A woman hears the 'Isha' prayer from her neighborhood mosque while she is in her house and follows it, and we have informed her that this action of hers is not correct?
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The questioner : A woman hears the 'Isha' prayer from their neighborhood mosque while she is in her house and follows it, and we have informed her that this action of hers is not correct. What is the ruling on what she prayed in the past days while she was ignorant?
The Shaykh : What she prayed in the past days while she was ignorant is valid, but she should not return to this, because following the imam is not valid unless the person is in the same mosque where the imam is praying. If he is outside it, following him is not valid, even if he hears his voice, unless the mosque is full and the rows extend into the market. In that case, there is no harm in praying in the market as long as the rows are connected.
Based on this, if a neighbor of the mosque wants to pray with the imam of the mosque, we tell him: it is not permissible. You are one of the people of the congregation, so you must attend the mosque. You are not one of the people of the congregation, either due to illness or because the one present is a woman, so pray alone, and praise be to Allah. The woman is not subject to punishment because she is not commanded to pray the congregational prayer with the people. As for the sick man, if it is his custom to pray with the congregation, it has been established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whoever is sick or travels is written for him what he used to do while healthy and resident. If we were to open the door and say that everyone who hears the voice of the imam may follow him, even if he is not in the mosque, this would result in harm. The harm is that someone would say: We watch the Sacred Mosque praying, and we see it on the air, as if we are in the Sacred Mosque, while we are, for example, in Madinah or Riyadh or the like. Is it permissible for us to pray behind him? If we said it is permissible for the neighbor of the mosque who hears the voice of the imam to pray behind the imam, we would say it is permissible... to pray behind him. And in that case, a door would open for us that would lead to evil, where everyone who wants to neglect the prayer would say: I pray behind the imam of the Haram, and the Haram is better than your mosque, and the congregation is larger than your congregation. Perhaps he would even neglect the Friday prayer and say: I pray behind the imam, I pray behind the imam of the Haram, the mosque is better than your mosques, and the congregation is larger. Then, it is known that one of the wisdoms of the Shari'ah in the prescription of the congregational prayer is that people gather in a place where they see one another, support one another, and love one another, so that some learn from others. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:330 If we were to grant a dispensation to the neighbors of the mosques to pray in their houses, many people would neglect the prayer. The neighbor of the mosque who is adjacent, and the farther neighbor, as long as he hears the voice of the imam, would neglect it, and the mosques would be left empty.
Therefore, what I see in this matter is that whoever is outside the mosque, it is not valid for him to follow the imam of the mosque, unless the mosque is full and the rows are connected. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : What she prayed in the past days while she was ignorant is valid, but she should not return to this, because following the imam is not valid unless the person is in the same mosque where the imam is praying. If he is outside it, following him is not valid, even if he hears his voice, unless the mosque is full and the rows extend into the market. In that case, there is no harm in praying in the market as long as the rows are connected.
Based on this, if a neighbor of the mosque wants to pray with the imam of the mosque, we tell him: it is not permissible. You are one of the people of the congregation, so you must attend the mosque. You are not one of the people of the congregation, either due to illness or because the one present is a woman, so pray alone, and praise be to Allah. The woman is not subject to punishment because she is not commanded to pray the congregational prayer with the people. As for the sick man, if it is his custom to pray with the congregation, it has been established from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that whoever is sick or travels is written for him what he used to do while healthy and resident. If we were to open the door and say that everyone who hears the voice of the imam may follow him, even if he is not in the mosque, this would result in harm. The harm is that someone would say: We watch the Sacred Mosque praying, and we see it on the air, as if we are in the Sacred Mosque, while we are, for example, in Madinah or Riyadh or the like. Is it permissible for us to pray behind him? If we said it is permissible for the neighbor of the mosque who hears the voice of the imam to pray behind the imam, we would say it is permissible... to pray behind him. And in that case, a door would open for us that would lead to evil, where everyone who wants to neglect the prayer would say: I pray behind the imam of the Haram, and the Haram is better than your mosque, and the congregation is larger than your congregation. Perhaps he would even neglect the Friday prayer and say: I pray behind the imam, I pray behind the imam of the Haram, the mosque is better than your mosques, and the congregation is larger. Then, it is known that one of the wisdoms of the Shari'ah in the prescription of the congregational prayer is that people gather in a place where they see one another, support one another, and love one another, so that some learn from others. For this reason, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
A man's prayer offered with another man is purer than his prayer which he offers alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one and if they are more (in number), it is more beloved to Allah
صلاة الرجل مع الرجل أزكى من صلاته وحده وصلاته مع الرجلين أزكى من صلاته مع الرجل وما كان أكثر فهو أحب إلى اللهTherefore, what I see in this matter is that whoever is outside the mosque, it is not valid for him to follow the imam of the mosque, unless the mosque is full and the rows are connected. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh.