How to reconcile the prohibition of establishing a second congregation with what came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when he said to a Companion, "Who will give charity to your companion?"
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The questioner : In a past session of ours, I spoke and said that it is not befitting to establish a second congregation after the first congregation.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Now, how do we reconcile this with the fact that when a man entered the mosque, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to one of the Companions, "Who will give charity to him?" Does this mean that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of the second congregation?
The Shaykh : No, this is a common misconception. When we say "the second congregation," we obviously mean the congregation for the obligatory prayer. The answer to this question is actually long, and I have spoken about it more than once, so I do not want to be lengthy, as time is short. However, I will say a brief word. One must reflect on this second congregation mentioned in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Abi Dawud 574 This is a test question, pay attention, it is a test question. Is this congregation for the obligatory prayer or for a voluntary prayer? Do not speak. Whoever finds a valid answer to this question in his own mind, let him raise his hand.
Another questioner: A congregation for the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Now, I say that when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 574 and he prayed with him, a second congregation arose. This second congregation mentioned in this hadith, the question is: is it a congregation for the obligatory prayer or a voluntary one? Please.
The questioner : This second one is a charity, so it is voluntary and not obligatory. He was performing a voluntary act...
The Shaykh : Did you hear the answer? The answer is that this is a voluntary congregation, not a congregation for the obligatory prayer. Is there any disagreement? Please.
Another questioner: ... voluntary ... obligatory ... .
The Shaykh : The issue is not the relative nature of this congregation. Is this congregation for the obligatory prayer or voluntary? There is ambiguity here, there is ambiguity that needs clarification. Listen, we are now developing the question. Who was the imam in this prayer? The one performing the voluntary prayer or the one performing the obligatory prayer? Whoever knows, let him raise his hand. Please.
The questioner : The one performing the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The one performing the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Was he the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Is there any disagreement?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I am not saying speak. Is there any disagreement? Raise your hand.
The Shaykh: Did you hear the answer? He said the one performing the obligatory prayer was the imam. Do you agree?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Please, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the correct view. Now, reflect on the Arabic expression used by the Arab Prophet. What did he say to his Companions? Did he say, "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray with him," or "pray for him"? He said "pray with him." So he prayed as the imam, and the other prayed as the follower. Thus, this is a voluntary congregation, not an obligatory one. The discussion regarding the congregation for the obligatory prayer is the first answer. The other answer is: was the one who entered the mosque excused or not excused? Also, what do you think? Was this one who missed the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) congregation excused or not excused?
The questioner : He was excused.
The Shaykh : He was excused. Now, if we want to generalize the statement, we would say that this hadith indicates repeating the congregation in the same mosque. Are these congregations held after the first congregation for those who are excused or for those who are not? If we want to stick to the indication of the hadith, we must assume that this congregation is for those who are excused. Is that the reality today? The answer is no.
In summary, the scholars of jurisprudence used this hadith as evidence for a point that has absolutely no relation to this topic, which is that if a person prays the obligatory prayer, he may repeat it as a voluntary prayer with the intention of it being voluntary. It is the same prayer, but the intention differs, so it is permissible for him to repeat it. Even though it is authentically reported from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Sunan Abi Dawud 579 This man who prayed with that man prayed twice. He prayed with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and prayed with him. So if this man prayed twice, how do we reconcile this? The answer is: there is no prayer twice in a day with one intention, or repeating an obligatory prayer. This is not permissible, not from the five obligatory prayers in every day and night, as is well known. But repeating this prayer with the intention of making it voluntary is permissible, based on this hadith and others, such as the hadith of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) prayer in the Musjid al-Khaif during the Farewell Pilgrimage: حينما صلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم الفجر فلما سلم وجد رجلين بعيدين عن الجماعة يوحي واقعهما أنهمالم يصليا مع الجماعة فقال لهما عليه السلام أو لستما مسلمين قالا بلى يارسول الله قال فما منعكما أن تصليا معنا قال يا رسول الله إنا كنا صلينا في رحالنا فقال عليه الصلاة والسلام إذا صليتم في رحالكم ثم أتيتم المسجد الجماعة فصلوا معهم فإنها تكون لكم نافلة الآن أشعر والحق أحق أن يقال أشعر بأنني كنت واهمنا آنفا فالذي صلى مع الرجل الثاني في حديث ألا رجل يتصدق على هذا فيصلى معه هو كان مقتديا به لعلى وهمت آنفا فإذا كان هذا الوهم مسجلا فأذيحوه من أذهانكم فالحديث صريح جدا ألا رجل يتصدق فيصلى معه أردت أن أقول آنفا لم يقول الرسول عليه السلام ألا رجل يتصدق على هذا فيصلي به وإنما قال فيصلي معه فإذا من كان الإمام هنا هو؟ من كان الإمام هنا ... .
