Ruling on praying in congregation at home due to the mosque being far away
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The question: He also says: I was a guest at the home of some of my brothers, and I caught the 'Asr prayer with them. I asked them about the mosque: is it near or far? They answered that it is a little far, and they said: It is better that we pray in the house in congregation. I was able to go to the mosque, but I feared that my brothers would be scattered; some of them would go with me to the mosque, and some would pray alone. Therefore, I prayed with them in the house and they led me, so I prayed behind them. Due to the narrowness of the room, one of them prayed to my right. The question: Is our prayer valid in this manner? And if the answer is no, do I repeat only that prayer, or do I repeat every prayer I prayed after it? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
The answer: The prayer, given the situation described, is valid. Your prayer is valid, and praise be to Allah. If the mosque is far away and they do not hear the call to prayer, there is no blame on them for praying in their place. However, if they can hear the call to prayer without a loudspeaker, the ordinary call, when the sounds are quiet, they hear the call, then they must go to the mosque; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan Ibn Majah 793Sahih (Darussalam).
Therefore, it is obligatory for every Muslim to respond to the caller, and to go to the mosque and pray with his brothers if he hears the call to prayer with a loudspeaker or without a loudspeaker. But if he does not hear it, even if it is ...... with the ordinary voice due to its distance, he is not obligated to walk to that mosque. However, if he goes by car or endures the walking, it is better because of the great good in it. But he is not obligated to respond to the mu'adhdhin unless he is in a place where he can hear it, even if his call is without a loudspeaker; because a loudspeaker is heard from a far place. The criterion is hearing it without a loudspeaker when the sounds are quiet. So such a person is obligated to go if he can hear it in his place or if the sounds are quiet. And if he does not hear it, he is not obligated, but if he strives for it and endures the hardship, it is better and more excellent. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you. He asks: What are your advices to our Muslim brothers who pray in their homes and in their workplaces, despite the existence of mosques near these places, and praise be to Allah?
The Shaykh: They are not permitted to do that, as mentioned in the previous question. It is obligatory for the one who hears the call to prayer to go to the mosque and not to pray in his house, nor in his workplace, nor in his farm. It is obligatory for him to head to the mosque with his brothers; it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: And in the authentic collections from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) : So this is a blind man to whom the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) responded by saying: , and in another wording he said: Sunan Abi Dawud 552Hasan Sahih (Al-Albani) So if the blind man whose house is far, who has no guide to lead him, is told: , and he is told: , then what about the healthy, sighted people who hear the call to prayer? It is obligatory for them to respond in all cases, and to head to the mosque in all cases, and to pray with their brothers. And whoever lags behind, this is similar to the people of hypocrisy. Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) says: So this is Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, and he is one of the great Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) , saying: , so this indicates that it is obligatory for the believer to strive for it, and to be eager to perform it in congregation, and to beware of obeying Shaytan and imitating the people of hypocrisy. And Allah is the One to be sought for help.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
The answer: The prayer, given the situation described, is valid. Your prayer is valid, and praise be to Allah. If the mosque is far away and they do not hear the call to prayer, there is no blame on them for praying in their place. However, if they can hear the call to prayer without a loudspeaker, the ordinary call, when the sounds are quiet, they hear the call, then they must go to the mosque; because of the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Whoever hears the call and does not come, his prayer is not valid, except for those who have an excuse.
من سمع النداء فلا صلاة له إلا من عذرTherefore, it is obligatory for every Muslim to respond to the caller, and to go to the mosque and pray with his brothers if he hears the call to prayer with a loudspeaker or without a loudspeaker. But if he does not hear it, even if it is ...... with the ordinary voice due to its distance, he is not obligated to walk to that mosque. However, if he goes by car or endures the walking, it is better because of the great good in it. But he is not obligated to respond to the mu'adhdhin unless he is in a place where he can hear it, even if his call is without a loudspeaker; because a loudspeaker is heard from a far place. The criterion is hearing it without a loudspeaker when the sounds are quiet. So such a person is obligated to go if he can hear it in his place or if the sounds are quiet. And if he does not hear it, he is not obligated, but if he strives for it and endures the hardship, it is better and more excellent. Yes.
The presenter: May Allah reward you. He asks: What are your advices to our Muslim brothers who pray in their homes and in their workplaces, despite the existence of mosques near these places, and praise be to Allah?
The Shaykh: They are not permitted to do that, as mentioned in the previous question. It is obligatory for the one who hears the call to prayer to go to the mosque and not to pray in his house, nor in his workplace, nor in his farm. It is obligatory for him to head to the mosque with his brothers; it is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
Whoever hears the call to prayer, he has no prayer except for one who has an excuse. It was said to Ibn Abbas: What is the excuse? He said: Fear or illness.
من سمع النداء فلا صلاة له إلا من عذر، قيل لـابن عباس: ما العذر؟ قال: خوف أو مرضThat a blind man said: O Messenger of Allah! I have no guide to lead me to the mosque. Do I have a dispensation to pray in my house? He said, (peace and blessings be upon him): Do you hear the call to prayer? He said: Yes. He said: Then respond.
أن رجلاً أعمى قال: يا رسول الله! ليس لي قائد يلائمني إلى المسجد، فهل لي من رخصة أن أصلي في بيتي؟ فقال عليه الصلاة والسلام: هل تسمع النداء بالصلاة؟ قال: نعم، قال: فأجبRespond
أجبI do not find any permission for you.
لا أجد لك رخصةYou have no dispensation.
لا رخصة لكRespond
أجبWhoever likes to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him guard these five prayers where they are called for. Indeed, Allah has prescribed for your Prophet the sunnahs of guidance, and they are among the sunnahs of guidance. And if you had prayed in your houses as this laggard prays in his house, you would have abandoned the sunnah of your Prophet, and if you had abandoned the sunnah of your Prophet, you would have gone astray—and in another wording: you would have become disbelievers—and I have seen us, and none lagged behind them except a known hypocrite—and in another wording: or a sick person.
من سره أن يلقى الله غداً مسلماً فليحافظ على هؤلاء الصلوات الخمس حيث ينادى بهن، فإن الله شرع لنبيكم سنن الهدى، وإنهن من سنن الهدى، ولو أنكم صليتم في بيوتكم كما يصلي هذا المتخلف في بيته لتركتم سنة نبيكم، ولو تركتم سنة نبيكم لضللتم -وفي لفظ: لكفرتم- ولقد رأيتنا وما يتخلف عنها إلا منافق معلوم النفاق -وفي لفظ: أو مريض-That in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), none lagged behind the prayer in congregation except a hypocrite or a sick person.
أنه في عهد النبي ﷺ لا يتخلف عن الصلاة في الجماعة إلا منافق أو مريضThe presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.