Saturday 4 Mar 2017
Chapter: Obligation of the congregational prayer and its virtues
- The obligatory prayers in the Mosque is one of the great sign posts of Islam
- Allah has legislated upon this ummah to congregate upon certain times to pray
- The obligatory five daily prayers
- The Jumuah prayer every week
- The congregation for the Eid Prayers twice a year
- The congregation on the Day of Arafah once a year
- These congregations have been legislated for the benefit of the Muslims
- Allows Muslims to connect with one another
- Joins between their hearts
- So that we can become aware of what is happening with others by seeing each other regularly
- Removes hatred and brings about unity and Piety
- Offers chance to remove ignorance via spreading knowledge
- Allows us to encourage one another towards good and forbidding evil
- The hadith of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) that the congregational prayer is superior to the solitary prayer by 27 times
- It is Compulsory upon the men to attend
- The Hadith that the most burdensome prayer upon the hypocrites is the Isha and Fajr Prayer as it is a time when people relax
- The hadith of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) about those who stay behind when the congregational prayer is established
- Staying behind is attributed to hypocrisy
- The mentioning of a punishment by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) indicates the compulsory nature of the congregational prayers as punishment is not made towards leaving Sunnah acts
- The hadith of Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) about the blind man who had no guide to take him to the mosque for the congregational prayers
- The prophet told him that even with that difficulty he should answer the call of the Adhan if he can hear it (close proximity)
- What about people who say in modern times “I cannot hear the Adhan from where I live therefore I will not go”?
- The Statement of Shaikh Al-Albaani regarding the hearing of the Adhan and that the extent of the Adhan in the olden days was up to 2 miles
- Abdullaah Ibn Masuud’s statement regarding the person that stays home from the congregational prayers
- Nobody used to stay behind from the congregational prayer except a munafiq
- To the extent that a man would have 2 people either side of him and they would help him walk to the masjid
- The statement of Imam Ahmed regarding whoever hears the Adhan and does not attend for the congregation
- Statements of other Salaf (e.g. sahabah such as Ibn Abbaas)
- What about a person who normally prays but who has an excuse to miss the congregation?
- g. due to illness or fear
- Such a person with a firm intention to go but cannot due to a valid excuse will get the full reward as if he had attended (Narration)
- What about a person who doesn’t come to the congregational prayer with NO VALID EXCUSE and instead prays by himself at home
- Is his prayer valid? (majority of scholars say yes)
- He will lose a great deal of reward of the congregational prayer
- He will lose all the reward for walking to the Masjid (with each step a sin is forgiven, and a good deed is written)
- He will earn a sin
- (Regarding men) The congregational prayers are not to be done at home if a mosque is available
- Issues/scenarios to be aware of:
- Difference of opinion among the scholars regarding the second congregational prayer in the masjid
- The case of only one person coming late, but someone who has already prayed joins him to pray with him
- What about the case of someone who is praying on his own but hears a congregation starting, can he join them?
- What about the case of someone who has already prayed his congregational prayer (e.g. Isha salaah) but then becomes imam for another congregation later?
- Can you change your intention during the prayer from Obligatory to optional? What about the reverse?
- QA
- what should a sister do if she needs a radiology scan?
- Can you pray at home when it is raining? What if you drive?
- What about coming to the masjid and it is thundering?