السائل : المفترض
الشيخ : من كان الإمام؟ المفترض حسن إذًا هذا المفترض لو صلى وحده يكون أدى فرضه منفردا فمن جعل فريضته جماعة؟ هو ذاك المتنفل هذا الذي كنت أردت أن أصل إليه آنفا فشتّ الذهن وأخطأ الفكر والتوبة إلى الله واجبة فإذا عرفنا هذا تبين لنا بوضوح تام لا غبار فيه أن هذه الجماعة جماعة نافلة فلا يجوز الإستدلال بها على شرعية جماعة الفريضة فإذا أردنا أن نحي هذه السنة صلّينا الجماعة في المسجد فدخل رجل يريد أن يصلي وحده فأنا أقتدي به لكي أجعل فريضته جماعة نافلة هكذا يكون السنة، غيره؟
تفضل. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Fajr, when he finished the prayer, he found two men far from the congregation, and their situation indicated that they had not prayed with the congregation. So he said to them, "Are you not Muslims?" They said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "What prevented you from praying with us?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we had prayed in our tents." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "If you pray in your tents and then come to the mosque congregation, pray with them, for it will be a voluntary prayer for you." Now, I feel, and the truth is that the truth should be said, I feel that I was mistaken earlier. The one who prayed with the second man in the hadith "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray with him" was following him, perhaps I was mistaken earlier. If this mistake is recorded, then correct it in your minds. The hadith is very clear: "Is there not a man who will give charity and pray with him." I wanted to say earlier that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray for him," but rather he said "pray with him." So who was the imam here? Who was the imam here... The questioner: The one performing the obligatory prayer. The Shaykh: Who was the imam? The one performing the obligatory prayer. Good. So if this one performing the obligatory prayer prayed alone, he would have fulfilled his obligation individually. So who made his obligatory prayer a congregation? It was that one performing the voluntary prayer. This is what I wanted to reach earlier, but my mind was distracted and my thought was wrong, and repentance to Allah is obligatory. Once we know this, it becomes clear to us with complete clarity, without any doubt, that this congregation is a voluntary congregation. So it is not permissible to use it as evidence for the legitimacy of the congregation for the obligatory prayer. If we want to revive this Sunnah, we pray the congregation in the mosque, and a man enters wanting to pray alone, so I follow him in order to make his obligatory prayer a voluntary congregation. This is how the Sunnah is. Anything else? Please.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Now, how do we reconcile this with the fact that when a man entered the mosque, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to one of the Companions, "Who will give charity to him?" Does this mean that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved of the second congregation?
The Shaykh : No, this is a common misconception. When we say "the second congregation," we obviously mean the congregation for the obligatory prayer. The answer to this question is actually long, and I have spoken about it more than once, so I do not want to be lengthy, as time is short. However, I will say a brief word. One must reflect on this second congregation mentioned in the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him):
Is there any man who may do good with this (man) and pray along with him.
ألا رجل يتصدق على هذا فيصلى معهAnother questioner: A congregation for the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Now, I say that when the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Is there any man who may do good with this (man) and pray along with him.
ألا رجل يتصدق على هذا فيصلى معهThe questioner : This second one is a charity, so it is voluntary and not obligatory. He was performing a voluntary act...
The Shaykh : Did you hear the answer? The answer is that this is a voluntary congregation, not a congregation for the obligatory prayer. Is there any disagreement? Please.
Another questioner: ... voluntary ... obligatory ... .
