Missing the Congregation After Ablution: The Mosque or the Home

Question:
The questioner: The prayer was established while I was inside the house. When I finished my wudu' and came down from the house to perform the prayer, I found that the prayer had already ended. Should I go to the mosque to pray there, or should I return and pray in my house? Which is better?

Answer:
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. There is a distinction here. If there is another nearby mosque that you can reach, you go to that other mosque. If there is no other mosque...
...then it is better to go to the mosque, because you might catch up with people, or people like you who missed the prayer might come, and you would all pray together. Going to the mosque gives you a better chance of finding someone to pray with. If you return to your house, there is nothing wrong with that. But the first preference is to go to another mosque if there is one, because you might catch up with part of the prayer. If there is no other mosque, it is better to go to the mosque near you, so that perhaps you will find some of the latecomers to pray with you. If you pray in your house, there is nothing wrong with that.