Is praying in congregation a condition for the validity of the prayer?

The second question is from 'Abd al-Wahhab 'Umar al-Murayhi from al-Jawf. He says: Is praying in congregation a condition for the validity of the prayer or not? We ask you to mention the evidence if possible. May Allah guide you.
Answer: The scholars have differed on this issue. Some said: Performing the prayer in congregation is a condition, and whoever prays alone without an excuse, his prayer is invalid.
Others said: Rather, it is obligatory. Praying in congregation is obligatory, and one must hasten to it, and it must be performed in the mosques. This is the most balanced of the opinions.
Some said: It is a collective obligation (fard kifayah). If enough people perform it, then performing it in congregation becomes a recommended practice (sunnah) for the rest.
Others said: It is a recommended practice (sunnah).
But the correct opinion among these, and the most balanced and most authentic, is the opinion of those who said: It is obligatory. Performing the prayer in congregation is obligatory, and specifically in the mosques, it must be performed in the mosques with the Muslims. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not come, there is no prayer for him except for one with an excuse." It was said to Ibn 'Abbas: What is the excuse? He said: Fear or illness. Ibn Majah, al-Hakim, and a group of others narrated it with a good chain. The Hafiz said in al-Bulugh: It is on the condition of Muslim. And in Sahih Muslim, from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) : . So this blind man has no guide suitable for him, and yet the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: and he did not find a dispensation for him. In a narration outside of Muslim, he said: . Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) explicitly stated that the blind man who has no suitable guide has no dispensation to leave the congregational prayer in the mosques. It is established in the two Sahihs from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he intended to burn down the houses of those who lagged behind in the congregational prayer, and he said: . If they had not committed a wrong, he would not have intended to burn their houses, for he (peace and blessings be upon him) only intends what is right. If they had committed a crime that warranted this punishment, he would not have intended for them to lag behind in the prayer, appoint someone to lead the people in prayer, and then go to them at the time of prayer so that they cannot make an excuse and say: We have prayed, or such and such. He would come at the time of prayer so that the proof is established. It is also narrated from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: .
All of this indicates the obligation of performing the prayer in congregation. As for it being a condition, no, it is not a condition according to the correct view. Because if it were a condition, he would have ordered the people to repeat it and said: Whoever prayed in his house, let him repeat it, and whoever prayed without a congregation, let him repeat it. Since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not order the repetition, but rather threatened them and ordered them to attend, this indicates obligation. Because the original state is the continuation of obligation, and the original state of a threat is an indication of the obligation of what is threatened. So this is the truth: that praying in congregation in the mosques, in the houses of Allah, is obligatory, not in his house. Rather, he prays with the congregation in the mosques of Allah. This is the obligatory and this is the truth. And Allah is the Helper. Yes.
And among the great misfortunes is the negligence of many people today regarding the prayer, which is the pillar of Islam, and it is the first thing for which one will be held accountable on the Day of Resurrection. This prayer. It is authentic from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: . And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: , narrated by Muslim in the Sahih. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So it is obligatory for all Muslims to take care of this matter, both women and men. It is obligatory for women to maintain it at its times and to perform it with tranquility and sincerity to Allah, and to focus on it, with complete tranquility in its bowing, prostration, and recitation, and in the sitting between the two prostrations, and in the standing after bowing. All of this must be taken care of, and the one praying must be tranquil, whether he is a man or a woman. This is a great matter, so it is obligatory for men and women to take care of this matter. And it is obligatory for men to perform it in congregation in the mosques of Allah with their Muslim brothers, as the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did and as his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did, in execution of his command (peace and blessings be upon him) and obedience to him (peace and blessings be upon him).
It is well known that praying inside the house involves imitating the hypocrites and disobeying the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). It is a means to abandoning the prayer; if one is lax about it and prays at home, he may neglect it, delay it significantly, or abandon it entirely. If the prayer were truly important to him, he would not have prayed it at home. 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: , meaning: Because of the Companions' (may Allah be pleased with them all) eagerness for prayer in congregation, a man would be brought in and supported between two men—propping him up—until he was placed in the row. This indicates the Companions' care for the prayer and that it was of great importance to them.
And among the misfortunes is also the negligence of many people regarding the Fajr prayer specifically, for the majority are more negligent with it than with the others, even though they are in their houses. But due to excessive staying up late, they lag behind the Fajr prayer in congregation in the mosques, and perhaps they delay it until after the sun rises until they go to their jobs. And this is among the great misfortunes and the great wrong.
So it is obligatory for the Muslim to beware of that, and not to stay up late in a way that harms him and causes him to lag behind the prayer in congregation in the mosques. Even if his staying up late is in permissible or recommended matters, such as reading the Qur'an or praying tahajjud at night or the like, it is not permissible for him to stay up late in a way that makes him lag behind the Fajr prayer in congregation and become heavy with it. How much more so if his staying up late is in sins against Allah, in listening to songs and musical instruments.