Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

salamu alykum brothers

in the last few weeks wanted to know whether its permissible to pray at home because my brothers told me its sin to pray at home then i went to ask some imams in our mosque and some said you can`t and some said you can.
remember i am not talking about someone sick or scare of outside
i have asked 4 people in our mosque

1.said you can no problem
2.yes but you get 1 reward instead of 27,25
3.yes but you get 1 reward instead of 27,25 same
4.no unless ill or valid excuse

so please guide me so can you back this up with hadeths or quran
please be clear as you can

jaza`ka allahu kayr 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Prayer in congregation obligatory

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Performing the obligatory prayers in congregation is a Sunnah Mu'akkadah (absolutely preferred Sunnah) of the Messenger of Allah (saws) for the believing males of the Ummah.

Ibn 'Umar reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "Prayer in congregation is superior to a prayer performed individually by twenty-seven degrees."

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

It would obviously be preferred and best that the believers offer their obligatory prayers in congregation in the Mosques; and if that is not possible for a valid reason, then the next best thing is to offer it in congregation with the brothers wherever one is; and if even that is not possible, the absolute last legal option is to offer it alone.

Abu Hurairah reports that the Prophet (saws) said: "By Him in whose Hand is my soul! I have considered ordering a fire to be kindled and then ask someone to lead the people in salah, and then go to the men [who did not attend the prayer in congregation] and burn their houses over them!"

Related by al-Bukhari and Muslim.

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.626 Narrated by Abu Huraira

The Prophet (saws) said, "No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the 'Isha' prayers and if they knew the reward for these prayers at their respective times, they would certainly present themselves (in the mosques) even if they had to crawl." The Prophet (saw) added, "Certainly I decided to order the Mu'adhdhin (call-maker) to pronounce Iqama and order a man to lead the prayer, and then take a fire flame to burn all those who had not left their houses so far for the prayer, along with their houses!"

If one, who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day, only contemplates on the above words of the Messenger of Allah (saws), about whom Allah Subhanah Himself Declares in His Quran “We sent you not (O Mohamed (saws)), except as a Mercy to all the worlds” (21:107); one would realize how much importance the Prophet (saws) gave to the obligatory prayers being performed in congregation in the Mosques! Unless and until one has an extremely valid reason to leave performing the obligatory prayers in congregation in the Mosques, it would not behove and befit a believer who sincerely believes in Allah and the Last Day to do so.

Abu Hurairah reports that a blind man came and said to the Prophet (saws): "O Messenger of Allah (saws), (I am blind and) I have no guide to guide me to the mosque." He asked the Prophet (saws) for permission to pray in his house and the Prophet (saws) gave it to him. Then, when he turned to go, the Prophet (saws) called him and said: "Do you hear the call (adhaan) to prayer?" The blind man said "yes." The Prophet (saws) replied: "Then respond to it!" [by coming to the mosque.] Related by Muslim.

Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (r.a.), the noble companion of the Prophet (saws) said: "If anyone would like to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, he should persevere in observing these five (obligatory) prayers whenever the call for them is made, for Allah has chosen for your Prophet the way of right guidance. And the [five prayers in congregation] are part of this right guidance. If you were to pray them in your houses, as this man who stays behind in his house, you would be leaving a (preferred) Sunnah of your Prophet (saws). If you leave the Sunnah of your Prophet (saws), you would go astray. Verily, I have seen a time when no one stayed away from them [the congregational prayers] except for the hypocrites who were well known for their hypocrisy. A man would be brought, supported by two people [due to his weakness] until he was placed in a row."

Related by Muslim.

If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance, other than that of Allah and His Messenger (saws), one can be assured of being led astray.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan