Which is better: to pray with a large congregation in the early part of the night, or with a small congregation in the late part of the night?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Which is better, O Shaykh: to pray with a large congregation in the early part of the night, or with a small congregation in the late part of the night?
The Shaykh : This question cannot be answered with such generality; it must be detailed. It can be said that in the late part of the night, if there are two congregations that are equal in the quality of their prayer performance, recitation, and so on, then [the ruling applies]. However, if they differ, then one should choose the more complete one. For example, a larger congregation praying in the early part of the night but with less recitation, versus a smaller congregation with more recitation. Wherever the more complete one is, that is the better.
The Shaykh : This question cannot be answered with such generality; it must be detailed. It can be said that in the late part of the night, if there are two congregations that are equal in the quality of their prayer performance, recitation, and so on, then [the ruling applies]. However, if they differ, then one should choose the more complete one. For example, a larger congregation praying in the early part of the night but with less recitation, versus a smaller congregation with more recitation. Wherever the more complete one is, that is the better.