What is the ruling on leaving the Fajr prayer in the mosque? And does he commit a sin if he continues to leave it?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on one who leaves the Fajr prayer in congregation in the mosque? And does he commit a sin if he continues to pray at home and never attends the mosque, especially for the Fajr prayer?
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) agreed that congregational prayer is among the best acts of worship and the most noble of obedience, and that whoever is negligent with it or leaves it is deprived of the utmost deprivation from the reward that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established for congregational prayer. It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 650a.
And prayer in congregation is obligatory, and a person commits a sin by leaving it. The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate its obligation:
As for the Book of Allah, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), if he was with his companions in a military expedition, to establish prayer with them. Indeed, He commanded his companions also to stand with him. He said:[An-Nisa 4:102] This verse indicates the obligation of congregational prayer due to His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): [An-Nisa 4:102] And that it is an individual obligation and not a collective obligation due to His saying: [An-Nisa 4:102] If it were a collective obligation, the first group would have been sufficient.
And it indicates obligation also from the fact that this prayer in this manner disrupts the arrangement of the prayer and following the imam. Indeed, the prayer of fear was reported in various forms, all of which involve deviation from the general rules of prayer, which indicates the emphasis of congregational prayer even if these general rules are disrupted by it.
As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sunan Abi Dawud 548Sahih (Al-Albani) The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend this punishment except to emphasize the congregational prayer.
And as for the saying of some: "He intended but did not do it," if we were to adopt this, the hadith would have no meaning and it would be idle talk, because if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend to warn his Ummah against lagging behind the congregation, he would not have mentioned the statement in this context.
Then it is also established from him that a man asked him to excuse him or grant him a dispensation to leave the congregation because he was a blind man, so he permitted him. When the man turned away, he said to him: He said: Yes. He said: If the congregation were not obligatory, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would not have obligated this blind man to it.
And it came in the hadith also that:Sahih Ibn Hibban 10:352.
For this reason, some scholars, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, held that congregational prayer is a condition for the validity of the prayer, and that whoever prays alone without an excuse has no prayer, like one who prays without wudu'.
So it is obligatory for the Muslim to perform this obligation and to pray Fajr, Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha' in congregation and not to lag behind it.
And the fact that this man, as in the question, lags behind the Fajr prayer and many of the prayers, I advise him to fear Allah regarding himself and to leave this laziness. If he accustoms himself to strength, energy, and decisiveness, he will attain what he seeks, the laziness will be removed from him, and his attendance at the congregation will become as if he were created for it, and his absence from the congregation will narrow his chest and disturb his comfort. This is the true believer. So we ask Allah for guidance and success for us and for this brother and others.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them with excellence until the Day of Judgment:
The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) agreed that congregational prayer is among the best acts of worship and the most noble of obedience, and that whoever is negligent with it or leaves it is deprived of the utmost deprivation from the reward that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) established for congregational prayer. It is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him):
Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
أن صلاة الجماعة أفضل من صلاة الفذ بسبع وعشرين درجةAnd prayer in congregation is obligatory, and a person commits a sin by leaving it. The Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) indicate its obligation:
As for the Book of Allah, Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) commanded His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), if he was with his companions in a military expedition, to establish prayer with them. Indeed, He commanded his companions also to stand with him. He said:
And when you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand [in prayer] with you and let them carry their arms. And when they have prostrated, let them be [in position] behind you and have the other group come forward which has not [yet] prayed and let them pray with you, taking precaution and carrying their arms.
وَإِذَا كُنتَ فِيهِمْ فَأَقَمْتَ لَهُمُ الصَّلاةَ فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا أَسْلِحَتَهُمْ فَإِذَا سَجَدُوا فَلْيَكُونُوا مِنْ وَرَائِكُمْ وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَ وَلْيَأْخُذُوا حِذْرَهُمْ وَأَسْلِحَتَهُمْlet a group of them stand [in prayer] with you
فَلْتَقُمْ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْهُمْ مَعَكَand have the other group come forward which has not [yet] prayed and let them pray with you
وَلْتَأْتِ طَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى لَمْ يُصَلُّوا فَلْيُصَلُّوا مَعَكَAnd it indicates obligation also from the fact that this prayer in this manner disrupts the arrangement of the prayer and following the imam. Indeed, the prayer of fear was reported in various forms, all of which involve deviation from the general rules of prayer, which indicates the emphasis of congregational prayer even if these general rules are disrupted by it.
As for the Sunnah, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
I thought to give orders for arranging prayer in congregation, and then to have the Iqamah called for it, then to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then to go off in company of the people who have bundles of firewood to those people who are not present at the prayer and then to burn down their houses with fire.
لقد هممت أن آمر بالصلاة فتقام ، ثم آمر رجلاً فيصلي بالناس ثم انطلق معي برجال معهم حزم من حطب إلى قوم لا يشهدون الصلاة فأحرق عليهم بيوتهم بالنارAnd as for the saying of some: "He intended but did not do it," if we were to adopt this, the hadith would have no meaning and it would be idle talk, because if the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not intend to warn his Ummah against lagging behind the congregation, he would not have mentioned the statement in this context.
Then it is also established from him that a man asked him to excuse him or grant him a dispensation to leave the congregation because he was a blind man, so he permitted him. When the man turned away, he said to him:
Do you hear the call?
هل تسمع النداء؟Then respond.
فأجبAnd it came in the hadith also that:
Whoever hears the call and does not respond, he has no prayer, except one who has an excuse.
من سمع النداء فلم يجب فلا صلاة له إلا من عذرFor this reason, some scholars, including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, held that congregational prayer is a condition for the validity of the prayer, and that whoever prays alone without an excuse has no prayer, like one who prays without wudu'.
So it is obligatory for the Muslim to perform this obligation and to pray Fajr, Zuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, and 'Isha' in congregation and not to lag behind it.
And the fact that this man, as in the question, lags behind the Fajr prayer and many of the prayers, I advise him to fear Allah regarding himself and to leave this laziness. If he accustoms himself to strength, energy, and decisiveness, he will attain what he seeks, the laziness will be removed from him, and his attendance at the congregation will become as if he were created for it, and his absence from the congregation will narrow his chest and disturb his comfort. This is the true believer. So we ask Allah for guidance and success for us and for this brother and others.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you.