The Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) statement: “Then you came to the mosque of the congregation and prayed with them” — is this specific to the obligatory prayer, or does it also apply to voluntary prayers, such as the tarawih prayer?

The questioner : Is the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) statement: “If you enter the congregation and pray with us”?

The Shaykh : If you come to the mosque of the congregation.

The questioner : Is my prayer, regarding voluntary prayers, specific to the obligatory ones, or does it include the voluntary ones?

The Shaykh : No, it extends to the voluntary prayers as well. It is not permissible for you to sit while people are praying, even in voluntary prayers. Yes.