dardeer.
2 Refer to Majmoo Fataawaa Sbaykb al-lslam ibnTaymiyyab (29/296) and
Nayl al-Awtaar (3/96) by ash-Shawkaanee.
.223
CongregatioTUJ1Prayer
to the most correct opinion. Every prayer which is sanctioned
as a congregation for men is also sanctioned for women, be it
obligatory or optional."!
Ibn al-Mundhir records the validity of congregational
prayer for women as being narrated from Aa'ishah, Umm
Salamah, Hamnah, 'Ataa, ath-Thawree, al-Awazaa'ee, Ahmad,
Ishaaq and Abu Thawr. There is no opposing opinion known
from the Companions.
2
It is better for women to pray in congregation in their
houses rather than praying in the mosque in congregation with
the men. This is because it is better for a woman to pray alone
in her house rather then attend the congregational prayer in the
mosque. Therefore, praying in congregation at home would be
even better as long as this action does not lead to something
forbidden.
If it comes about that women gather in a house, school
or university or other such abodes, it is recommended for them
to pray in congregation. The woman leading stands in front of
them or stands in the middle of their (first row). She recites
aloud in the prayers to be read aloud, being careful not to pray
too loudly if men can hear her.
The ahaadeeth and narrations proving the sanctioning
of congregational prayer for women, with one of them leading,
are many, including:
The hadeeth reported by al-Haakim and ibn
Khuzaymah from Umm Waraqah al-Ansaaree that the Prophet
(peace be upon him),
;; flPJoi i
~ ~ b ~ r ~ 0\ ~ ; \
"Ordered her to lead the people ofher house in prayer."
There is also the report of Abdur-Rahmaan bin
Khallaad from Umm Waraqah that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,
I al-Majmoo' (4/96).
1 al-Muballa (3/171-172).
224
CongregationalPrayer
... 0"''''' ...... 0, .......... "' ... }oJ, J. ...
rY 0i) 4J 0i 4J j)) IHI

'" J. ... '" "'... II'
o :u \;li::J
"Come let us visit a female martyr. " He gave permission that
the adhaan be said for her and that she lead the people of her
household in the obligatory prayers, for she had memorized the
Quraan.l
Aaishah led the women in the Maghrib prayer,
standing in the middle of (their first row). She made the
recitation aloud.
2
Hujayrah bint Husayn said, "Umm Salamah-the
Mother of the Believers-s-led us in the 'Asr prayer and stood
among us."3
It is reported from ibn Umar that he ordered a slave
girl of his to lead the women (of his household) in prayer on
the nights of Ramadaan.f
These ahaadeeth and narrations bear testimony to the
fact that it is recommended for women to pray in their own
congregation. This is the opinion of Abu Haneefah, ash
Shaafi'ee, Ahmad bin Hanbal, Daawood adh-Dhaahiree and
their followers.
5
As for whoever voices an opposing opinion, it is
rejected since it has no evidence to certify its correctness. The
Authentic Sunnah has ruled that it is recommended for women
to pray in congregation and not individually. Even if there
were no evidence concerning this issue except the generality of
the Prophet's saying,
1 Sunan Abu Daauood [Eng. Trans. 1/156 no. 592], al-Haakim (1/203) and
Saheeh ibnKhuzaymah (3189 no. 1676 chpt. 168).
2 al-Muhalla (3/171) by ibn Hazm.
, Ibid.
4 al-Muhalla (3/173).
5 al-Muhalla (3/171-172).
225
Congregatitmtl(Prager
"The congregational prayer is twenty seven times more
excellent than the prayer of the individual," that would have
sufficed. Allah knows best. 1
Refer toFlaam al-Muwaqqi' een .an Rabbit Aalameen <3/357-358) andal
Muhalla (3171-174) by ibn Hazam adh-Dhaahiree.
226
I
bClses lor NOI Allendinglhe
CODgreuadoDalPraver
There is no reason for anyone to miss the
congregational prayer unless he has a valid excuse, be it
general or specific.
Examples of general excuses are: severe rain during
the night or day, a strong wind on a dark night, snow, severe
cold, severe muddiness, severe heat at Dhuhurtime and other
such things.
This is based on what is reported from ibn Umar that
he called the adhaan on a cold and windy night and
announced, "Pray in your homes." Then he said,
":Jf J "t; -: \5' rL,," 4D1 i"A JJI "J ' " f
y f U J " .r"J U
o "" 0 ". rJ' I
0" V 'I 0,) LJI tL:JJ1 . 'I . 1X ...

'" , " "
"On a cold and rainy night the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) used to order the Mu 'adhdhin to say, 'Pray in your
homes.:"!
Ibn Battaal said, "The scholars are unanimously
agreed that it is permissible to remain away from the
congregational prayer due to heavy rain, darkness, wind and
other such things." 2
Examples of specific excuses are:
1. Illness. The meaning of illness here is that illness
which would make it difficult for one to attend the
congregational prayer. This does not hold true for slight
illness, such as a slight headache or the like. This excuse also
applies to one who is attending to another, even if the person is
not a relative.
This is based on the verse,
Torb at-Tathreeb fee Sbarb at-Taqreeb (2/317-318) byal-Haafidh al-Iraaqee.
[This hadith isrecorded by Muslim and others.-JZ]
2 Ibid.
227
I
CongregationalPrager
" "',
u o. .:u, . ('Go\ d 00
)(9'"'" JA
"He has chosen you and has imposed no difficulties on you in
the religion" [Hajj (22):78].
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, when he
became severely ill and left off praying with the people for
many days,
" '" '/J 0;' 0 ,I!
tn.l ( .../1. : Li \ s
cr .rr: . Jf
... ..
"Command Abu Bakr to lead the people in prayer."!
Therefore, the congregational prayer is not obligatory
upon the sick, the one who has a chronic disease, the one who
has his hand and foot cut off or foot only cut off, the
paralyzed, and the old man who is not able to attend and the
likes.
Ibraaheem an-Nakha' ee said, "They did not use to
allow anyone to miss the congregational prayer unless he were
sick or in fear."2
Ibn Hazro said, "There is no difference of opinion
concerning this."3
2. Fear. Fear here means that that he fears for himself,
his property or his honor.
4
Allah says,
J. '" 0" ,*",
OS\ U WI OS
-
...
"Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear" [a1
Baqarah (2):286].
Ibn Abbaas reported that the Prophet (peace be upon
him) said,
1 Saheeb al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/386 no. 684].
zal-Musanaaf (1/351) by ibn Abee Shaybah.
3 al-Muhallaa (4/285).
4 al-Mughnee (1/451) by ibn Qudaamah.
2.28
CongregationafPrager
"Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond, then
there is no prayer for him unless he has an excuse." They
asked, "What constitutes an excuse 0 Messenger of Allah?"
He replied, "Fear or illness."!
Ibn Maajah reported with a saheeh chain from ibn
Abbaas that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

. j Ii .
u ... " ...... -r \-.:" u
rI' ...
"For whoever hears the call to prayer and does not come to it,
there is no prayer, unless he has an excuse."2
3. Repressing the urge to go to the toilet. This refers
to restraining oneself from excreting or urinating because this
prevents one from completing the khushoo' in prayer.
This is based on what Muslim reports from Aa'ishah
who said, "I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon
him) saying,
... L ... f1J ...

"'" ... ... ,.
'There is no prayer when the food has been served or when one
is repressing the urge to go to the toilet. "'3
4. When the food has been served. This is based on
the previously mentioned hadeeth,
"There is no prayer when the food has been served..."
Naafi' reported that ibn Umar said, "When one of you
is eating food, do not hurry [but eat] until your need has been
fulfilled, even if the prayer is commenced."4
5. Eating something that has a foul smell. The
obligation of attending the congregational prayer is lifted from
the one who has eaten radish, onion, leek, garlic, or meat that
has a foul smell which one is unable to remove. This is
1 as-Sunan al-Kubraa (1/185) by al-Bayhaqee.
2 Sunan ibnMaajah (no.793).
3 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/278 no. 1139].
4 as-Sunan al-KubT'aa (3;74) andrefer to Fath a/-Baaree (2/161-162).
229
Congrtt/atiotuz{Prayer
because the smell that comes out of the mouth due to having
eaten these foods harms the people that the person is talking to
and makes them averse to being close to him.
Muslim reports in his Saheeh from Jaabir that the
Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"Whoever eats garlic or onion should stay away from us or let
him stay away from our mosque and instead sit in his home." 1
The same applies to a butcher who has a foul smell
and anyone else who has a foul smell because the underlying
reasoning has been given to be the harming of other Muslims.
The one who has leprosy or any other contagious disease that
causes harmhas the same rule apply to him by analogy.2
6. The Imaam lengthening the prayer to the point
that it becomes hard upon the followers. This is based on
the report from ibn Mas'ud reports that a man said, "By Allah,
a Messenger of Allah, indeed I remain away from the morning
prayer due to such and such a person who lengthens it." I have
not seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) giving an
exhortation in which he displayed more anger than on that day.
He said,
"Indeed, there are among you those who cause the people to
become averse to attending the congregational prayer. When
any of you prays with the people be brief, for there are among
them the weak, the old and those who have a pressing need."3
1 SaheebMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/279 no. 1146J.
Z Haashiyah ar-Rawd al-Marba' (21356) by ibn Qaasim.
3 Reported by al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/379 no. 670).
230
Congregatiotuz.{Prayer
7. Being overcome with sleep. This is based on the
hadeeth from Abu Qataadah that the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) said,
",.. ".,.0 J "'" '" "0 "'
,-:'''. '..6J LJ'\ '..6J,:; 'j 4.;\
-;r- '" i r .
.... ". "",. " ,..
o 0 0 "" , 0 rIJ 0..... J t
.q\ I . " " ," ( J
1
....I" - " rs-
J
" \
..UtJ .",) \JOI ..L, .n.>o +,a. O.JV.P J.:>..
'" "',.. v", .. v.;;. ... 1J
,
"There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence exists only in the
state of wakefulness. Therefore, if one of you forgets to pray,
let him pray as soon as he remembers and let him pray the
prayers of the next day at their correct times... "1
8. Being naked and destitute, having no clothes to
wear.2
9. Being on a journey and fearing that one's
travelling party will leave him behind.3
10. Attending to the dead person and preparing
him for burial.
11. A grave concern that prevents one having
khushoo' in prayer.
