When is the traveler obligated to pray in congregation?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
If a person travels alone, is it permissible for him to shorten the prayer even though there is a mosque nearby?
Answer:
No, he prays four rak'ahs with the people. Is he alone with no brother with him?
Q: No.
The Shaykh: If he finds a congregation, he is obligated to pray with the congregation.
Q: What about the dispensation for travel?
The Shaykh: Yes, but the dispensation applies when there is no congregation. If there is a congregation, he prays with the congregation; because the congregation is obligatory and shortening is a recommended practice, and it is not permissible to leave the obligatory for the sake of the recommended.
Q: If he shortens while alone, does he sin even though there is a mosque in front of him?
The Shaykh: He sins; because he left the congregation. The congregation is obligatory. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:308, and he ordered the blind man to pray with the people even if he had no guide, saying: .
If a person travels alone, is it permissible for him to shorten the prayer even though there is a mosque nearby?
Answer:
No, he prays four rak'ahs with the people. Is he alone with no brother with him?
Q: No.
The Shaykh: If he finds a congregation, he is obligated to pray with the congregation.
Q: What about the dispensation for travel?
The Shaykh: Yes, but the dispensation applies when there is no congregation. If there is a congregation, he prays with the congregation; because the congregation is obligatory and shortening is a recommended practice, and it is not permissible to leave the obligatory for the sake of the recommended.
Q: If he shortens while alone, does he sin even though there is a mosque in front of him?
The Shaykh: He sins; because he left the congregation. The congregation is obligatory. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Whoever hears the call for prayer and and does not come (to the mosque for prayer), his prayer will not be accepted from him, unless he has a (legitimate) excuse.
من سمع النداء فلم يأت فلا صلاة له إلا من عذرAnswer
أجِبْ
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.