The Indication of the Hadith "Prayer in Congregation is Better" Regarding the Validity of Praying Alone

The questioner : Honorable Shaykh! The apparent meaning of Ibn 'Umar's hadith is that praying alone is permissible; because it contains the word "better" (afdal), and this word is on the pattern of "af'al" (superlative), which indicates a shared attribute between the two?

The Shaykh : Is this a verb for this name? Is it a noun or a verb? A noun. Do not agree with the one who is mistaken in his error.

The questioner : And this name is on the pattern of "af'al," which indicates a shared attribute between the one who is better and the one who is less than him. So what is your opinion on that? And is there an argument in this issue for the one who is negligent about prayer in congregation? And how do we respond to him if his argument is not in its proper place? And may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : This hadith undoubtedly indicates the validity of praying alone, meaning the one who stays away from the congregation, and that is due to the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) And it is known by the rules of the Arabic language that the one who is preferred and the one who is compared to him share in the original attribute. So if I say "Prayer in congregation is better than praying alone," that indicates that there is merit in praying alone, and that is the case. It is not possible for there to be merit in it unless it is valid. So in this hadith is evidence that the one who prays alone, his prayer is valid, so we do not order him to repeat it. This serves as a refutation of the statement of a scholar among the scholars of the Ummah, namely Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), for he holds that prayer in congregation is a condition for the validity of the prayer, and that the one who prays alone without an excuse, his prayer is invalid, not accepted, and not sufficient. And this is a narration from the Imam of the People of the Sunnah, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him). But the truth is more deserving of being followed, for this hadith indicates that the one who prays alone, his prayer is valid, and that the congregation is not a condition for the validity of the prayer, but it is obligatory, as will come, if Allah wills, in the hadith of
We mentioned a rule in the night lesson that if one prefers a statement over another statement, two things are required of him: the first is the evidence for the preference, and the second is what? The answer to the evidence of the opposing view. So what is the answer of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah to this hadith? He answered, may Allah have mercy on him, that this is regarding the one who has an excuse, meaning that prayer in congregation is better than praying alone with an excuse, by twenty-seven degrees. So he, may Allah have mercy on him, understood it as applying to the one who prays alone with an excuse. But we might say to Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah that if the one with an excuse stays away from the congregation and it is his habit to pray it, then the full reward is written for him, as established in the authentic hadiths that , and at that time, I do not see an answer to this answer. Let's go now.
As for the questioner's statement, "Is there evidence in it for the negligence of the one who is negligent about prayer in congregation?" We say: There is no evidence for that in it, because there are hadiths, and indeed there is from the Qur'an what indicates the obligation of prayer in congregation. Yes.