Abu ad-Dardaa' said, "From the understanding of a
person is that he fulfils his need so that he can devote his
attention to prayer, as his heart would then be free of his
concern."4
Examples of this are: craving for something that one
has not yet attained, searching for something lost that one has
hope of fmding, striving to regain a belonging that has been
forcibly taken, extreme depression, the existence of one who
would harm the person on the road to the mosque or in it, and
the fear of falling intofitnah or causingfitnah.
5
Muslim [ng. Trans. 1/332 no.1450], Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/114 no. 436],
Tirmidhee (no. 177), an-Nasaa' ee 0/294). The hadeeth occurs as part ofa
story the basis of which is mentioned in al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/327 no.
6591.
2 Mentioned by an-Nawawee in Bawdah at-Taalibeen (11345-346).
3 Mentioned by ibn Qudaamah in al-Mughnee (2/453).
4 Haasbiyah ar-Bawd al-Marba' (2/357) by ibnQaasim.
5 Ibid (21360.
231
I
Congregatio1UlIPrayer
As-Suyutee wrote in al-Ashbaahu wa al-Nadhaair,
"The excuses that allow one to leave the congregational prayer
number about forty."!
Ibn al-Qayyim also mentions one of the reasons that
would allow one to leave the congregational prayer, saying,
"The Muslims boycotting a person excuses that person from
attending the congregational prayer. Meaning their boycotting
him for a legitimate reason, this is because Hilaal bin
Umayyah and Maraarah bin ar-Rabee' remained in their
homes, praying in their homes and they did not attend the
congregational prayer."Z
An-Nawawee said in ar-Rawdab after mentioning the
excuses for not attending Jumu'ah and the congregational
prayer, "...from the conditions of the prayer is that one knows
and understands what he is doing. The excuses mentioned
prevent one from actualizing this. When these excuses
disappear, one then performs the prayer having complete
khushoo'. Performing the prayer with khushoo' after missing
the congregational prayer is better than praying in
congregation with no khushoo'.,,3
The Undesirability and Sin IsLifted Due to These
Excuses and the Person Attains the Reward of
Congrega'lional Prayer
The scholars have differed concerning the excuses that
allow one to miss the congregational prayer: Is the sin
4
or
undesirability5 lifted from this person without his attaining the
reward and excellence of congregation or is the sin or
undesirability lifted with his attaining the reward of
congregational prayer?
The scholars have two opinions concerning this.
I Al-Ashbaah waanNadhaa 'jr (pp. 439-440).
2 Zaad al-Ma 'aad (3/20).
3 Rawdah atTaalibeen (1/346) andHaashiyab arRawd aJMarba' (2/364 fn.
2).
4 If one takes totheopinion that attending thecongregational prayer is obligatory.
5 If one take tothe opinion that it is recommended.
232
CongregationafPrayer
The First Opinion: Only the sin is lifted. This was the
opinion that an-Nawawee declared with certainty)
The Second Opinion: The sin is lifted and one attains
the superiority of the congregational prayer. This is the correct
opinion.2 Therefore, if one leaves attending the congregational
prayer due to a valid excuse, he attains the reward of the
congregational prayer.
The proofs for this are many, including:
The hadeeth of Abu Musa that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
"If the servant becomes ill or embarks on a journey, what is
written for him (of reward) is the same as ifhe were healthy
and resident."3
There is also the hadeeth of ibn Umar which states that
the Prophet (peace be upon him) said,
"",. ......,.. 0 ...,.,. ,,; ,.,.. 0
I. . " .. :. a..iJ i, 0\5' :L;J\ 0\
t",P:. uP.r' ." rX f1 f1 -.r'
,. '" ,..,.. ",.
...-; ",.,.,.". "0,,. 0 0 ".0
:':" I..i..lk 0\5' r-. 1<""_ J 1\
-,. ,. ".,. t..r: . ,.. U.r-',. ".
" " "
II f
'-,F$ ,. J ,.
"
"If the servant is upon a good way of worship and then he
becomes ill, it will be said to the angel appointed over him,
'Write for him the actions he would have done were he healthy
until I cause him to regain his health or take him to Myself."'4
'Ataa bin Yasaar narrated that the Prophet (peace be
upon him) said,
1 Majmoo' (41100) andalso seeHaashiyah ar-Bawd al-Marba' (2/365).
2 Fatb al-Baaree (6/136-137).
3 saheeh al-Bukhaaree {Eng. Trans. 41149 no. 239].
4 Musnad Ahmad (21203).
.233
"When the servant becomes ill, it is said to the two recording
Angels, 'Write for my servant what he would have done had
he been healthy until I cause him to die or become healthy
once again.'"1
I say: When it becomes clear to you that it is not
possible to miss the congregational prayer unless one has a
valid excuse, then what can be said of those who hear the call
to prayer yet do not attend it while being healthy and well?
What excuses would they give when they stand before Allah,
the Magnificent and Exalted? Does such a person not take
heed from the fact that leaving the congregational prayer is
from the signs ofhypocrisy?2
Does he not desire what all these people who regularly
attend the congregational prayer desire? Among these people
are those who cannot come to the mosque unless in some form
of transport, or those who walk to the mosque leaning on their
walking stick, or those who have a pain but they endure this
hoping for reward.
. We ask Allah that He guides the misguided Muslims
and that He rewards the obedient Muslims.
Reported by ibn Abee Shaybah (2/230) as asaheeb mursa/ report. There are
many more ahaadeetb concerning this. Refer to lrwaa al-Ghalee/ (2/346),
Hawdab at-Taa/Ween (1133+346) and Fath al-/JaQree (6/136-137).
2 [Ibn Mas' ud said, "None remained away from the congregational prayer except
ahypocrite whose hypocrisy was well known." (Saheeh Muslim) - Trans.]
234
I
Co"!JT'egationa{Prayer
Innovations, Errors and Evil
Actions That Are Done In
Congregational Praler
Our Muslim nation has become submerged into
various forms of blind following and following of customs and
habits that have reached the point of affecting the realm of
beliefs and the lawful and prohibited. Habits, blind following,
errors and evils have been faithfully preserved by many of the
children of this nation to the point that they no longer have the
ability to distinguish between habitual actions and actions of
worship, between that which is legislated and that which is
forbidden. One can add to this the ignorance of many people
with regards the rules and regulations of the actions of
worship, especially the outward actions, the most important of
which are the five daily prayers.
The general course with actions of worship and
mannerisms of worship is that they are to be done exactly as
the Sharee'ah has ordered. This most definitely applies to the
prayer as well. It is obligatory that you safeguard yourself
from adding to it any actions that have not been sanctioned and
not omit anything of its pillars and obligations.
I shall list some of the errors and evil actions that are
done by the Imaam and the followers to alert one to them and
warn about them.
Articulating the Intention Aloud Before the
Opening Takbeer: Some people say, "I intend to pray such
and such a prayer facing the Qiblah consisting of four rak'ahs
as the Imaam/follower, praying the prayer at its time/making
up a missed prayer as an obligatory prayer for the sake of
Allah the Exalted...."
This is a vile innovation and heinous negligence for
intention is the desire and the conviction to do something. The
place for this is the heart and it has no connection to the tongue
whatsoever. This is why it is not reported anywhere that it
should be articulated. This action arises from Shaytaan who
235
Congregationol Prayer
whispers to those prone to his whispering---and refuge is
sought from Allah. This occurs due to their being ignorant of
the Sharee 'ah or lacking in intellect, both being serious
deficiencies. 1
Another example is the saying of some people, "We
have straightened our rows," after the Imaam says, "Straighten
the rows."
Another example is the saying of some people,
"Allah has spoken truthfully" after the Imaam has completed
reciting a Surah. This is adding something to the prayer that is
not part of it. Indeed, saying this statement outside of the
prayer is a bid 'ah, so how about within the prayer?
Another example is to pray optional prayers when
the obligatory prayer has commenced. It is not permissible to
commence an optional prayer after the obligatory prayer has
started. If one is already praying an optional prayer, he should
complete it with light rak 'ahs, due to the saying of the Prophet
(peace be upon him),
J 0 0"'" ",J" I'
'11 jij \.)1
" "
"When the prayer is established, there is no prayer except the
obligatory prayer."2
Ibn Abdul Barr, may Allah have mercy on him, said,
"When there is a difference of opinion, the authority lies with
the Sunnah and the one who clings to it has been successful.
Leaving optional prayers when the obligatory prayer has
commenced and praying them after one has fmished praying
the obligatory prayer is closer to following the Sunnah."
We have discussed this subject in detail previously.
Another example is betraying the right of the
appointed Imaam by praying the prayer in congregation
before the prayer has been pronounced for him. This subject
has also been discussed previously.
Another example is the saying of some people, "We
seek help with Allah," after the Imaam has said,
:,0
...J ...
, ,
1 Refer toan-Niyyab toa Atbambaafee al-Ahkaam asb-Sbar'iyyab (1/451).
2 Reported by Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/345 no. 1531].
236
Congregatifma[Prayer
"It is You Alone we worship and Your help Alone we seek"
[al-Faatihah (1):5].
The same goes for the saying of some people, "Our
Lord and to you belongs praise and thanks," adding the word
"thanks" after the Imaam has said (when rising from ruku '),
"Allah has heard the one who praised Him." The best course is
to restrict oneself to what occurs in the hadeeth.
Another example is some people prostrating once
or twice after the prayer has been completed. Imaam Abu
Shaamah said in his book al-Baa 'ith concerning the innovation
of Salaatul Raghaa'ib, "The fifth aspect: Performing two
prostrations after completing the prayer is detestable for
indeed these two prostrations have no reason in the Sharee 'ah
that would justify their performance. There is no text that
occurs with respect to performing prostrations in order to draw
close to Allah except when in prayer or for a specific reason,
such as the prostration of forgetfulness or recitation of
Quraan."
Al-Imaam al-Mutawallee, the author of at-Tatimma
said, "Some people have become accustomed to performing a
prostration after completing the prayer, supplicating in it. This
prostration has no known basis that would justify it. It is not
reported from the Messenger (peace be upon him) or the
Companions."
Reserving a Specific Place in the Mosque: Some of
the people who constantly attend the congregational prayer in
the mosque become accustomed to a specific place or area of
the mosque and reserve it for themselves, either directly
behind the Imaam or to one side of the minbar or the likes of
this, to the extent that they find no pleasure in worshipping
unless they be in that place.
Similar to this is what some people do in the Two
Holy Mosques and other Mosques in reserving a place for
themselves from one prayer to the next, a long time before it is
time to pray it.