The Shaykh : The issue is not the relative nature of this congregation. Is this congregation for the obligatory prayer or voluntary? There is ambiguity here, there is ambiguity that needs clarification. Listen, we are now developing the question. Who was the imam in this prayer? The one performing the voluntary prayer or the one performing the obligatory prayer? Whoever knows, let him raise his hand. Please.
The questioner : The one performing the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The one performing the obligatory prayer.
The Shaykh : Was he the imam?
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Is there any disagreement?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : I am not saying speak. Is there any disagreement? Raise your hand.
The Shaykh: Did you hear the answer? He said the one performing the obligatory prayer was the imam. Do you agree?
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Please, yes.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, this is the correct view. Now, reflect on the Arabic expression used by the Arab Prophet. What did he say to his Companions? Did he say, "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray with him," or "pray for him"? He said "pray with him." So he prayed as the imam, and the other prayed as the follower. Thus, this is a voluntary congregation, not an obligatory one. The discussion regarding the congregation for the obligatory prayer is the first answer. The other answer is: was the one who entered the mosque excused or not excused? Also, what do you think? Was this one who missed the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) congregation excused or not excused?
The questioner : He was excused.
The Shaykh : He was excused. Now, if we want to generalize the statement, we would say that this hadith indicates repeating the congregation in the same mosque. Are these congregations held after the first congregation for those who are excused or for those who are not? If we want to stick to the indication of the hadith, we must assume that this congregation is for those who are excused. Is that the reality today? The answer is no.
In summary, the scholars of jurisprudence used this hadith as evidence for a point that has absolutely no relation to this topic, which is that if a person prays the obligatory prayer, he may repeat it as a voluntary prayer with the intention of it being voluntary. It is the same prayer, but the intention differs, so it is permissible for him to repeat it. Even though it is authentically reported from the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Do not say a prayer twice in a day.
لا صلاة في يوم مرتينالسائل : المفترض
الشيخ : من كان الإمام؟ المفترض حسن إذًا هذا المفترض لو صلى وحده يكون أدى فرضه منفردا فمن جعل فريضته جماعة؟ هو ذاك المتنفل هذا الذي كنت أردت أن أصل إليه آنفا فشتّ الذهن وأخطأ الفكر والتوبة إلى الله واجبة فإذا عرفنا هذا تبين لنا بوضوح تام لا غبار فيه أن هذه الجماعة جماعة نافلة فلا يجوز الإستدلال بها على شرعية جماعة الفريضة فإذا أردنا أن نحي هذه السنة صلّينا الجماعة في المسجد فدخل رجل يريد أن يصلي وحده فأنا أقتدي به لكي أجعل فريضته جماعة نافلة هكذا يكون السنة، غيره؟
تفضل. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Fajr, when he finished the prayer, he found two men far from the congregation, and their situation indicated that they had not prayed with the congregation. So he said to them, "Are you not Muslims?" They said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "What prevented you from praying with us?" They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we had prayed in our tents." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "If you pray in your tents and then come to the mosque congregation, pray with them, for it will be a voluntary prayer for you." Now, I feel, and the truth is that the truth should be said, I feel that I was mistaken earlier. The one who prayed with the second man in the hadith "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray with him" was following him, perhaps I was mistaken earlier. If this mistake is recorded, then correct it in your minds. The hadith is very clear: "Is there not a man who will give charity and pray with him." I wanted to say earlier that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say "Is there not a man who will give charity to this man and pray for him," but rather he said "pray with him." So who was the imam here? Who was the imam here... The questioner: The one performing the obligatory prayer. The Shaykh: Who was the imam? The one performing the obligatory prayer. Good. So if this one performing the obligatory prayer prayed alone, he would have fulfilled his obligation individually. So who made his obligatory prayer a congregation? It was that one performing the voluntary prayer. This is what I wanted to reach earlier, but my mind was distracted and my thought was wrong, and repentance to Allah is obligatory. Once we know this, it becomes clear to us with complete clarity, without any doubt, that this congregation is a voluntary congregation. So it is not permissible to use it as evidence for the legitimacy of the congregation for the obligatory prayer. If we want to revive this Sunnah, we pray the congregation in the mosque, and a man enters wanting to pray alone, so I follow him in order to make his obligatory prayer a voluntary congregation. This is how the Sunnah is. Anything else? Please.