The ruling on one who hears the call to prayer and prays in his home without an excuse
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
What is the ruling on one who hears the call to prayer for an obligatory prayer and then prays in his home without an excuse?
Answer:
Prayer is obligatory in congregation; it is obligatory for the believer to pray in congregation. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Bulugh al-Maram 2:308. A blind man came to him (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: “O Messenger of Allah, I have no guide to accompany me to the mosque. Do I have a dispensation to pray in my home?” He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Sahih Muslim 653 He said: Yes. He said: Narrated by Muslim in *Sahih*. This indicates the obligation of performing it in congregation in the houses of Allah .
And 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have seen us, and none would be absent from it except a known hypocrite." Muslim narrated it in his *Sahih*.
So, one who hears the call must respond if he is nearby; because the call is now amplified by loudspeakers, one may hear it from far away and be unable to reach the mosque due to the distance. If he hears the call from a place where it is easy for him to come to the mosque and pray with the Muslims—if there were no loudspeaker, he would have heard it—then it is obligatory for him.
As for if he is far away, then he prays in the mosques around him, or with the congregation around him, if there is a distance such that he would not hear some of the call if there were no loudspeaker; because loudspeakers may be heard from a distant place, and if he walked after the adhan, it would not be possible for him to pray with the people due to his distance.
So, the conclusion is that prayer is obligatory in congregation when one is able, and he does not have the right to pray in his home. As for whether it is valid or not, the well-known view among scholars is that it is valid but with sin. Some scholars said that it is not valid, and that performing it in congregation is a condition. The known view among scholars and the majority of scholars is that it is valid, but with sin.
What is the ruling on one who hears the call to prayer for an obligatory prayer and then prays in his home without an excuse?
Answer:
Prayer is obligatory in congregation; it is obligatory for the believer to pray in congregation. 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.
مَن سمع النِّداء فلم يأتِ فلا صلاةَ له إلا من عذرٍDo you hear the call to prayer?
هل تسمع النِّداء بالصلاة؟Then respond.
فأجبAnd 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I have seen us, and none would be absent from it except a known hypocrite." Muslim narrated it in his *Sahih*.
So, one who hears the call must respond if he is nearby; because the call is now amplified by loudspeakers, one may hear it from far away and be unable to reach the mosque due to the distance. If he hears the call from a place where it is easy for him to come to the mosque and pray with the Muslims—if there were no loudspeaker, he would have heard it—then it is obligatory for him.
As for if he is far away, then he prays in the mosques around him, or with the congregation around him, if there is a distance such that he would not hear some of the call if there were no loudspeaker; because loudspeakers may be heard from a distant place, and if he walked after the adhan, it would not be possible for him to pray with the people due to his distance.
So, the conclusion is that prayer is obligatory in congregation when one is able, and he does not have the right to pray in his home. As for whether it is valid or not, the well-known view among scholars is that it is valid but with sin. Some scholars said that it is not valid, and that performing it in congregation is a condition. The known view among scholars and the majority of scholars is that it is valid, but with sin.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.