Also in this vein is what some Mu 'adhdhins do in
many of the Muslim lands in placing prayer mats on the
ground behind the Imaam in order to let people know that the
place is taken.
All of these matters have no precedent from our
righteous Sa1af, may Allah be pleased with them, nor did they
237
ConfJregationa{Prayer
know of this. It was not done during the time of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), nor was it from the practice of the
Khulafaa ar-Raashideen al-Mahdiyyen and those who came
after them.
Some of the people who do this claim that their reason
is their desire to attain the first row due to the great reward it
has. To these people we say, "To desire the first row
necessitates you staying in that place and sticking to that place
waiting for the next prayer. It is in this way that you wait for
the next prayer after having completed one prayer, not by
leaving something that would indicate that the space is taken
and then going away for a number of hours to return, step over
the necks ofpeople and sit in your reserved place."
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy upon him, was
asked about one who reserved a place in the mosque by putting
a prayer mat or rug, is such lawful or not. He replied, "It is not
for anyone to reserve a place in the mosque, nor is it for him to
place a prayer mat on the ground before his actually attending
the congregation. It is not for anyone else to pray on that mat
without the owner's permission but he can pick it up and pray
in that place according to the most correct of the two opinions
of the scholars. Allah knows best."!
It is important to note that this general rule finds
exception in the case that a particular place is known to be
specifically (and legitimately) appointed for a particular
person. In that case, that person has most right to that place.
Examples of this is the place on which the Imaam stands when
leading the congregation, or the place in which he sits when
giving lessons or passing rulings, or a place that has been
appointed for an ill person in which he can pray and sit.
The Saying of One Who Wishes to Catch the
Congregational Prayer When the Imaam is in ruku', "Indeed
Allah is with the patient," or his clearing his throat (to draw
the attention ofthe Imaam) or his running in order to attain the
rak'ah.
Seeking Forgiveness in Congregation in a Unified
Voice after saying the tasleem [is an innovation]. The same
applies to their saying, "0 Most Merciful of those who show
mercy, bestow Your Mercy upon us," as a group and in one
1Majmoo' Fataawaa.
238
CmttJretJatilmafPrayer
voice after they have sought forgiveness. This is an innovation,
misguidance and ignorance with regards to the religion.
Similarly, shaking hands (to those on the left and
right) after completing the prayer is an innovation and evil. I
This is because there is no evidence for this from the Sunnah
and it is not affirmed from any of the Salaf, not to mention that
doing this prevents one from performing the legislated dhikr.
And from the innovated acts is making supplication
after the iqaamah but before the opening takbeer, such as
their saying, "0 Allah make good our standing before You and
do not make the Day in which we stand before You a day of
grief." And their reciting the verse,

, ,
"0 my Lord make me one who is devout in prayer and my
progeny..." [Ibraaheem (14):40]. This is a despicable
innovation. The same applies to those who are prone to the
whisperings of Shaytaan reciting Surah an-Naas before the
opening takbeer in order to repress the whisperings. This is a
bid'ah, This is regardless of whether any of this is done
individually or in congregation for the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him),
,-otJJ,,6J 0 ... "0,- "" ."",
< 1t,;J\ I...J .u 4\ ::1\ ' .::.' 0\5'
.J" "
, , ,
"Used to commence the prayer by saying the takbeer and
reciting al-Faatihah."2
He (peace be upon him) said to the Bedouin,
J'l
#
, , ,
"When you stand for prayer, say the takbeer..."3 So anything
that is additional to what has been legislated is to be rejected
due to his (peace be upon him) saying,
1 Fiqh as-Salaab (p. 564) by ibnTaymiyyah. [Refer to Appendix 2 for a detailed
discussion concerning this - Trans.]
ZSaheebMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/258 no. 1005].
3 Ibid [1/218 no. 781].
239
C011IJTegationa! Prager
"Whoever does an action that we have not enjoined, it is
rejected."!
Imaam Ahmad was asked, "Should something be said
before (starting) the prayer?" He replied, "No, because there is
nothing that is reported with regards to this from the Prophet
(peace be upon him) or the Companions."
The same applies to supplicating in congregation after
the prayer has been completed, such that the Imaam feels
compelled to supplicate before standing from the place of
prayer and the followers do not leave until the Imaam has
completed the supplication. When the Imaam supplicates the
followers say aameen aloud. This has occurred in most of the
Muslim lands to the point that it has become a distinguishing
sign, such that the people reject and severely censure the one
who does not perform it--and the Aid of Allah is sought.
What is correct is that this act of supplicating in
congregation after the completion of the prayer is a bid'ah,
having no basis for it in the Sharee 'ah, This is because
performing supplication in this form and manner does not fall
under the general texts that occur with regards to supplicating
and it was not done by the Prophet (peace be upon him) nor by
the Imaams who came after him.
Yes, in principle, the action of supplicating is
sanctioned. But to actualize this in the form of a
congregational supplication, after every prayer, continuously,
with the followers saying aameen, is an innovated matter.
Perhaps the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), after the
obligatory and optional prayers, would perform the dhikr of
Allah while the congregation had no part to play in that, unless
they happened to say the same dhikr or perform the same
supplication as he did, but this was not in congregation.
2
Muslim reports in his Saheeh from Thawbaan that,
1 Ibid [3/931 no. 4266].
2 al-Kashj al-Qinaa' minMas'alaad-Du "aaba'd al-Maktoobah bi Hay'ah
al-Jamaa' ah (pp. 14-21).
240
CongregationolPrayer
J II!',.. 0' , "" If- .... " "'"
JI,;J ..\
o '" 0 '" 0..... '....: '"
il'}'';IJ
... ... ...
"When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) completed
the prayer he would seek forgiveness from Allah three times
and then say, '0 Allah, You are Peace and from you is peace.
Blessed are You, the Possessor of Majesty and Honor.!" 1
Abu Daawood reports from Mu'aadh bin Jabal that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) took hold of his hand
and said,
G' fJW Jl( Jl( G'
- -... J .... #... J .... '"#... J
... ...
'" til. II!'<I!', , , J J
JS- Jfi J.,z y J
...
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"0 Mu' aadh, by Allah, I love you. Do not leave saying, '0
Allah help me to perform Your dhikr and give thanks to You
and worship You in the best of ways,' after every prayer."2
Muslim reports from Abdullaah bin Zubair that the
Messenger ofAllah (peace be upon him) used to say after each
prayer,
"There is none worthy of worship except Allah, the One Who
has no partners. To Him belongs the Dominion and to Him
1 SabeehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 1/292 no. 1226].
2 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/396 no. 1517].
241
Congregatimul{Prayer
belongs all praise and He is Omnipotent over everything.
There is neither movement nor strength except with Allah and
we worship none save Him. To him belongs the favor and
beneficence and to Him belongs the best praise. There is none
worthy of worship save Allah, making the religion sincerely
for Him even though the disbelievers may detest this."!
Muslim also reports from Abu Hurayrah that the
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
... .","", "" t/I J J .'!":
dJJ\ J-;.. ". 1<' J;) dJJ\ "",,, "

.. '
'" "" 0.... ." ....", "''''', "" ,-!"." "..., If. "
JJW\ wJu ". dJJ\ ""'t(" ".
: "" i J J J
, , 0".... 00,,,, J .,,(fJ(fJ
J J J
, ,
o ";'0 "0;' J. .... 0 , ." tJJ
\ ' -:', ...... \ I". \ <. ' .... - ." y
..tJ . .. u oul.,tZ>- Jj ..

. ".J" oJ - .r;-;'" c..?"
, , ..
"Whoever says 'Subhaannllah' thirty three times after every
prayer, 'Alhumdolillaah' thirty three times, 'Allahu Akbar'
thirty three times, and completes one hundred by saying,
'There is none worthy of worship save Allah Who has no
partner. To Him belongs the Dominion and to Him belongs all
praise and He is Omnipotent over everything,'2 will have all
his sins forgiven even if they be the extent of the foam on the
ocean."3
An-Nasaaee in al-Kabeer and at-Tabaraanee report
from Abu Umaamah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) said,
/ J J ., <JJJ o. '0,;
J;':';) y J.ii i):;
"

I Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/293 no. 1235].
2 taa ilaaha il/aAllah wahdahu faa shareeka lahu, lahul MuIku walahul
hamdu wahuwa alaa kuJ!i shayin qadeer.
3Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/294 no. 1243].
242
CongregatiorUl[Prayer
"For whoever recites Aayah al-Kursee [al-Baqarah 255] after
every prayer, nothing prevents him from entering Paradise
except his dying."1
Ibn Al-Qayyim said, "Meaning that there is nothing
between him and entering Paradise except death."
So all of these ahaadeeth mention dhikr and
supplication but not by way of doing them in congregation nor
by way of doing them individually with raising the hands.
Rather these adhkaar and supplications are to be done in the
way the Prophet (peace be upon him) taught his Companions
and in the way that he himself performed them. This is because
dhikr is an action of worship. Therefore. it must be done as
authentically reported from the Messenger of Allah (peace be
uponhim).2
When performing dhikr it is necessary to stick to the
following matters:
Performing the dhikr with the words taught by the
Prophet (peace be upon him).
Performing the dhikr in the time in which it is
legislated to perform it.
Performing the number of the dhikr that has been
legislated without adding or decreasing.
Performing the dhikr in the manner that it has been
legislated, aloud, silently, individually or in congregation.
Sticking to the method of performing the dhikr, for
example, by articulating the legislated dhikr.
Shaykh al-Islam ibn Taymiyyah said,
There is no doubt that the adhkaar and
supplications are from the best forms of
worship. Worship is built upon tawqeef
[sticking to what the texts state] and ittibaa
[following]... Therefore, it is not allowed for
anyone to legislate new adhkaar (words of
remembrance) or supplications and take them
as actions of worship that the people must
I Arnot al-Yawm waal-Laylab by an-Nasaa' ee, at-Tabaraanee (7532) and ibn al
Qayyim includes itin his Waabit as-Sayyib (p. 143144). The hadeeth issaheeb
when taking into account all ofits routes ofnarration.
Z [This does not negate the fact that generally speaking it is permissible to
supplicate by raising ones hands - Trans.]
243
Congregatiotu11Prayer
constantly perform, just as they constantly
perform the five daily prayers. Rather this is
innovating into the religion that for which
Allah has not given permission. However, if a
person were to supplicate with these new
supplications on occasion and individually
without making this supplication a Sunnah for
the people, this would not be an innovation.
