What is the ruling on the upright brothers being late in going to the mosque?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. This has now become widespread among the sons of the awakening, as they are called, the sons of the Islamic awakening... They delay the prayer until one of them says, "The prayer has not yet been called for, meaning I will still catch up with the imam..." Some of them catch up with the imam while he is in the middle of the prayer, and some at the beginning of the prayer... What is your opinion?

The Shaykh : My opinion is that this is wrong. The earlier a person goes to the mosque and prays, the better he is, and he remains in a state of prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer. It was the way of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) that they would go early and come to the mosque.

The questioner : Do they not fall under this hadith?

The Shaykh : No, no, because the congregational prayer is not delayed until the sun is about to set.

The questioner : ...

The Shaykh : No.