Question:
Salam ustaz. If someone performed the congregational prayer in places other than a mosque, will he still receive the rewards for congregational prayer which is 27 folds?
Answer:
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Congregational prayer from syarak’s perspective means joining the prayer performed together with the imam following the imam’s lead. It is one of the glories and eminence of Islam which should be cherished, conserved and practised by the Muslim ummah. It is also a means by which the feelings of love and care can be nurtured at the same time encouraging cooperation and unity among Muslims. Congregational prayer is a muakkad sunnah and it is makruh (undesirable) to leave it. The sanctioning of congregational prayer is clear in the Quran, hadith and consensus of scholars.
- Al-Quran
Allah SWT states:
وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ
“And when you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand [in prayer] with you,”
Surah al-Nisa’ (102)
Al-Khatib al-Syarbini said: “The commandment is revealed during war, then it is surely prioritized to be performed during times of peace.” Refer Mughni Al-Muhtaj Ila Ma’rifah Alfaz Al-Minhaj (1/350)
- Hadith
From Abu Hurairah RA, he said, the Prophet PBUH said:
صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ بِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً
“Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.”
Sahih Muslim (1509)
In another narration, it is stated:
صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ وَحْدَهُ بِخَمْسَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جُزْءًا
“Salat in congregation is twenty-seven times more meritorious than a Salat performed individually.”
Sahih Muslim (1504)
Imam al-Nawawi stated that it is multiplied by 25 to 27 times more than a prayer which is performed alone. Some will receive 25 times and others 27 times according to the perfection of the congregational prayer performed. (Refer al-Majmu’ Syarh Al-Muhazzab, 4/183)
- Ijmak (Consensus of Scholars)
The companions of the Prophet PBUH have agreed that congregational prayer is greatly encouraged, especially after the migration of the Prophet PBUH and his companions to Medina. (Refer Mughni Al-Muhtaj Ila Ma’rifah Alfaz Al-Minhaj, 1/350)
If someone wishes to perform congregational prayer, the minimum requirement will be two people, where one will act as the imam and the other as the makmum. If this requirement is fulfilled then, he receives the rewards mentioned in the above hadiths. This includes congregational prayer performed by a husband and wife in R&Rs and other places.
However, the congregational prayer performed in mosques are prioritized. This is in accordance with several hadiths of the Prophet PBUH where he greatly emphasized the importance of performing congregational prayer in mosques. Some of them include:
- From Abu Hurairah RA:
مَنْ غَدَا إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ أَوْ رَاحَ أَعَدَّ اللَّهُ لَهُ فِى الْجَنَّةِ نُزُلاً كُلَّمَا غَدَا أَوْ رَاحَ
“He who went towards the mosque in the morning or evening, Allah would arrange a feast for him morning or evening in Paradise.”
Sahih Muslim (1556)
- In another hadith, the Prophet PBUH said:
مَنْ تَطَهَّرَ فِى بَيْتِهِ ثُمَّ مَشَى إِلَى بَيْتٍ مِنْ بُيُوتِ اللَّهِ لِيَقْضِىَ فَرِيضَةً مِنْ فَرَائِضِ اللَّهِ كَانَتْ خَطْوَتَاهُ إِحْدَاهُمَا تَحُطُّ خَطِيئَةً وَالأُخْرَى تَرْفَعُ دَرَجَةً
“He who purified himself in his house, and then he walked to one of the houses of Allah for the sake of performing a Fard (obligatory act) out of the Fara'id (obligatory acts) of Allah, both his steps (would be significant) as one of them would obliterate his sin and the second one would raise his status.”
Sahih Muslim (1553)
- The Prophet PBUH clearly states that congregational prayer in a mosque is far better than congregational prayer at home. The Prophet PBUH said:
فَصَلُّوا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ فَإِنَّ أَفْضَلَ الصَّلَاةِ صَلَاةُ الْمَرْءِ فِي بَيْتِهِ إِلَّا الْمَكْتُوبَةَ
“You should pray in your houses, for the best prayer of a person is that which he prays in his house except the compulsory prayers.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (731)
Al-Hafiz Ibnu Hajar al-Asqalani explained that what is meant in the above hadith are the five congregational prayers should be performed in the mosque. (Refer Fath Al-Bari Syarh Sohih al-Bukhari, 2/214)
Al-Khatib al-Syarbini said, the best prayer is the five obligatory prayer performed in congregation in mosques. (Refer Mughni Al-Muhtaj Ila Ma’rifah Alfaz Al-Minhaj,1/351)
- The Prophet PBUH once said:
وَإِنَّ صَلاَةَ الرَّجُلِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ ، وَصَلاَتُهُ مَعَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ ، وَمَا كَثُرَ فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللهِ تَعَالَى
“A man's prayer said along with another is purer than his prayer said alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one, but if there are more it is more pleasing to Allah.”
Sunan Abu Daud (554)
- The Prophet PBUH gave a stern warning for those who leave the congregational prayer in mosques. The Prophet PBUH said:
لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِالصَّلَاةِ فَتُقَامَ ثُمَّ أُخَالِفَ إِلَى مَنَازِلِ قَوْمٍ لَا يَشْهَدُونَ الصَّلَاةَ فَأُحَرِّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ
“No doubt, I intended to order somebody to pronounce the Iqama of the (compulsory congregational) prayer and then I would go to the houses of those who do not attend the prayer and burn their houses over them.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (2420)
- Ibnu Mas’ud said:
مَنْ سَمِعَ الْمُنَادِي ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يُجِبْ مِنْ غَيْرِ عُذْرٍ ، فَلاَ صَلاَةَ لَهُ
“Whoever hear the call of adhan and did not respond to it (go to the mosque) without valid reasons (permitted by syarak), then there is no prayer for him.”
Narrated by Ibn Abi Syaibah (3486) in al-Musannaf
According to the above hadiths and athar, we would like to state that it is prioritized to perform the congregational prayer in mosques. The reason is, only by performing the congregational prayer in mosques that it will enable the fulfilment of the purpose of why the congregational prayer is sanctioned, which is to nurture love and care as well as developing unity in Muslims. For those who perform the congregational prayer, they are among those who enliven the house of Allah. Allah SWT states:
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَـٰجِدَ ٱللَّـهِ مَنْ ءَامَنَ بِٱللَّـهِ وَٱلْيَوْمِ ٱلْـَٔاخِرِ وَأَقَامَ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ وَءَاتَى ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا ٱللَّـهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰٓ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا۟ مِنَ ٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
“The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakah and do not fear except Allah, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.”
Surah al-Taubah (18)
As a conclusion, if congregational prayer is performed in places other than mosques, then he will still receive the rewards of congregational prayer which is 27 times more than a prayer alone, according to the above hadith. The reason is, the minimum requirement for congregational prayer is one makmum and one imam, regardless of where it is performed. However, it is prioritized to perform the congregational prayer in mosques, for the purpose of congregational prayer is to nurture love, care and develop unity among Muslims. At the same time, enlivening the house of Allah SWT.
May Allah SWT bless us with strength to be able to perform the congregational prayer in mosques. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.