As for the one who takes to a formula of dhikr
(wird) that has not been legislated and makes
this to be a Sunnah to be followed, then this is
from those things that are forbidden.
Not only this but the legislated supplications
and adhkaar contain all the correct goals and
all the lofty intentions that a person could ever
require and no one but an ignoramus or an
extremist would tum away from these and
recourse to these newly invented adhkaar. As
for what is reported from the Prophet (peace
be upon him) with regards to what is
performed after the obligatory prayers, this is
the well known adhkaar that can be found in
the Saheehs, the Musnads and other books of
hadeeth. As for the Imaam and the followers
supplicating in congregation after the
obligatory prayers, this is a bid'ah that did not
exist at the time of the Prophet (peace be upon
him). Indeed, his supplication used to be
within the prayer. This is because the one who
is praying is conversing with his Lord and
supplicating at that time would be most fitting.
As for supplicating after completing the prayer
and the discourse with his Lord, such is not the
most fitting time to supplicate.l
From the errors that some of the people who pray
commit is their performing optional prayers before performing
the legislated adhkaar (after the obligatory prayers). Muslim
reports from ibn Umar bin 'Ataa bin Abee al- Khawaar that
1 Majmoo' Fataawaa (22/510, 595).
244
Naafi' bin Jubair sent him to as-Saaib, the son ofNamir's
sister, with a view to asking him about what he had observed
of the prayer of Mu'aawiyah. He said, "Yes, I observed the
Jumu 'ah prayer with him in Maqsoorah and when the Imaam
said the tasleem, I stood up in my place and observed (the
sunan prayers). As he entered (his apartment), he sent for me
and said, 'Do not repeat what you have done. Whenever you
observe the Jumu 'ah prayer do not observe (sunan) prayers till
you have talked or gone out, for the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) ordered us to do this and not to combine (two
types) of prayers without talking or going out.:"!
Imaam an-Nawawee said, "This hadeeth contains
evidence for what our companions (the Shaafi'ees) say that it
is recommended to pray the set optional prayers, and others, in
a place different than the one in which the obligatory prayer
was prayed. The best course is to pray the optional prayers in
one's house and, ifnot, then at another place in the mosque or
other than the mosque. This is so as to increase the number of
places on which one makes prostration and to differentiate
between the optional prayers and the obligatory prayers. His
saying, 'Until we talk,' is proof that the prayers can be
distinguished by talking as well, but moving from one place to
another is better due to what we have mentioned and Allah
knows best.,,2
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah said while mentioning the
evidence that prohibits one from doing something that would
lead to the. unlawful, even if that thing in and of itself is
permissible, "The fiftieth aspect: He forbade that the prayer of
Jumu 'ah be joined to another (optional) prayer until one talks
or leaves. This is so that this is not taken as a means to making
something which is optional obligatory, and so that one does
not add into the obligation that which is not part of it.,,3
From the innovations and evil actions is to give the
salaam to the lmaarn. Meaning that one of the followers stands
up after the tasleem and shakes the hand of the Irnaarnand
those to his left and right, thereby disturbing their dhikr which
was enjoined to be performed after the prayers. This is a
1 SabeehMuslim [Eng. Trans. 2/416 no.l92I].
2 Sharb Sabeeb Muslim (6/170-171).
3 rtaam at-Muwaqqi'een 'an Rabbil 'Aatameen (3/149-159).
245
Congregatimw.{Prag"
bid'ait in the religion having no evidence for it-and the Aid
of Allah is sought. 1
1 [Refer toAppendix 2- Trans.]
246
Congregational Prayer
Conclusion
This is what Allah has allowed me to gather together
with regards the various aspects of this subject Alongwith new
issues that I have explained and mentioned in some detail, I
have also mentioned the various opinions of the scholars
concerning them together with mentioning the strongest
opinion. I added to this a number ofbeneficial observations. I
have alerted the reader to errors, innovations and evils which
are performed by some of those who pray in some of the
Muslim lands, out of ignorance or blind following. I have
argued against them and warned from them.
In conclusion, I ask Allah by His Beautiful Names and
Lofty Attributes that He make our actions sincerely for His
Noble Face and that He make them ofbenefit to us, indeed He
is the One Who Hears and Responds.
Completed in Ramadaan in the year 1412Hl
Dr. Saalih bin Ghaanim as-Sadlaan
Professor in the College of Sharee 'ah in Riyaadh
1 The editing was completed in )amaadee al-Uolaa in the year 1414H and I
rechecked it before thethird edition was publlshed on1/11/1415.
247
CongregatiuwlPrayer
248
Cungrt{fationafPra]p
APPENDlll
l
When the Imaam Prays Silting, Does the Follower Pray
Sitting?
(Note: Translated from Fath al-Baaree (2/224f) by al
Haafidh ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee.)
From among the ahaadeeth concerning this issue are
the three below quoted in Saheeh al-Bukhaaree:
On the authority of Aa'ishah that during the illness of
the Prophet (peace be upon him) from which he died, he
appointed Abu Baler to lead the prayer. Then "when the
Prophet (peace be upon him) felt a bit better, he came out for
the Dhuhur prayer with the help of two people, one of whom
was al-Abbaas, while Abu Baler was leading the people in the
prayer. When Abu Balersaw him, he wanted to retreat but the
Prophet (peace be upon him) beckoned him not to do so. He
asked them to make him sit beside Abu Baler and they did so.
Abu Baler was following the Prophet (peace be upon him) in
the prayer, and the people were following Abu Baler. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed sitting."
Aa'ishah, the mother of the believers reported,
"Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) prayed sitting in his
house during his illness whereas some people prayed behind
him standing. The Prophet (peace be upon him) beckoned
them to sit down. On completion ofthe prayer he said, 'The
Imaam is to be followed. Make ruku' when he makes ruku ';
raise your heads [from ruku '] when he raises his head; when he
says, "Sami Allahu Iiman hamida," say, "Rabbanaa wa laka
al-hamd"; and ifhe prays sitting, then pray sitting."
Anas bin Maalik reported, "Once Allah's Messenger
(peace be upon him) rode a horse and fell down and the right
side of his body was injured. He offered one ofthe prayers
I The translator has added all appendices and footnotes in them.
249
Congregaticna(Prayer
while sitting and we also prayed behind him sitting. When he
completed the prayer, he said, 'The Imaam is to be
followed... '" Al-Humaidee said: The saying of the Prophet
(peace be upon him), "Pray sitting" was said in his former
illness (during his early life) but the Prophet (peace be upon
him) prayed sitting afterwards (in his last illness) and the
people were praying standing behind him and the Prophet
(peace be upon him) did not order them to sit. We should
follow the latest actions of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee says, "...Evidence is derived
for the abrogation of the command-that the followers pray
sitting behind a sitting Imaanr--due to his (peace be upon him)
endorsing the Companions' standing in prayer behind him
when he was sitting. It was in this way that Imaam ash
Shaafi'ee endorsed the abrogation. Thus the author (al
Bukhaaree) quotes this opinion at the end of the chapter from
his Shaykh, al-Humaidee who is the student of ash-Shaafi'ee.
This was also the opinion ofAbu Haneefah, Abu Yusuf and al
Awza'ee, Al-Waleed bin Muslim reports this saying from
Maalik.
Ahmad rejected the abrogation of the aforementioned
matter and reconciled the two hadeeth by saying that they were
revealed with regards to two different situations.
The first is when the appointed Imaam starts the prayer
sitting, due to an illness from which his recovery is hoped. IN
this case, those behind him pray sitting. The second is when
the appointed Imaarn starts the prayer standing. In this case, it
is necessary that the followers pray standing, even if it happens
that it becomes necessary for the Imaam to pray sitting. This
occurs in the hadeeth of the illness ofthe Prophet (peace be
upon him) from which he died, for indeed his endorsing their
standing indicates that he did not necessitate sitting for them in
this situation because Abu Bakr started the prayer standing and
they prayed [behind him] standing. This is contrary to the first
situation in which he (peace be upon him) started the prayer
sitting and when they prayed behind him standing, he
prohibited it.
This reconciliation is strengthened because the basic
principle is the absence of abrogation. This is especially true
because in this situation it is necessary that the claim of
abrogation occur on two occasions. This is because the basic
250
Congregationa{Prager
principle for the ruling of the one who is capable of praying
standing is that he does not pray sitting. So this principle was
abrogated with regards to the one whose Imaam prays sitting.
Now the claim of abrogating this sitting necessitates
abrogation to have occurred a second time and this is far
fetched. What is even more far-fetched is what has preceded in
the quotation from Qaadee Ayaadh for his words necessitate
abrogation to have occurred on three occasions.
A group of the Shaafiee Hadeeth Scholars were ofthe
same opinion as Imaam Ahmad, such as ibn Khuzaymah, ibn
al-Mundhir, and ibn Hibbaan. They gave other replies to the
hadeeth in this chapter. For example, ibn Khuzaymah said,
'Indeed, the hadeeth that occurs ordering the follower to pray
sitting following his Imaam has no difference of opinion over
it with regards to its authenticity and meaning. As for his
(peace be upon him) praying sitting [and the followers
standing], there is a difference of opinion over it as to whether
he was the Imaam or the follower [of Abu Bakr]. That which is
not differed upon should not be left for that which is differed
upon. I reply by repressing the difference of opinion and take
[the hadeeth] to mean that he (peace be upon him) was the
Imaam on one occasion and the follower on the other.'
From among the replies is that some of them
reconciled the narrations that the command for sitting was one
of recommendation and his (peace be upon him) endorsing
their standing behind him [while he was sitting] was to clarify
its permissibility. Therefore, based on this opinion, the one
who leads sitting due to a [valid] excuse should alternate the
ones praying behind him between sitting and standing [in
different prayers]. The followers' sitting takes precedence due
to the establishment of the command to follow the Imaam and
the many ahaadeeth that occur to do with this.
Ibn Khuzaymah replied to those who declared this
reconciliation far-fetched by saying that the command
emanated from the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the
companions persisted in acting upon it during his life and after
it. Abdur-Razzaaq reports with a saheeh chain from Qays bin
Fahd al-Ansaaree that 'their Imaam fell ill during the lifetime
of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and he used to lead us in
prayer sitting and we would also pray sitting. '
251
ConfJregationafPrayer
Ibn al-Mundhir reported with a saheeh chain from
Aseed bin Hadeer, 'that he used to lead his people, then he fell
ill. He went to them while he was ill and they commanded him
to pray with them. He said, "I am not capable of standing, so
sit." So he prayed with them while sitting and they were
sitting. '
Abu Daawood reports from another chain from Aseed
bin Hadeer that he said, '0 Messenger of Allah, verily our
Imaam is sick.' He said, "When he prays sitting, then pray
sitting. '" The chain is broken to that report.
