Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned in this hadith the virtue of performing the Fajr prayer in congregation, which is that the angels of the day and night gather at this time. In view of this virtue, Umar radi Allahu anhu says that rather than spending the entire night in voluntary prayers (nawafil), it is more beloved to me to participate in the congregation of the Fajr prayer.

(2)
This virtue is also possessed by the Asr prayer, as is explicitly mentioned in the ahadith. It is possible that the attendance of the angels at the Fajr and Asr prayers are two additional ranks apart from the twenty-five ranks, because in this hadith, after mentioning the twenty-five ranks, the gathering of the angels is mentioned independently. This is why Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, after this hadith, has mentioned the hadith of Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu, in which it is clarified that congregational prayer has twenty-seven degrees of superiority over individual prayer.
(Sharh Ibn Battal: 2/278)

Hadith Commentary:
In this, both the angels of the night and the day are present, and then they change their respective duties.

Hadith Commentary:
1.
In this hadith, the prayer of Fajr is mentioned specifically, but this does not negate the virtue of the Asr prayer.
As it is stated in another hadith that when the angels of the night go to Allah, Allah Ta’ala asks—although He knows best:
“In what state did you leave My servants?” The angels reply:
“When we went to them, they were performing prayer, and when we left them, they were still performing prayer.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Mawaqit al-Salat, Hadith: 555)
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established a chapter on this hadith with these words:
(Bab Fadl Salat al-Asr)
“The Virtue of the Asr Prayer,” and in this hadith, these words are noteworthy:
“The angels of the day and the night gather at the times of the Fajr and Asr prayers.”
In any case, from this hadith, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the virtue of the Fajr prayer, which does not negate the virtue of the Asr prayer.

Benefits and Issues:
Relevance between the Chapter and the Hadith:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has mentioned a narration from Ibn ‘Awn. Some say that this narration is mentioned in a suspended (mu‘allaq) form. The relevance and reasoning for this suspended narration in the chapter heading is as follows: the closure of a place does not prevent prayer, because Ibn ‘Awn prayed in a closed courtyard, and this closure did not prevent him from establishing a mosque inside it. Similarly, if a marketplace is closed, prayer is still valid there. The hadith presented below also clearly shows the relevance to the chapter heading: the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said, “The congregational prayer is twenty-five degrees superior to the prayer offered at home or in the marketplace.” When individual prayer is permissible in the marketplace, then praying in congregation there is even more permissible.

If one reflects, why was the above chapter heading necessary? In fact, Imam Qastallani rahimahullah has transmitted from Musnad al-Bazzar that «شر البقاع أسواقها»—that is, marketplaces are the worst of places and mosques are the best of places. Thus, it is evident from this that in marketplaces there is noise, deceit, and the business of false oaths is rampant. Therefore, that place is a center of evil and corruption. Hence, no one should fall into the misconception that performing prayer or establishing a mosque in the marketplace is not permissible.

Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has endeavored to establish that praying in the marketplace is also permissible, and by mentioning “Masjid al-Suq” (the mosque of the marketplace), he has also clarified that designating a place for prayer in the marketplace is permissible. This is why Imam Bukhari rahimahullah first mentioned the narration of Ibn ‘Awn so that the issue would become clear.

◈ Badr al-Din Ibn Jama‘ah rahimahullah says:
“Marketplaces are not places for prayer, but performing prayer in them is correct and permissible, just as it is permissible in other places.”
He further says:
«وكذالك الصلاة فى المسجد المحجور فانه جائز فنبه عليه بحديث ابن عمر» [مناسبات تراجم البخاري، ص47]
Similarly, prayer is valid in an abandoned mosque, as is reported in the hadith of Ibn ‘Umar.

Note:
In the above narration, it is not Ibn ‘Umar but Ibn ‘Awn. Badr al-Din Ibn Jama‘ah has quoted this reference from the author of al-Mutawari, Ibn al-Munir, but even he made a slip there, because in the manuscripts of Sahih Bukhari it is not Ibn ‘Umar but Ibn ‘Awn.

Benefit:
«وقال الكرماني : لعل غرض البخاري منه الرد على الحنفية قالوا بامتناع اتخاذ المسجد فى الدار المحجوبة عن الناس والذي فى كتب الحنفية الكراهية لا التحريم .» [فتح الباري، ج1، ص743]
Imam Kirmani rahimahullah says: Here, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah intended to refute the Hanafis, who say that it is not permissible to establish a mosque in a house where people are not allowed to come and go, even though in the books of the Hanafis it is written as disliked (makruh), not forbidden (haram).

