Continuation of the Shaykh's remarks on the ruling regarding the second congregation in the mosque.

The Shaykh : ... Many people have become accustomed to this, especially those who are keen to perform the prayer with the first congregation, to perform it with the second or third congregation, and they find no difficulty or blame in doing so. Why? Because there is a statement in some books of Islamic jurisprudence that it is permissible to repeat the congregation. However, I found, in terms of scholarly opinions, that the opinions of most of the Imams are on the prohibition of repeating the congregation. A mosque is described by two characteristics: the first is that it has a regular imam, and the second is that it has a regular mu'adhdhin. They observe in these two conditions that this mosque has someone who gathers them, namely the mu'adhdhin, and someone who leads them, namely the imam. As for a mosque that has neither a regular imam nor a regular mu'adhdhin, they refer to it as a mosque on the side of the road; in such a mosque, it is permissible to repeat the congregation. Note the wisdom of the legislation here. Note the meaning derived from the text of the congregational prayer. Some may call it, and this is a transmitted term, "the prayer of gathering," meaning it gathers the people. But if we say that the second and third congregational prayers are permissible, these prayers divide rather than gather. If we look at the two opinions—one saying that the second congregation and those after it are not permissible in that mosque, and the other saying it is not permissible—we found that the effect of the opinion permitting it is that I found in myself, let alone in others, that I would neglect and not care about the first congregation because I find people praying the second and third congregations. This occurred to me in my heart when I was a student of knowledge and my shop was next to the mosque. I would hear the adhan and say, "Take it easy, take it easy, please..."

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good. May Allah the Exalted bestow His favor upon me. I wrote a treatise titled "Informing the Worshipper about Repeating the Congregation in One Mosque." And I benefited from you, may Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : May Allah preserve you.

The questioner : But I ask about some matters I found from the Sunnah that point to this in the issue under discussion. First, is it permissible to cite as evidence the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) found in Abu Dawud and in the Sahih of Ibn Khuzaymah, which states that the prayer of the believers should be one? Is this suitable as evidence for the aforementioned issue? And then, the statement of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) in Sahih Muslim: "Do not be absent from it, for it is a known matter." The intended meaning is the first congregation, is that not so?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is so.

The questioner : And then, regarding the second congregation, is it inferred that it is prohibited due to the multiplication of congregations... the Friday prayer. The scholars unanimously prohibit establishing another Friday prayer, and the funeral prayer is likewise?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is so. May Allah bless you. It is good to recall on this occasion the hadith the hadith of Abu Hurayrah in the two Sahihs. But there is a hadith of Ibn Mas'ud in Sahih Muslim regarding those who are absent from the Friday prayer, where the warning for the Friday prayer is like the warning for the congregational prayer, indicating that being absent from either of the two prayers is the same.

The questioner : Also, in the same hadith where you did not mention the narration that they do not witness the prayer; it is a known matter, not a denied one. The prayer is established in the minds of the people in the first prayer.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is correct. May Allah grant you success, if Allah wills.