Ibn Abu Shaybah reports with a saheeh chain from
Jaabir, 'that he became ill, and the time for prayer came so he
prayed with them sitting, and they prayed with him sitting. '
It is reported from Abu Hurayrah that he gave afatwa
with this meaning. The chain of that report is saheeh as well.
Ibn al-Mundhir enjoined those who follow the
principle that a companion is most knowledgeable as regards
to the explanation of what he narrates, that they follow this
opinion. This is because Jaabir and Abu Hurayrah report the
aforementioned matter and they persisted upon this opinion
and gave a fatwa based upon it after the death of the Prophet
(peace be upon him). Also, the one who follows the principle
that when a companion narrates a hadeeth and then acts
contrary to it, then that which is taken into consideration is
what he acts on, has to follow this opinion because in this case
[both these companions] are acting in conformity to what they
narrate and this obviously takes greater precedence [in
following).
Ibn Hibbaan claimed a consensus [of the Companions]
of acting by this opinion [of sitting behind a sitting Imaam],
and it is as of he means a consensus of silent approval (ijmaa
as-sukooti). This was because he reports this opinion from four
Companions whose mention has preceded and then he said, 'a
contrary opinion is not preserved from any other Companion,
neither via a saheeh route or a weak one.'
Likewise ibn Hazrn said, 'There is nothing contrary to
this opinion preserved from the Companions.' Then he
contends with the certainty of the fact that the Companions
prayed behind him (peace be upon him) standing while he was
sitting and said, 'Because it does not occur clearly' and he
extrapolates on this with a discussion of no consequence.
252
Cungregationa{Prayer
That which ibn Hazm negated, ash-Shaafi' ee affirmed
and said, 'It is from the narration of Ibraaheem from al-Aswad
from Aaishah.' Then I found a clarification to this hadeeth in
the Musannaf of Abdur-Razzaaq from ibn Juraij that, 'Ataa
informed me' and he mentioned the hadeeth and its wording is,
'So the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed sitting and he
placed Abu Bakr behind him, between himself and the people.
The people prayed behind him standing.' This is a mursal
hadeeth supported by the narration that Imaarn ash-Shaafi'ee
links from [Ibraaheem] an-Nakha' i.
This is the hadeeth that necessitates investigation [into
the claim of ibn Hazm], for they started the prayer standing
with Abu Bakr, and there is no difference over this. So the one
who claims that they sat afterwards [when the Prophet
arrived], it is upon him to bring the proof. Then I saw ibn
Hibban infer that they sat after they were standing with what
Abu Zubair narrates from Jaabir, 'the Messenger (peace be
upon him) fell ill so we prayed behind him standing and the
people would hear the takbeer of Abu Bakr. Then he (peace be
upon him) turned to us and saw us standing, so he motioned to
us and we sat. So when he had said tasleem he said, "Verily
you were doing what the Persians and Romans do, so do not do
it. ,n
This is a saheeb hadeeth, reported by Muslim, but this
did not occur at the illness from which he died. Rather this was
when he fell from the horse as occurs in the narration of Abu
Sufyaan from Jaabir as wen who said, 'The Messenger of
Allah rode a horse to Madeenah and it threw him on a tree
stump and he hurt his foot. " Reported by Abu Daawood and
ibn Khuzaimah with a saheeh chain.
Hence, there is no proof for what he claims due to this
except that he clings to the saying in the narration of Abu az
Zubair, 'and the people heard Abu Bakr's takbeer.' He said,
'This did not occur except at the illness from which he died,
because the prayer of his first illness took place in the room of
Aaishah and there were a group of Companions with him and
they did not need to hear the takbeer of Abu Bakr (his
conveying the takbeer of the Prophet). This is contrary to the
prayer at the illness from which he died for it was in the
mosque with a large group of companions so Abu Bakr needed
to convey his takbeer:'
253
ContJregat:ionafPrayer
There is no leeway for him in what he clings to
because Abu Zubair was alone in reporting the hearing of this
takbeer. Even ifwe accept that he preserved it, there is nothing
preventing their hearing Abu Bakr's takbeer in this situation
because it is possible that his (peace be upon him) voice was
low due to pain, and it was his habit to raise his voice with
takbeer, and so Abu Bakr used to raise his voice with the
takbeer due to this.
Behind all this is that this [claim of ibn Hibbaan] is a
possibility and the clear [meaning of the] narration is not to be
left due to it. This being that they prayed behind him (peace be
upon him) standing as has preceded in the mursalnarration of
'Ataa and others, indeed in the narration of' Ataa is that they
persisted in standing until the prayer had been completed. Yes,
there occurs in the aforementioned mursal narration of' Ataa
an addition to the saying, 'and the people prayed behind him
standing.' 'So the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "If! had
as much of my life left as has passed, you would not have
prayed except sitting. So pray the prayer ofyour Imaam as it
is. If he prays standing then pray standing, and if he prays
sitting then pray sitting. '"
So this addition strengthens what ibn Hibbaan said that
the narration was at the time of the illness from which the
Prophet (peace be upon him) died. The benefit gained from it
is the abrogation of the obligation of the followers to pray
sitting when their Imaam prays sitting because he (peace be
upon him) did not command them on this last occasion to
repeat the prayer. However, when the obligation is abrogated
the permissibility still remains and permissibility does not
negate desirability. So his last command is to be taken that
they should pray sitting [when the Imaam prays sitting] due to
the desirability of this because the obligation has been
removed due to his endorsing their action [of standing] and the
absence of his command to repeat the prayer. This
accomplishes the reconciliation between the evidences.
Wa bil/aahi/ tawfeeq, wA/lahu A'lam."
254
CongregationalPra!p
Appendix 2
The Innovations Related to Greeting After the Prayer
(Note: Translated in summarized form from Al-Qawl
al-Mubeen fee Akhta "i al-Musalleen [pp. 290-295] by Shaykh
Mashur Salmaan.)
Abu Hurayrah reported fromthe Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) that he said, "When one of you meets his
brother, let him give him the salaam. If a tree, wall or rock
divides them, let them give the salaam upon meeting again. "1
This hadeeth contains evidence for the Muslims to
greet one another when they meet due to its benefits of
inculcating unity, absence of hatred and mutual love. The
command that is mentioned in this hadeeth is one of
recommendation and not obligation.
2
With respect to this, there is no difference between the
one who is in the mosque or outside ofthe mosque. Indeed, the
Sunnah proves that it is sanctioned to give the salaam to
whoever is in the mosque, regardless ofwhether he is in prayer
or not.
Ibn Umar reported that, "the Messenger of Allah
(peace be upon him) went to Qubaa to pray there. The Ansaar
came to him and greeted him while he was in prayer. I asked
Bilaal, 'How did you see the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) replying to them when they greeted him while he
was in prayer?' He replied, 'In this way.' Ja'far bin Awn
1 Sunan Abu Daauood (Eng. Trans. 3/1435 no. 5181) and itschain issabeeb
consisting of trustworthy and precise narrators. Refer toMuhammad Naasir al
Deen al-Albaani, Silisilah as-Saheehah, no. 186. Note: All footnotes in this
section areby Shaykh Mashur.
2 Refer toAqdaz-Zabarjadjee Tahiyyah Ummah Muhammad (p. 159).
255
Congregationa(Prager
demonstrated by extending his palm, keeping its inner side
facing down and its back side facing up." I
Imaams Ahmad and Ishaaq bin Rahaawayah are of this
opinion. Al-Marwazee said, "I asked Ahmad, 'Should one
greet the people while they are in prayer?' He replied, 'Yes,'
and he mentioned the story in which ibn Umar asked Bilaal
how the Prophet (peace be upon him) replied to the salaam and
his reply that he did so by indicating.' Ishaaq gave the same
reply."2
This was also the opinion that Qaadee ibn al-Arabee
chose saying, "It is possible that indicating in prayer occurs to
reply to a salaam, just as it is possible that one indicates due to
a need that presented itself to him. If it is to reply to the
salaam, there are a number of authentic narrations concerning
this, such as the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in
Qubaa and other places."3
The evidence for the sanctioning of the salaam after
completing the prayer in the mosque lies in the famous hadeeth
of the man who prayed badly: Abu Hurayrah reported, 'The
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered the mosque
and a man also entered and prayed and then came and greeted
the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). The Messenger
of Allah (peace be upon him) replied to the salaam and said,
'Return and repeat your prayer for you have not prayed.' The
man returned as prayed as he had done on the first occasion
and then came to the Messenger of Allah... (doing this three
times). "4
AI-Albaanee said, "Through this hadeeth Siddeeq
Hasan Khaan, in Nuzul al-Abraars, derived proof that 'if a
person were to greet another and then meet him again shortly
after, he should greet him again.'''
He also said, "This hadeeth also contains evidence
towards the sanctioning of greeting those in the mosque. This
1 Abu Daawood [Eng. Trans. 1/236 no, 927] and Ahmad (2130) with asaheeh
chain, meeting theconditions ofal-Bukhaaree and Muslim. Refer toSilsilah as
Saheehah (no. 185).
2 Masaa ' tl alMarwazee (p. 22).
3Aaridah al-Abwadhee (21162).
4 Saheeh al-Bukhaaree [Eng. Trans. 1/404 no. 724] and Saheeh Muslim [Eng.
Trans. 1/218 no. 78t].
5 Pp. 350-351.
256
Congregationa(Prayer
is also proven by the hadeeth that mentions the Ansaar
greeting the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in the
Mosque of Qubaa as has preceded. However, despite this we
find some of the partisans not attaching any importance to this
Sunnah. So one of them enters the mosque and does not greet
those there, thinking that it is disliked to do so. Maybe in what
we have written, there serves a reminder to them and others;
and admonition is of benefit to the believers."!
In conclusion, we learn that the salaam and shaking of
hands is to be done upon meeting and upon leaving even if it
be after a short time, regardless of whether this is in the
mosque or outside of the mosque.
