Much has been said regarding the recommended status of congregational prayer, to the point that some students of knowledge do not attend the mosque because of this doubt. It is not hidden from you that people are weak and that the door has been opened to them, which leads to increased laziness in some and absence from the congregation.
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, O honorable Shaykh. In his second question, he says: O honorable Shaykh, much has been said regarding the recommended status of congregational prayer, to the point that some students of knowledge do not attend the mosque because of this doubt. It is not hidden from you that people are weak and that the door has been opened to them, which leads to increased laziness in some and absence from the congregation. Please guide us in light of this question?
The Shaykh : The statement that congregational prayer is a recommended practice (sunnah), such that a person may perform it if he wishes or leave it if he wishes, is a weak statement that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah. As for the Book, Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:102]. Thus, Allah made congregational prayer obligatory even in times of fear, and He permitted the first group to make up their prayer and complete it while the imam was still present, and He permitted the second group, when they arrived, to join the imam. When he sat for the tashahhud, they would stand and make up the rak'ah they missed before the imam said the taslim. All of this is for the sake of establishing the congregation.
As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Ibn Majah 791Sahih (Darussalam). And he informed (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Ibn Hibban 10:352. A blind man sought his permission to pray in his house, so he gave him permission. When the man turned to leave, he called out to him and said: Sunan Abi Dawud 552Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani).
Therefore, the statement that it is a recommended practice (sunnah)—meaning that congregational prayer is a recommended practice—is a weak statement on which no reliance is placed. The correct view is that congregational prayer is obligatory for adult men, and that if they leave it without an excuse and pray without a congregation, they are in danger. This is because some scholars say that if one leaves congregational prayer without an excuse, he has no prayer. This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who holds that congregational prayer is a condition for the validity of the prayer, and that whoever does not pray with the congregation without an excuse has no prayer, even if he prays a thousand times. So the matter is very serious.
The Shaykh : The statement that congregational prayer is a recommended practice (sunnah), such that a person may perform it if he wishes or leave it if he wishes, is a weak statement that contradicts the Book and the Sunnah. As for the Book, Allah the Exalted said:
And when you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand [in prayer] with you and let them carry their arms. And when they have prostrated, let them be [in position] behind you and have the other group come forward which has not [yet] prayed and let them pray with you, taking precaution and carrying their arms.
وإذا كنت فيهم فأقمت لهم الصلاة فلتقم طائفة منهم معك وليأخذوا أسلحتهم فإذا سجدوا فليكونوا من ورائكم ولتأت طائفة أخرى لم يصلوا فليصلوا معك وليأخذوا حذرهم وأسلحتهمAs for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I was thinking of commanding that the call to prayer be given, then I would tell a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would go out with some other men carrying bundles of wood, and go to people who do not attend the prayer, and burn their houses down around them.
لقد هممت أن آمر بالصلاة فتقام ، ثم آمر رجلاً فيصلي بالناس ، ثم أنطلق برجال معهم حزم من حطب إلى قوم لا يشهدون الصلاة فأحرق عليهم بيوتهم بالنارThat whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond has no prayer, except one who has an excuse.
أن من سمع النداء فلم يجب فلا صلاة له إلا من عذرHe asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes.
هل تسمع النداء ؟ قال : نعم ، قال : أجبTherefore, the statement that it is a recommended practice (sunnah)—meaning that congregational prayer is a recommended practice—is a weak statement on which no reliance is placed. The correct view is that congregational prayer is obligatory for adult men, and that if they leave it without an excuse and pray without a congregation, they are in danger. This is because some scholars say that if one leaves congregational prayer without an excuse, he has no prayer. This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who holds that congregational prayer is a condition for the validity of the prayer, and that whoever does not pray with the congregation without an excuse has no prayer, even if he prays a thousand times. So the matter is very serious.