What is the ruling on the second congregation in the mosque? And if it is disliked, and I come after the first congregation has ended,

The questioner: His EminenceThe Shaykh- May Allah preserve you - , what is the ruling on the second congregation in the mosque? And if it is disliked, and I come after the first congregation has ended; should I return to my house and pray the prayer at home? We ask for clarification, may Allah reward you?

The Shaykh: This issue has been a subject of disagreement among the jurists of the four Imams and those who followed them. The majority hold the view that repeating the congregation in a mosque that has a regular imam and a regular mu'adhdhin is disliked. The mu'adhdhin calls the people to prayer in this mosque, and the imam leads them and prays with them. As for a mosque on the side of a road that has no regular imam and no regular mu'adhdhin; the second congregation and any subsequent ones are permissible in it; whenever a group enters, they establish the prayer as a congregation; there is no harm in that with the condition mentioned; which is that it has no regular imam and no regular mu'adhdhin. This is unlike the case where the mosque has such a condition; in that case, it is disliked to hold a second congregation. This is the madhhab of Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Malik, and Imam al-Shafi'i. As for Imam Ahmad, the well-known report from him is that he says it is permissible to repeat the congregation in the same mosque. However, I found in his book known as "Masail al-Imam Ahmad" a report by Abu Dawud al-Sijistani, the author of the Sunan known as "Sunan Abu Dawud." I found him narrating from Imam Ahmad that he said: "It is disliked to repeat the congregational prayer in the two sacred mosques more than in any other." I saw in this correct transmission that Abu Dawud transmitted in his "Masail" from Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him) what agrees with the statements of the three Imams I mentioned earlier. The statement of Imam al-Shafi'i in his famous book called "al-Umm" is very clear on this issue, and it contains a benefit that is rarely found in any other book; where he said in his Arabic Qurayshi tongue: "And if a group enters the mosque and finds that the imam has already prayed, they pray individually. And if they pray as a congregation, their prayer is valid. I only dislike that from them because it was not the practice of the Salaf." Then he said: "As for a mosque on the side of a road that has no regular imam and no regular mu'adhdhin; it is permissible to repeat the congregation in it." Then he said - and this is the precious benefit I referred to earlier - : "And we have memorized that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) missed the prayer with the congregation, they entered the mosque, and found that the imam had already prayed, so they prayed individually. He said: And they were able to gather in the mosque again, but they did not do so; because they disliked to gather in a mosque twice."
And the wisdom behind this ruling adopted by the three Imams, and followed by Imam Ahmad in that correct report from him, is that holding the second congregation and any subsequent ones in a mosque that has a regular imam and a regular mu'adhdhin leads to the division of the Muslim congregation, or at least the reduction of the first congregation. It is the first congregation about which the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , and in the other report: ; so this virtue is specific to the first congregation due to the preceding evidence; that the Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when they missed the prayer with the congregation - meaning: the first one - prayed individually; so why did they pray individually?
First: because the virtue we mentioned earlier, which is twenty-seven degrees, has been missed, and there is no way to compensate for it. Second: because the practice of the Salaf was not to repeat the congregation.
So the first congregation is the one to which our Prophet (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) referred in the hadith narrated byThe Shaykh : in "their two Sahihs" from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ; meaning: the 'Isha' prayer. And when we mention this hadith with this severe warning, where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to burn the houses of those who lagged behind in the congregational prayer, this intention indicates the importance and greatness of the ruling of congregational prayer, which is that it is obligatory; if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to burn those who lagged behind in this congregation, which is the first congregation; is there anyone who says that such severe deterrence also applies to all the congregations held after the first congregation? I do not imagine that a scholar who has been given some knowledge of fiqh would dare to say that the one who lags behind the second congregation and those after it is punished; as the one who lags behind the first congregation is punished.
When we mention this severe warning for the one who lags behind the first congregational prayer, we should mention a similar warning for another congregation on which the scholars agreed that it is not prescribed to repeat it a second time; which is the congregation of the Friday prayer. As you heard this hadith, which is in "the two Sahihs" in its wording or similar wording from Abu Hurayrah, and in "Sahih Muslim" similar wording from Ibn Mas'ud, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So when you see the obligation of lagging behind the Friday prayer and the congregational prayer, you understand that the congregational prayer other than the Friday prayer has the same ruling as the congregational prayer; meaning: it is obligatory, as Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) said: . Similarly, we understand that just as it is not permissible to repeat the Friday prayer in the same mosque, it is not permissible to repeat the congregation in the same mosque with the two conditions mentioned at the beginning of our speech; which is that it has a regular imam and a regular mu'adhdhin, as is the case with the Friday prayer.
Yes.