However, the matter that is distressful is that when you
meet someone after completing the prayer and you say, 'as
salaamu alaikum' he promptly replies, 'taqabbaIAllah' and
thinks that he has fulfilled what Allah has obligated in replying
to the salaam. It is as if he has not heard the saying of Allah,
'" ,., '" '" '.1., 'l. ;' ""
Ie. cJ\S" 4U\ . \ \A:J \ <: U \ .. 0 \.;\
l.r IJ. J) J or; . .J
" """
" J
L:.....;.. 1<"
'- Soi.;" ,.r
-
"When you are greeted with a greeting, greet in return with
what is better than it, or at least return equally. Indeed Allah is
Ever a careful account taker of all things" [an-Nisaa" (4):86].
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said,
"Spread the salaam among you."2 He did not say, 'Say
taqabbalAllah. '
We do not know of a single Companion or Righteous
Salaf, may Allah be pleased with them all, who used to shake
hands with those on their left and right and give the tidings of
the prayer being accepted after completing the prayer. If any
one of them would have done this, it would have reached us,
even it be via a weak chain, and the People of Knowledge
would have quoted it-those who delved into every ocean and
explored their deepest depths and derived from them many
I Si/stlah al-Ahaadeeth as-Sabeebah 0/314).
2 Saheeh Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/37 no. 96], Ahmad (21391, 442, 447, 495) and
others.
257
rules and regulations and did not neglect a single aspect of the
Sunnah.l
Look and see how the Researching Scholars have
quoted that the shaking of hands in the mannerism that has just
been discussed is a bid'ah. Al-Izz bin Abdus Salaam said,
"Shaking hands after praying the Fajr and 'Asr prayers is a
bid'ah. This does not hold for the one who has just arrived and
shakes the hand of someone he meets before the prayer.
Indeed, the shaking ofhands is only sanctioned upon meeting
and the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to follow up his
prayer by saying the sanctioned adhkaar. He used to seek
forgiveness three times and then turn. It is reported that he said
(after the prayer), "0 Lord save me from Your Punishment on
the Day You resurrect Your servants. "2 All goodness lies in
following the Messenger."3
This bid'ah that was confined to the Fajr and 'Asr
prayers in the time of the author has now spread to include all
of the prayers-s-and there is no might or movement except
with Allah.
Al-Luknawee said, "Two matters that should desired
be abandoned have spread in our times and in many of the
lands. The first is that the people do not greet those in the
mosque upon entering the mosque at the time of the Fajr
prayer. Instead, they enter, pray their sunnahs and then they
pray their lard. Then they greet one another after completing
the prayer and following on from it, and this is a vile state of
affairs. The salaam is only a Sunnah when one meets as is
established in the authentic Sunnah, it is not said at the end of
a gathering. The second is that they shake each other's hands
after completing the Fajr, 'Asr, Eed and Jumu 'ah. prayers
1 Tamaam aJ-Kalaam fee Bid' iyyab at-Musaafaba ba' d as-Salaam (pp. 24
25) and al-Masftd fee al-Islam (p. 225). Shaykh Abdullaah bin Abdurrahmaan
al-Jibreen said, "Many ofthose who pray extend their hands to shake the hands
of those around them after saying the tasleem oftheobligatory prayers. They
supplicate for them by saying, 'taqabbalAllab (May Allah accept)' and this is an
innovation and has not been reported from the Salaf." Refer toMUjallab al
Mujlama' (no. 855).
2 Reported by Muslim [Eng. Trans. 1/345 no. 1529J, at-Tirmidhee (no. 3398,
3399) and Ahmad (4}290).
3 Fataawaa aJIzz bin Abdis Salaam (pp. 46-47) and refer toat-Majmoo
(3/488).
258
Co1tgn;gatiuIUlIPrayer
despite the fact that it is also only legislated to shake hands
upon meeting the first time."!
After discussing the difference of opinion concerning
shaking hands after completing the prayer, he said, "From
those who forbade it were ibn Hajr al-Haythamee ash
Shaafi'ee and Qutub ad-Deen bin 'Alaa ad-Deen al-Makkee al
Hanafee. Al-Faadil ar-Rumee declared it to be a vile bid'ah in
Majaalis al-Abraar wherein he said, 'Shaking hands is
commendable at the time of meeting. As for other than the
time of meeting, such as after the Jumu 'ah and Eid prayers, as
is the habit of our times, the hadeeth is silent about this and,
therefore, this action remains without any evidence. It is
established that what has no evidence to support it must be
rejected and it is not permissible to blindly follow it."'2
Then he, may Allah have mercy upon him, proceeded
to clarify his own ijtihaad and view saying, "As for what I say:
They have agreed that this shaking of hands [in this manner]
has no basis in the Sharee 'ah, however they differed as to
whether it was reprehensible or permissible. When a matter
revolves around being reprehensible or permissible, it is
desired to prohibit it because repressing the harm takes
precedence over promoting that which is beneficial. Indeed,
how is it not possible that it take precedence over an action
that is permissible? Furthermore those who do shake hands [in
this manner] see it as a good action and they go to great
lengths in vilifying those who prohibit this and they stringently
persist upon it. It has preceded that persisting upon something
that is recommended can lead to it becoming disliked, so what
then would be the case in persisting upon something that is a
bid'ah having no basis in the Sharee 'ah? Therefore, there is no
doubt that such an action is reprehensible... "3
Finally, it is necessary to point out that it is not
permissible for a Muslim to sever the dhikr of his brother
I As-Si'tltlYtlb fee tll-Kasbf 'tlmmtJtI fee Sbtlrh al-Wiqtltlytlb (p. 264). From
what has preceded it appears that there is no problem in two ormore people
shaking hands who have not previously met. A1-A1baanee said, "As for shaking
hands after having completed the prayer, this is an innovation without doubt
unless it be the case where two people meet nothaving previously met. Inthis
case shaking hands is a Sunnah." (Silsiltlh as-Saheebtlb 1/23).
2 Ibid. Refer also toad-Deen al-Kbtlalis (4/314), al-Madkbal (2/84), as-Sunan
watll-Mubtada 'tlat (pp, 72-77).
3 Ibid (p. 265).
259
CmtgrttJationalPrayer
Muslim unless it be for a valid valid reason. Also, it is not
from wisdom that you retract your hand forcibly from the hand
of the person next to you who is shaking it, nor is it from
wisdom that you push back the hand that is extended to you,
for this is harshness and rudeness which is alien to Islam.
Instead, you should take his hand with gentleness and kindness
and explain to him that this method of shaking is an
innovation, for how many are the people who listen to
exhortation and accept sincere advice and it was just ignorance
that made them to fall into innovation. Therefore, it is upon the
scholars and students of knowledge to explain the Sunnah in
the best of ways. It is possible that a man or student of
knowledge desire to put an end to an evil but he does so in a
bad way and thereby falls into an evil greater than the one he
wished to reject. So I enjoin you to gentleness. Gentleness, 0
callers to Islam, for then the called will love you and through
your good morals and character you will attract their hearts
and fmd them taking heed. Indeed, the nature of man is that he
rejects what is presented to him in a severe and harsh way.I
I Tamaam al-Kalaamjee BkJ'iyyab a/-Musaajaba ba'd as-salaam (p. 23).
260
CegationafPrager
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Al-Lu'lu' wa al-Marjaan feemaa Ittafaqa ash-Shaykhaan al
Bukhaaree wa Muslim. Muhammad Fo'aad Abdul
Baaqee [al-Mataabi' al-' Asriyyah, Kuwait].
Al-Mabsoot. as-Sarkhasee al-Hanafee [Tahqeeq Shaykh
Khaleel al-Mees al-Labnaanee, Daar al-Ma'aarif
edition, Lebanon, 1406H].
Majmoo' Fataawaa ibn Taymiyyah. [Majmoo'ah Fataawaa
ibn Taymiyyah al-Kubraa].
Al-Majmoo' Sharh al-Muhadhdhab. Muhiy ad-Deen an
Nawawee [al-' Aasimaa edition, Cairo].
Al-Masaa'il al-Fiqhiyyah min Kitaab ar-Riwaayatain wa al
Wajhayn. al-Qaadee Abu Ya'Iaa [Manuscript].
Mataa/ib U/ee an-Nahee Sharh Ghaayah al-Muntahaa. ar
Raheebaanee al-Hanbalee [al-Maktaba al-Islamee,
Damascus, [st edition, 1381H].
Al-Mada: Sharh al-Muqni', ibn Muflih al-Hanbalee [1st
edition, Lebanon, 1399H].
Al-Mawsoo'ah al-Fiqhiyyah. [Wizaarah al-Awqaaf bi al
2
nd
Kuwait, Mataabi' Dhaat as-Salaasil, edition,
1410H].
263
CongresationafPrayer
Miftaah Daar as-Sa 'aadah. al-Allaamah ibn al-Qayyim [Daar
Najd edition, Riyaadh].
Al-Misbaah al-Muneer. Ahmad bin Muhammad al-Fuyumee
[Daar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon].
Misbaah az-Zujaajah fee Zawaa'id ibn Maajah. Shihaab ad
Deen al-Busayree [Daar al-Janaan, Lebanon].
Misbaah az-Zujaajah ilaa Zawaa'id ibn Maajah. al-Kanaanee
al-Busayree [Daar al-Janaan, Lebanon, 1st edition,
1406H].
Mu 'aalim as-Sunan. Abu Sulaymaan al-Khattaabee al-Bustee
[2
nd
edition, Lebanon, 1401H].
Al-Mubdi' Sharh al-Muqni', ibn Muflih al-Hanbalee [al
Maktaba al-Islamee, Damascus, 1391H].
Al-Mudawwanah al-Kubraa Sahnoon al-Maalikee [Daar al
Fikr, Beirut, 1398H].
Al-Mughnee. ibn Qudaamah al-Hanbalee [Tahqeeq Dr. at
Turkee. [st edition by Jaami'a al-Imaam, 2
no
edition
by Maytaabi' Hajar in Cairo].
Mughnee al-Muhtaaj ilaa Ma'rifah Ma 'aanee Alfaadh al
Manhaj. ash-Sharbeenee al-Khateeb [Mataabib'
Mustafaa al-Halabee, Cairo].
Al-Muhadhdhab fee Fiqh ash-Shaafi'ee. al-Fairozabaadee ash
Sheeraazee rEesaa al-Halabee edition, Cairo].
Al-Muhallah Sharh al-Mujallah. ibn Hazm adh-Dhaahiree
[Daar al-Ittihaad al-Arabee edition, Egypt, 1387H].
Mu 'jam Lugha al-Fuqahaa. Muhammad Saadiq Qaneebee
[Daar an-Nafaais edition, Lebanon].
Mujma' az-Zawaa'id. al-Haafifh al-Haythamee.
