What is the ruling on congregational prayer, and what are the excuses that exempt one from it?

The questioner : The ruling on congregational prayer, O Shaykh, and the excuses that permit missing congregational prayer in the mosque?

The Shaykh : This is a different question from that one.

The questioner : We are answering it generally right now.

The Shaykh : It appears you are thinking about it now?

The questioner : We will answer it generally, and then we will specify.

The Shaykh : The excuses that exempt one from congregational prayer are known. First, generally speaking: women are not obligated to perform congregational prayer, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): . Second, if a man who is obligated to perform congregational prayer is ill, there is no blame on the sick person. Third and finally, congregational prayer is only obligatory for one who hears the adhan. So if one is far from the mosque such that he does not hear the adhan, it is undoubtedly better for him to pray with the congregation, but he does not commit a sin if he does not pray with them, as long as he does not hear the adhan. Now, this is the answer to the general question. And bring your specific question according to your specific situation, since your question was specific and now it has become general, and you have received the answer.

The questioner : The question is still standing.

The Shaykh : What Allah willed, please go ahead.

The questioner : The mosque’s voice is heard now, meaning from Abu Al-Yaman’s house, the voice of Al-Nasr Mosque is heard.

The Shaykh: Yes

The questioner : If it is not...

The Shaykh : Which voice?

The questioner : The voice of the loudspeaker, of course.

The Shaykh : And do you mean what you are saying?

The questioner : No, I do not mean that.

The Shaykh : So.

The questioner : But if a person stood at the mosque and called the adhan, he would hear it.

The Shaykh: Yes

The questioner : We see you in several houses, O Shaykh, may Allah reward you, meaning whether you are close to the mosque or far from the mosque, most of the time you pray at home...

The Shaykh : Who?

The questioner : You.

The Shaykh: May Allah guide you.

The questioner: Amen.

The Shaykh : When did you learn this knowledge?

The questioner : Only through this period.

The Shaykh : What period is this?

The questioner : The period of this month?

The Shaykh : Glory be to Allah?

The questioner : Meaning several invitations, several invitations, meaning I hear that you prayed in the house of the one who invited you.

The Shaykh : No, I am telling you he does not pray, without the invitations, he does not pray in the mosques now except on Friday, did you know this?

The questioner : No, I did not know.

The Shaykh : I am informing you now, I did not know that I have become an old Shaykh, and ill in the legs and knees, did you not know this?

The questioner : May Allah prolong your life.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, you know and you distort as well, Glory be to Allah.

The questioner : Excuse me, O Shaykh, my question is not specific to you, I know your excuse.

Another questioner : He wants to take an excuse for himself, O Shaykh.

The questioner : I mean the one you host, or the one who sits with you, or the one...

The Shaykh : Did you see the double meaning you made? This opportunity came to you as a mercy, when you directed the question before iftar, it appears your subconscious mind ignited, you found that your question was not sound, so you came and corrected it. I was prepared to give you the answer if you had stuck to the question, but you deviated from the question. As for me, I will not deviate from the answer, and I am going to give it to you because there is benefit in it in any case. You, why did you tell me that you have a hardship in missing congregational prayer? Who imposed this hardship on you?

The questioner : I believe it is obligatory, and missing an obligation is...

The Shaykh : Who imposed this hardship on you? Who imposed on you that you do not perform the obligation?

The questioner : Allah.

Another questioner : Illness.

The questioner : No, it is not illness.

The Shaykh : He is not ill, who imposed on you...

The questioner : By the ruling of having a guest in my house.

The Shaykh : Does this exempt you from congregational prayer?

The questioner : No, of course not.

The Shaykh : So where did the hardship come from, and who imposed the hardship on you?

The questioner : Meaning a person does not leave his guest in his house and go out to pray, from this door, this is the door of hardship, meaning a social matter.

The Shaykh : Social, and is your research social or religious?

The questioner : No, my research is religious.

The Shaykh : If so, what does this word benefit you? What is the ruling of the Shari'ah that you leave your guest in the room alone, this if he is alone and has no one else with him, he may have an excuse like mine, or he may not have an excuse like yours, what is the ruling of the Shari'ah?

The questioner : We are asking you, we are not answering.

The Shaykh : What is the ruling of the Shari'ah, and it appears you are going to repeat the first story, a first question and a second question, the first question relates to you, and the second also, but in another phrase, what is the ruling of the Shari'ah that you leave the guest in the house alone and you go to pray and perform your obligation? What is the ruling?

The questioner : There is nothing wrong with it, if Allah wills.

The Shaykh : So if there is nothing wrong with it, why did you not do this thing? So the hardship or the problem you mentioned just now is from you. You are either, in short, negligent in staying with your guest, or you are not negligent. If you are negligent, do not blame us, blame yourselves. And if you are not negligent, where did the problem come to you from?

The questioner : Until now the thing is not clear to me, honestly, meaning if a guest came to my house, and you know the guest, may Allah reward you...

The Shaykh : No problem, no problem, when you say the thing is clear, the word "the thing is clear"?

The questioner : No, it is not clear...

The Shaykh : So you clarified it?

The questioner : I want to clarify the picture for you...

The Shaykh : You are saying the thing, you started with ambiguity, you started with ambiguity, and it is the thing, what is this thing? Be clear about it...

The questioner : Meaning in our current time, O Shaykh, praying in our houses, which we are far from the mosque by this distance.

The Shaykh : I gave you the answer, may Allah guide you, either he hears the natural voice...

The questioner : You want to differentiate now, all of them are with loudspeakers now, how do you differentiate that you hear or you do not hear?

The Shaykh : So, then it is obligatory immediately!? You are the first one to disbelieve in what you say, is my speech not clear to you? Either you say with this detail that I am telling you, or you do not say it, and you say whatever the voice reaches, he must respond, what is your position?

The questioner : No, of course, according to the ordinary voice that reaches...

The Shaykh : If so, how is your question, we need to differentiate, is this a jurisprudential question!? Yes, why do you not speak?

The questioner : I am unable to answer.

The Shaykh : May Allah guide you, my brother, your question, I am telling you frankly, the question is a test of ability, because when the ruling of the Shari'ah was clarified to you, you went back to raise problems for others, not for yourself, like your prayer in your house, and how do we differentiate? This is you asking yourself how do you differentiate? Do you know the answer to this question?

The questioner: No.

The Shaykh : So I give you an answer, you want to differentiate by ijtihad first, and by taqwa second, you say this voice that we hear from this mosque, with the loudspeaker, perhaps if the mu'adhdhin called the adhan without the loudspeaker, would it be heard or not? Consult your heart, and if the one who is consulted is your heart, your heart answered you, I hear. If it is "Hayya 'ala al-salah" (Come to prayer), your heart answered you, no, I do not hear. If my previous answer comes, it is better for you to go, even if the mosque is far, and perhaps you do not hear its voice, is the answer clear?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : May Allah reward you with good, and please, O Allah, O the Generous.