Resuming the discussion on the ruling regarding the second congregation in the mosque.

The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. Ibn Mas'ud is one of those reports that Imam al-Shafi'i referred to. The secret behind the non-prescription of repeating the congregation is that this imam and this mu'adhdhin who gathers the people in the mosque, if it is said to the people as a legal ruling, then this saying will become a means of splitting the first congregation and reducing its number. What do you say? This congregation has been split and its number reduced not by a legal text, but by the late opinion of a non-mujtahid who is a follower of a scholar (mقلid). Despite this, this separation occurred. We find in large mosques that the iqamah for the second and third prayer continues until the next prayer. I personally saw this in the large mosque in Damascus, known as the Umayyad Mosque. The iqamah for the 'Asr prayer would continue while the mu'adhdhin for Maghrib was calling the adhan while they were in congregational prayer. So, we can summarize what has been said: the fact that there is no text indicating the prescription of the second congregation is a matter of blocking the means to harm (sadd al-dhara'i'), because legislating the second congregation contradicts the prescription of the first congregation. You know the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) And so, the more the number increases, the reward is multiplied, and the opposite is the opposite. So any cause that leads to this opposite is not prescribed. This is the summary of what we are discussing regarding the second congregational prayer and those after it, although there is room for more, but perhaps this is sufficient.

The questioner : May Allah bless you

The Shaykh: And you.

The questioner : And the hadith of the Messenger, O Shaykh, regarding when the man entered late.

The Shaykh : Is there not a man who would give charity to this man and pray with him?

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : I am truly amazed, by Allah, at the frequent repetition of questions about this hadith. It is not from the general public, nor from students of knowledge, but from scholars of knowledge. If we looked at the reason for the emergence of this hadith, it would be sufficient to know that it has absolutely no relation to the previous discussion. But before that, I want us to reflect and engage our minds and thoughts: is it possible for anyone to apply the text of this hadith to the second congregation? Here, there are two men in this incident: one who gives charity and one who receives it. In the second congregation, who is the one giving charity and who is the one receiving it? Or before we ask this question, in that congregation where the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: They are two men. Then we move to the second group: the one giving charity and the one receiving it. Let us see. It is enough for you to listen now; it is enough for me to be silent and listen. I hear from you what you see in the answer to this question: two men, one of whom prayed with the other. Who is the one giving charity and who is the one receiving it in that incident?

Another questioner : The imam is the one receiving charity.

The Shaykh : Yes.

Another questioner : The imam is the one receiving charity.

The Shaykh : The imam is the one receiving charity, as evidenced by This answer is clear and beautiful. Now we return to the previous question: a man entered the mosque congregation. Who is the one giving charity and who is the one receiving it? Is it the imam again?

The questioner : No

The Shaykh : There is no one giving charity and no one receiving charity here. The Shaykh: It is clear that forcing this hadith into the topic of the second congregation is burdening it with what it cannot bear. In truth, this hadith indicates what its reason for emergence indicates. The hadith says, as it came in Sunan al-Tirmidhi and others, from the hadith of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and also from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik in al-Tabarani's Mu'jam, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) prayed the 'Asr prayer one day. When he finished the prayer, a man entered wanting to pray alone. So he (peace and blessings be upon him) said to the one who prayed behind him: So a man stood up and followed him. From here, the previous answer is correct. Why was the one being followed the one giving charity and the one following the one receiving charity? This is a very beautiful point. The one giving charity is rich, and the one receiving charity is poor. How? The one giving charity prayed behind the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), so he acquired the virtue of congregational prayer by twenty-seven degrees first, and behind the master of mankind second. As for this man, he is poor because he missed these many blessings. So this one, full and charged with good and reward, is the one who gives charity to that poor man who missed the prayer.