Al-Mukhtaaraat al-Jaliyyah fee Masaa'il al-Fiqhiyyah. ash-
Shaykh as-Sa' dee [Mu' assasah as-Sa'udiyyah,
Riyaadh].
Mukhtasar al-Fataawaa al-Misriyyah. Badr ad-Deen Abu
Abdullaah al-Ba'Iee al-Hanbalee [Mataabi' at-
Tunosee, Egypt].
Al-Mukhtasar fee Usool al-Fiqh. ibn al-Lahhaam [Daar al
Fikr, Lebanon, 1400H].
Mukhtasar al-Khaleel. Diyaa ad-Deen Khalee1 al-Maalikee.
Al-Muntaqaa min Akhbaar al-Mustafaa. Majd ad-DeenAbu
al-Barakaat ibn Taymiyyah al-Jadd [ar-Riaasah al
'Aamah li Idaarah al-Buhuth al- 'Ilmiyyah wa al-Iftaa
bi as-Sa'udiyyah],
264
CongregationalPrayer
Musannaf Abdur Razzaaq. al-Haafidh as-Sanaanee [al
Maktabah al-Is1arnee, Lebanon, 1390H].
Musannaf ibn Abee Shaybah. ibn Abee Shaybah [2
nd
edition,
1399H].
Al-Musnad. al-Irnaarn Ahmad bin Hanbal [indexed by al
Albaanee, Maktbah al-Islamee, Damascus].
Al-Mustadrak 'alaa as-Saheehayn. al-Haakirn an-
Naysaabooree [Daar al-Kitaab al-'Arabee, Lebanon].
Muwaahib al-Jaleel Sharh Mukhtsar al-Khaleel. al-Hitaab,
[Daar al-Fikr edition, Lebanon, 1398H].
Nayl al-Awtaar. al-' Allaarnah ash-Shawkaanee al-Yamaanee
[Tahqeeq Rishdee Sulayrnaan, Sabeeh edition, Cairo].
Nayl al-Maarib bi Sharh Daleel at-Taalib. Abdul Qaadir ash
Shaybaanee [Mataabi' Sabeeh, Egypt].
An-Nihaayah fee Ghareeb al-Hadeeth wa al-Athar. ibn Atheer
al-Jazaree [Tahqeeq at-Tanaajee and az-Zawaawee,
'Eesaa al-Halabee edition].
An-Niyyah wa Atharuhaa fee al-Ahkaam ash-Shar'iyyah. Dr.
Saalih bin Ghaanirn as-Sadlaan [Maktaba al
Khareejee, 1st edition, 1404H].
Qaamoos al-Fiqhee Lughatan wa Istilaahan. Sa'eedee Abu
Jaib [Daar al-Fikr edition, Lebanon].
Qawaaneen al-Ahkaam ash-Shar'iyyah wa Masaa 'it al-Furoo'
al-Fiqhiyyah. ibn Juzzee al-Maalikee [Daar al-'Urn,
Lebanon, 1968H].
Al-Qiraa'ah Khalf al-Imaam. Abu Bakr ibn al-Husayn al
Bayhaqee [Idaarah Ihyaa as-Sunnah edition, Pakistan].
Radd al-Muhtaar 'alaa ad-Darr al-Mukhtaar (Haashiyah ibn
'Aabideen), ibn 'Aabideen al-Hanafee [Daar Ihyaa
Turaath al-'Arabee],
Rahmah al-Ummah IkhtilaafaI-A'immah. Abu Abdurrahmaan
ad-Dirnishqee [Cairo print, 1386H, 2
nd
edition).
Rasaa'il ibn 'Aabideen. ibn 'Aabideen,
Ar-Rawd al-Anf Irnaam Abdurrahmaan as-Suhaylee [Tahqeeq
Taa Haa Abdurka'oof Sa'd, Daar al-Fikr al-'Arabee,
Lebanon].
Ar-Rawd al-Marba' bi Haashiyah ibn Qaasim al- 'Aasimee an
Najdee. ibn Qaasim an-Najdee [1st edition, Riyaadh,
1397H).
Rawdah at-Taalibeen. Yahyaa bin Sharf an-Nawawee
[Maktabah al-Islamee edition, Beirut].
265
eongregatimut.{Prayer
ar-Risaalah. Imaam Muhammad bin Idrees ash-Shaafi'ee
[Tahqeeq Ahmad Shaakir, Daar Turaath, 1399H, 2
nd
edition].
ar-Risaalah as-Sanniyyah fee as-Salaah wa maa Yalzimu
feehaa. Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal [contained within
Majmoo'ah al-Ahaadeeth an-Najdiyyah, Matba'a as
Salafiyyah, Egypt, 1386H].
Saheeh al-Bukhaaree {al-Jaami' as-Saheeh). Abu Abdullaah
bin Muhammad bin Ismaaeel al-Bukhaaree [al
Maktaba al-Islamee],
Saheeh ibn Khuzaymah. Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Ishaaq bin
Khuzaymah an-Naysaabooree [Malctab al-Islamee,
Lebanon, 1st edition].
Saheeh Muslim. Abu al-Husayn al-Qushayree an-
Naysaabooree [ar-Ri'aasah al-Aamah lil Iftaa bi as
Sa'udiyyah,1400H].
Saheeh at-Tirmidhee (or Sunan at-Tirmidheey. al-Haafidh Abu
'Eesaa at-Tinnidhee [Daar al-Fikr edition, Lebanon].
Sayl al-Jarraar al-Mutadaffiq 'alaa Hadaa'iq al-Azhaar.
Muhammad bin 'Alee ash-Shawkaanee [Mataabi' al
Baaz, Mecca, 1st edition].
Sharh al-Kabeer. ibn Qudaamah al-Hanbalee [Maktaba al
Islamee edition, Beirut].
Sharh as-Sagheer 'alaa Aqrab al-Masaalik ilaa Madhab
Maalik. Abu Barakaat Ahmad ad-Dardeer [Daar al
Ma'aarif edition, Egypt].
Sharh Saheeh Muslim. Muhiy ad-Deen bin Sharf an-Nawawee
[Egyption edition].
Sharh as-Sunnah. Imaam al-Baghawee [1st edition, 1390H].
Shuroot as-Salaah wa Arkaanuhaa wa Waajibaatuhaa wa
Aadaab al-Mashee ilayhaa. lmaam Muhammad bin
Abdul Wahhaab [included among Majmoo' Rasaa 'if
fee as-Salaah, Ri'aasah al-'Aamah lil Iftaa edition,
1405].
Subul as-Salaam Sharh Bulugh al-Maraam. Muhammad
Ismaa'eel as-Sana'aanee [Daar al-Kitaab al-Arabee,
Lebanon].
Sunan Abee Daawood. al-Haafidh Abu Sulaymaan bin al
Ash'ath as-Sijistaanee [Maktabaa al-Islamiyyah,
1388H].
CongregatianolPrayer
Sunan al-Kubraa. Abu Bakr Ahmad bin al-Husayn aI
Bayhaqee [Indian print, MajIis al-Ma'aarif aI
'Umumiyyah, 1st edition].
Sunan Ibn Maajah. al-HaafidhAbu Abdullaah bin Yazeed al
Qazwaynee [ash-Sharikah at-Tibaa'ah as-Sa'udiyyah,
2
nd
edition, 1404H].
Sunan an-Nasaa'ee. al-Haafidh an-Nasaa'ee Ahmad bin
Shu'ayb [al-Matboo'aat al-Islamiyyah, [st edition,
Lebanon].
Sunan at-Tirmidhee. aI-Haafidh Abu 'Eesaaat-Tirmidhee
[Daar al-Fikr edition, Lebanon].
As-Sunan wa al-Mubtada 'aat fee al-Adhkaar wa as-Salawaat.
Muhammad bin AbdusSaIaam ash-Shuqayree
[Mataabi' Yusufiyyah, Egypt].
at-Taaj al-Ikleel Sharh Mukhtasar al-Khaleel. Abu Abdullaah
al-Mawwaaq (Daar al-Fikr, Beirut, 1398H 2
nd
edition].
Tabaqaat ash-Shaafi'iyyah al-Kubraa. Taaj ad-Deen Taqee
ad-Deenas-Subkee [Daar al-Ma'rifah, Lebanon].
Tabsirah al-Hukkaamfee Usool al-Aqdiyyah wa Manaahij al
Ahkaam. ibn Firhawn al-Maalikee [Halabee edition,
1378H].
Tabyeen al-Haqaa'iq Sharh Kinz ad-Daqaa 'iq. Fakhr ad-Deen
az-Zaylafee al-Hanafee [Mataabi' al-Ameeriyyah
Egypt, 1313H].
at-Ta'leeq al-Mughnee 'alaa Sunan ad-Daaruqutnee. Imaam
'Alee bin 'Umar ad-Daaruqutnee [Faaliqin edition
Lahore].
at-Tamheed limaa fee al-Muwatta min al-Ma'aanee wa al
Asaaneed. ibn Abdul Barr al-Qurtobee (Morocco
edition, 1402H].
at-Ta'reefaat. 'Alee bin Muhammad al-Jarjaanee (Maktaba al
Labnaan - Beirut, 1978CE].
at-Targheeb wa at-Tarheeb min Ahaadeeth ash-Shareef. al
Haafidh al-Mundhiree [Daar al-Fiqr - Lebanon,
1401H].
Tarh at-Tathreeb fee Sharh at-Taqreeb. al-HaafidhZayn ad
Deen al-'Iraaqee [Daar Ihyaa at-Turaath edition,
Lebanon].
Tuhfah al-Fuqahaa. 'Alaa ad-Deen as-Samarqandee [Daar
Kutub al-'Ilmiyyah - Lebanon].
267
CortgreBi
Al-Uddah Sharh al-Umdah. al-Ameer as-Sana'aanee (Maktaba
ibn Taymiyyah, Cairo].
Al-Waabil as-Sayyib min al-Kalaam at-Tayyib. ibn Qayyim al
Jawziyyah [Daar al-Bayaan edition, Sa'udi, 1399H].
Al-Wajeez fee Fiqh al-Imaam ash-Shaafi'ee. Abu Haamid al
Ghazaalee [Daar al-Ma'rifah edition, Lebanon].
Al-Yaaqut an-Nafees fee Madh-hab ibn Idrees. as-Sayyid
Ahmad ash-Shaatiree, (Mustafaa Halabee, 2
nd
edition,
Egypt].
