Is it better to delay the prayer from its time so that the mosque congregation increases, or is it better to establish the prayer at its time?
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Question:
Is it better to delay the prayer from its time so that the mosque congregation increases, or is it better to establish the prayer at its time?
Answer:
There is ample time; the time for prayer is ample. If the congregation gathers, it is better to pray at the beginning of the time. However, if they are delayed, the prayer is postponed until they gather. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the 'Isha' prayer, would hasten when he saw his Companions had gathered, to relieve them of the hardship of waiting. And if he saw they were delayed, he would postpone it. There is no harm in postponing it until the congregation gathers and increases, and he prays with them, as long as the time remains ample. However, it is incumbent upon the followers to hasten to prayer when they hear the call, for they should rush to the mosques. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade delay. And Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Jumu'ah 62:9] He, the Exalted and Glorified, says: [An-Nur 24:37] He, the Exalted, says: [Al-Munafiqun 63:9] One should hasten to attend the congregational prayer.
Yes. At the beginning of its time. Or rather, delay is not permissible; because that causes the beginning of the time to be missed, and it is the best. And it may cause the prayer or part of it to be missed, and it leads to laziness.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions:Sunan an-Nasa'i 795Sahih (Darussalam) Sunan Ibn Majah 978Sahih (Darussalam). Indeed, laziness and delay in attending the prayer are among the characteristics of the hypocrites. Allah, the Exalted and Glorious, said in describing them: [At-Tawbah 9:54].
Is it better to delay the prayer from its time so that the mosque congregation increases, or is it better to establish the prayer at its time?
Answer:
There is ample time; the time for prayer is ample. If the congregation gathers, it is better to pray at the beginning of the time. However, if they are delayed, the prayer is postponed until they gather. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), in the 'Isha' prayer, would hasten when he saw his Companions had gathered, to relieve them of the hardship of waiting. And if he saw they were delayed, he would postpone it. There is no harm in postponing it until the congregation gathers and increases, and he prays with them, as long as the time remains ample. However, it is incumbent upon the followers to hasten to prayer when they hear the call, for they should rush to the mosques. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade delay. And Allah the Exalted says:
O you who have believed, when [the adhan] is called for the prayer on the day of Jumu'ah [Friday], then proceed to the remembrance of Allah
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِذَا نُودِيَ لِلصَّلَاةِ مِن يَوْمِ الْجُمُعَةِ فَاسْعَوْا إِلَىٰ ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ[Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer and giving of zakah
رِجَالٌ لَّا تُلْهِيهِمْ تِجَارَةٌ وَلَا بَيْعٌ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِO you who have believed, let not your wealth and your children divert you from remembrance of Allah. And whoever does that - then those are the losers.
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا تُلْهِكُمْ أَمْوَالُكُمْ وَلَا أَوْلَادُكُمْ عَن ذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَن يَفْعَلْ ذَٰلِكَ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَYes. At the beginning of its time. Or rather, delay is not permissible; because that causes the beginning of the time to be missed, and it is the best. And it may cause the prayer or part of it to be missed, and it leads to laziness.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his Companions:
Come forward and follow me, and let those who are behind you follow your lead. If people
تقدموا فأتموا بي، وليأتم بكم من بعدكم، ولا يزالIf people continue to lag behind, Allah will put them back.
قوم يتأخرون حتى يؤخرهم اللهand that they come not to prayer except while they are lazy and that they do not spend except while they are unwilling.
وَلَا يَأْتُونَ الصَّلَاةَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كُسَالَىٰ وَلَا يُنفِقُونَ إِلَّا وَهُمْ كَارِهُونَ
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل من الأفضل تأخير الصلاة عن وقتها حتى تكثر جماعة المسجد، أم من الأفضل إقامة الصلاة على وقتها؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.