Sometimes I pray at home because the distance between me and the mosque is about a kilometer or more, but I hear the adhan through a loudspeaker. What is the ruling on my praying alone?
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The questioner : Sometimes I pray at home because the distance between me and the mosque is about a kilometer or more, but I hear the adhan through a loudspeaker. What is the ruling on my praying alone in my home? Please inform us about this, may you be rewarded?
The Shaykh : The answer is that it is obligatory for a man to establish prayer in congregation in the mosques with the Muslims, because congregational prayer is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) according to the stronger opinion among the scholars. The evidence for this is from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). As for the Book of Allah, Allah the Exalted says:[Al-Baqarah 2:43] And He the Exalted says: [An-Nisa 4:102] The indication from this verse is that Allah the Exalted made prayer obligatory with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) in congregation during times of fear, so making it obligatory during times of safety is even more so. The evidence that it is an individual obligation is that Allah Mighty and Majestic made it obligatory for the second group; if it had been a collective obligation (fard kifayah), the congregational prayer of the first group would have been sufficient.
As for the Sunnah, there are many hadiths on this matter, including the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 548Sahih (Al-Albani) As for the state of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have seen us, and none would lag behind it except a known hypocrite, and indeed a man would be brought in, carried between two men, until he was placed in the row" The Muslims have agreed that congregational prayer in the mosques is among the best of acts of worship and the greatest of acts of obedience, and whoever abandons it has committed a sin and missed the great reward that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) specified in his saying: Sahih Muslim 650a The questioner says that the distance between him and the mosque is a kilometer and that he hears the adhan through a loudspeaker. If it is not difficult for him to attend the congregation in the mosque, then it is obligatory for him to attend. People differ in this regard; if he is a young, strong man, it appears that it is not difficult for him. If he is weak or an old man, it may be difficult for him. In any case, if a person knows that congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory, let him know that the obligation is not lifted except in the case of inability to perform it or great hardship in doing so.
The questioner : He also asks in his letter, saying: I want to know from you the time of the last third of the night, in terms of the clock?
The Shaykh : The answer is that it is not possible to estimate that with a specific, defined hour, but every person can know it by dividing the night from the setting of the sun to the appearance of the dawn into three parts. If the first two parts, which are two-thirds of the night, have passed, then the third part is the last third. It is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah:Sunan Abi Dawud 4733Sahih (Al-Albani) It is recommended for the believing person to seize even a small part of this time, perhaps he will attain this great virtue, perhaps he will attain a breath from the breaths of the Master (Exalted and Majestic is He), and Allah will respond to what he supplicates for. We ask Allah for success for everyone.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. This is a letter from the female listener H A A from Riyadh, saying in her letter.
The Shaykh : The answer is that it is obligatory for a man to establish prayer in congregation in the mosques with the Muslims, because congregational prayer is an individual obligation (fard 'ayn) according to the stronger opinion among the scholars. The evidence for this is from the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and the practice of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). As for the Book of Allah, Allah the Exalted says:
And establish prayer and give zakah and bow with those who bow [in worship and obedience].
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلاةَ وَءاتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَAnd 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.
وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْAs for the Sunnah, there are many hadiths on this matter, including the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I thought to give orders for arranging prayer in congregation, and then to have the Iqamah called for it, then to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then to go off in company of the people who have bundles of firewood to those people who are not present at the prayer and then to burn down their houses with fire.
لقد هممت أن ءامر بالصلاة فتُقام، ثم ءامر رجلاً فيؤم الناس، ثم أنطلق معي برجال معهم حزم من حطب إلى قوم لا يشهدون الصلاة فأحرّق عليهم بيوتهم بالنارPrayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
صلاة المرء في جماعة أفضل من صلاة الفذ بسبع وعشرين درجةThe questioner : He also asks in his letter, saying: I want to know from you the time of the last third of the night, in terms of the clock?
The Shaykh : The answer is that it is not possible to estimate that with a specific, defined hour, but every person can know it by dividing the night from the setting of the sun to the appearance of the dawn into three parts. If the first two parts, which are two-thirds of the night, have passed, then the third part is the last third. It is established in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah:
Our lord gets down every night to the heaven of this world when a third night remains and says: (Is there anyone) who prays to Me so that I may accept his prayer? (Is there anyone) who asks of Me so that I may give him? (Is there anyone) who asks for my forgiveness so that I may forgive him?
أن الله عز وجل ينزل كل ليلة إلى سماء الدنيا حين يبقى ثلث الليل الأخر، فيقول: من يدعوني فأستجيب له، من يسألني فأعطيه، من يستغفرني فأغفر لهThe questioner : O Allah, amen. This is a letter from the female listener H A A from Riyadh, saying in her letter.