Az-Zawaa'id fee Fiqh al-Imaam Ahmad bin Hanbal. Shaykh
Muhammad Aali Husayn [Daar al-Farzdaq edition,
Riyaad].
Congregationa{Prayer
Inde. 01 Verses Cited
al-Faatihah 1:5 - p. 25, 31, 236-237
6-7 - p. 26
al-Baqarab 2:43 - p. 76
83 -po 19
152 - p. 11
222 - p. 44
286 - p. 228
Aali Imraan 3:42 - p. 19
al-Nisaa 4:86 - p. 257
102 - p. 76
103 - p. 18
aI-ATaaf7:29 - p. 77
31- p.45
204 - p. 190, 191, 193
aI-AnfaaI8:35 - p. 99
al-Tawbah 9:11 - p. 9
18-p.12
Ibraaheem 14:40 - p. 18,239
Maryam 19:31- p. 19
55 -p, 18
59 - p. 10
Taa Haa 20:14 - p. 18, 153
132: -po 19
ai-Hajj 22:77-78 - p. 25
78 - p. 228
al-Nur 24:36-38 - p. 63, 77
al-Sajdah 32:18 - p. 143
Saad 38:29 - p. 99
86 - p. 103
Muhammad 47:33 -pp. 174-175
aI-Taghaabun 64:16 -po 219
al-Qalam 68:42-43 - pp. 77-78
al-Jinn 72:18 - p. 59
Muzzammil73:20 - p. 192
aI-Bayyinah 98:5 - p. 17
269
Congregationa{Prayer
270
CongregationolPrayer
Index 01 Hadeeth Quoted
A black woman, or a youth, used to sweep the mosque ...p. 60
Abu Musaa addressed us and taught us our prayer...p. 199
Abu al-Qaasim (peace be upon him) enjoined me to never
leave the prayer...p. 11
An orphan and I prayed with the Messenger ofAllah (peace be
upon him) ... p. 86, 129, 132
'Anyone who has an atom's weight of arrogance ... 'p, 45
'Appoint the best of you to be your Imaam... 'p. 143
'Are you putting these people to trial? .. 'p, 207
'By Allah! I have not prayed.. .'p. 155
'By the One in Whose Hand is my soul, .. 'p, 74, 79
Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) prayed sitting in his
house ...p. 249
Bilaal called the adhaan for prayer p. 158
'Come let us visit a female martyr 'p. 225
'Command Abu Bakr to lead the prayer... 'p. 180,228
'Congregational prayer is equivalent to twenty-five... 'po 38,
39,40
'Do not pray the same prayer twice ... 'p, 125
'Do not prevent the female slaves of Allah... 'p. 222
'Do not repeat what you have done ... 'p, 245
'Do you hear the call to prayer? .. 'p. 74, 80
'Do you recite in your prayers while the Imaam ... 'po 188
During the illness of the Prophet (peace be upon him) ...p. 249
'From the excellence of the Islam of a person... 'p, 169
'How will you be when you are governed... 'p, 138
'I have been given five things... 'p. 64
I prayed with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) ...p.
44
I spent the night at my aunt's...p. 52, 134, 135
'If anyone goes back and forth from the mosque ... 'po 61
'Ifthe people knew the reward that came with... 'p. 30
'If the servant becomes ill or embarks... 'p, 233,234
'If the servant is upon a good way .. .'p. 233
'If your desire is that your prayer be accepted ... 'p. 136
'Indeed, actions are by intention... 'p. 148
271
Congregational Prager
'Indeed, between a person and polytheism... 'po 9
'Indeed, I enter the state of prayer desiring to lengthen ... 'po
209
'Indeed, I saw what you did and nothing ... 'p, 90
'Indeed, it pleases me that the prayer of the Muslims ... ' p. 168
'Indeed, the Imaam has only been appointed ... 'p. 148, 149,
150,199,202
'Indeed, there are those among you who cause... 'po 208, 212,
230
'Indeed, these graves are full of darkness ... 'p. 61
'Is not the one who raises his head before the Imaam... 'p. 196
'Islamis built upon five pillars... 'p. 17
'Let one ofyou lead who knows the most Quraan... 'p. 55
'Let one of you pray in the mosque that. .. 'p. 101
'Let the most proficient of you in reciting... 'p. 145
'Make a gap between your saying the adhaan .. .'p. 113
'May Allah increase your eagerness... 'po 130
'Nothing prevented me from coming out. .. 'po 90, 96
'0 Allah, forgive me my sins... 'p. 49
'0 Bi1aal, comfort us with the prayer... 'p. 22
'0 Bilaa1, stand and do what Abdullaah... 'p. 29
'0 Lord! Save me from Your Punishment. .. 'p. 258
o Messenger of Allah, verily our Imaam is sick... p. 252
'0 Mu'aadh, by Allah, I love you ... 'po 241
'0 People! Repent to Allah before you die... 'po 140
On a cold and rainy night the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) ... p. 227
On the Day ofKhandaq...p. 155, 161
Once Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) rode a horse ...p.
249
'Pray as you have seen me praying.'p. 161
'Pray behind every pious and sinful person.'p. 142
'Pray behind whoever says, "there is none... 'p, 142, 146
'Pray standing and if you are not able then.. .'p. 215
'Pray the prayer at its time ... 'p, 122, 138
'Repeat your prayer for there is no prayer ... 'p. 131
'Return and repeat your prayer for you have not prayed ... ' p.
256
'Return to your families and stay among them
'Shall I not direct you to that by which Allah
'Spread the salaam among you ... 'p. 257
'p. 70
'po 62
272
Ccngregationa{Prayer
'Stand so that I may pray with you ... 'po 86, 87
'The Imaams pray for you... 'p. 139
'The best mosques for women are in the ... 'po 222
'The best of actions is the prayer at its time.' p. 107
'The best of actions is the prayer prayed at. .. 'p. 108
'The congregational prayer is twenty-seven times... 'p. 31, 38,
70, 72
'The covenant between us and them is the prayer ... 'po 20
The Fajr prayer was commenced ... p. 178
'The farthest from the mosque has the greatest reward... 'p, 42
'The hardest prayer upon the hypocrites... 'po 36
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fell ill... p. 180,
253
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed in his
house...p.65
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed in
Ramadaan...p. 94
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed with
us...p.196
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) saw a man
praying...p. 130, 178
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood and an
orphan...p. 129
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stood to pray...
p. 132, 134, 135
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray
Fajr ... p.221
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to have the
best manners ... p. 64
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went out to the
mosque ...p.93
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) went to Qubaa
p.255
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) while
returning ... p. 153
The Muslims would gather together and calculate... p. 28
'The peak of the matter is Islam .. .' p. 21, 23
'The people with the greatest reward ... ' p. 109
'The person who has the greatest reward ... 'po 72
The Polytheists distracted the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) ... p. 161
273
CongregationalPrayer
'The prayer! The prayer! 'po23
'The Prayer in the Inviolable Mosque (of Mecca) 'p. 43
'The prayer is commenced by saying the takbeer 'p, 239
'The prayer is the pillar of the religion..'p. 21
'The prayer of a person in congregation... ' p. 31
'The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty-odd... ' p.
32,62
'The prayer of a person with another person is better... ' p. 39,
40,52
The Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered her to lead the
people...p. 224
The Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed in the mosque one
night. .. p.90
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to leave an action ... p.
97
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to lengthen the first
rak'ah ... p. 211
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray Dhuhur at
midday.. .' p. 105
The Prophet (peace be upon him) used to recite about thirty
verses ... p. 210
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was concerned as to how ...
p.28
'There are no three men in a village... ' p. 34, 69, 81
'There is no negligence in sleep ... ' p. 231
'There is no prayer for the one who does not recite .. .' p. 145,
187, 191
'There is no prayer when food is served ... ' p. 229
'There is none worthy of worship save Allah... ' p. 241, 242
'They have done well...' p. 93
'Two and more constitute a congregation. 'p. 53
'Use the siwaakfor indeed it purifies... ' p. 46
We went on an expedition with... p. 154
We were on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace be
upon him) ... p. 156
'What prevented you from praying with the people ... ' p. 44,
123
'What prevented you from praying with us? .. ' p. 121, 176
'Where would you like me to pray in your house?' p. 88
'When a person leads a people while ... 'p, 137
'When a person leaves his home and says... ' p. 48
274
CongregatiotUl.{Prager
'When a servant becomes ill it is said to... ' p. 234
'When anyone enters the mosque then let him pray... ' p. 49
'When one of you meets his brother then let him give the.. .' p.
255
'When one of you performs wudu' in an excellent. .. ' p. 45
'When one of you prays with the people... ' p. 207
'When the iqaamah for the prayer has been called, do not
come hastily ... ' p. 47
'When the iqaamah for prayer has been said do not stand
until.. .'p. 111
'When the iqaamah for prayer is called do not come
running... ' p. 58
'When the iqaamah for prayer is called there is no prayer
except ... ' p. 172, 174, 178
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) completed
the prayer. .. p. 241
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) fell ill... p.
180
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to
say, 'Allah has heard ... p. 201
'When the prayer is established then there is no prayer... ' p.
236
When the Prophet (peace be upon him) awoke the day after...
p.27
'When you come to the prayer and we are... ' p. 171
'When you pray then straighten your rows.. .' p. 199,201
'When you stand for prayer then say the takbeer... ' p. 239
'Which one ofyou was reciting? .. ' p. 186
'Who will give charity to this person and pray... ' p. 116
'Whoever builds a mosque.. .' p. 60
'Whoever catches a rak'ah of the Jumu'ah.. .' p. 56
'Whoever catches one rak'ah has caught ... ' p. 56
'Whoever does an action that we have not commanded... ' p.
240
'Whoever introduces into this affair of ours... ' p. 213
'Whoever eats garlic or onion ' p. 230
'Whoever finds me standing ' p. 171
'Whoever has an Imaam then the recitation ... ' p. 189
'Whoever hears the call to prayer and has no excuse ' p. 34
'Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not come ' p. 35,
73,75,229
275
Ccmgregationa{Prayer
'Whoever performs wudu' in an excellent way... ' p. 33
'Whoever prays a prayer in which he does not recite ... ' p. 187
'Whoever prays during it out of faith ' p. 89
'Whoever prays Ishaa in congregation ' p. 42
'Whoever prays with the Imaam until. .. ' p. 95
'Whoever recites Aayatul Kursee... ' p. 243
'Whoever says SubhaanAllah thirty three times ' p. 242
'With the Name of Allah, I put my trust in Allah ' p. 48
2'16