Hadith Commentary:
The prayer in the mosque of the marketplace holds twenty-five times more merit than prayer at home, and from this the chapter heading is derived, because when it is permissible to pray alone in the marketplace, then it is even more permissible to pray in congregation.
Especially in the mosques of the marketplaces, and nowadays there are countless marketplaces in cities in which there are grand and splendid mosques.
Hazrat Imam, may Allah sanctify his secret, has indicated towards the virtue of all these.
May Allah reward him with the best of rewards.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
There are two types of mosques:
One is the technical (istilahi) mosques in which there is a general permission for prayer and which are endowed for all Muslims.
The second type are those places which are called mosques only in the linguistic sense, such as when a mosque is made in a house or a place is designated in front of a shop in the market for prayer.
When the market closes, that mosque also closes along with it.
Even in the Prophetic era, the mosques of the markets were of this kind because those markets were outside the populated areas.
A mosque would be established temporarily; when the market ended, the mosque would also end.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, in this chapter heading, wants to explain the difference in reward between praying alone and praying in congregation, i.e., in congregational prayer there is twenty-five times more reward compared to praying alone or praying in the market.
In the mosques of the market, the prayer is valid, but a person is deprived of the additional reward of congregational prayer. Accordingly, Shah Waliullah Muhaddith Dehlawi rahimahullah writes in Sharh Tarajim Bukhari:
By “mosque of the market” is meant the place which the people of the market designate for prayer.
Apart from this, the neighborhood mosque is different; for that, the ruling of mosque always applies, i.e., praying in the mosque of the market proves the permissibility of prayer there.
In this era, markets and shopping centers are within populated areas, and in some places, some shopkeepers collectively purchase a place for a mosque and establish a mosque there.
That is, they make a technical (istilahi) mosque.
In it, there is regular adhan and congregation, and in some, even Friday prayer is arranged.
If someone offers prayer in such mosques in the market, he will be entitled to the full additional reward.
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established the chapter of the mosque of the market because the market is a place of noise, buying and selling, and false oaths, and it has been called the worst of places (sharr al-biqā‘). On this basis, there could be a suspicion that perhaps prayer at such a place is not permissible, so Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established its permissibility.
➋
Ibn Battal says:
Imam Bukhari rahimahullah, due to the hadith regarding the market being the worst of places (sharr al-biqā‘), had the concern that perhaps prayer there would be impermissible, so he narrated the hadith of Abu Hurayrah radi Allahu anhu to establish its permissibility, because in it there is evidence of praying inside the market.
If someone prays there, it is just as if he prays alone at home.
Furthermore, Imam Bukhari rahimahullah has established that when the permissibility of individual prayer in the market is known, then the permissibility of constructing a legal (shar‘i) mosque in the market is known with even greater priority (badrajah awla).
(Sharh Ibn Battal 1/124)
From this clarification, it is understood that the commentator of Bukhari, Ibn Battal, also did not take the mosque of the market to mean a legal (shar‘i) mosque, but by bringing it to the higher degree (badrajah awla), he established the permissibility of prayer in both the legal and linguistic types of mosques in the market.
And Allah knows best.
In any case, the purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is that if there is an excuse, one may pray alone at home or in the market, and the prayer will be valid, but the additional reward will not be attained. And if there is a legal (shar‘i) mosque in the neighborhood or market, then by praying there, the additional reward will also be attained. Therefore, praying in the market is valid.
And if there is a legal (shar‘i) mosque in the market, then the reward for praying there will be equal to that of the neighborhood mosque.

Hadith Commentary:
In the hadith of Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu, the reward for congregational prayer is mentioned as twenty-five degrees, while in the hadith of Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu, it is mentioned as twenty-seven degrees.
Some hadith scholars have also written that the narration of Ibn Umar radi Allahu anhu is stronger.
Therefore, regarding the number, preference will be given to this narration.
However, the more correct approach in this matter is to accept both as authentic.
Congregational prayer itself is either obligatory or a highly emphasized Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah).
This is one reason for its virtue.
Then, among those who perform prayer in congregation, there will also be differences in sincerity and piety, and the reward will be given accordingly, more or less.
In addition, in the Arabic language, such numbers are used on occasions to express abundance.
Thus, the intent was merely to indicate the increase in reward.
(Tafheem al-Bukhari)
Ibn Daqiq al-‘Eid rahimahullah says that the meaning is that performing prayer in congregation in the mosque carries twenty-five times more reward than praying at home or in the market, even if one prays in congregation at home or in the market. Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah states: I understand that what is meant by praying at home or in the market is praying alone there.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, four reasons for Allah’s grace, generosity, and bounty have been mentioned, the details of which are as follows:
➊ Performing ablution (wudu) in an excellent manner has been declared a cause for elevation of ranks and expiation of sins, as is known from other ahadith—even to the extent that when a person completes ablution, all his minor sins are washed away.
➋ For every step taken from home towards the mosque for prayer, a good deed is recorded and a sin is forgiven in exchange for each step.
➌ After completing the prayer, sitting on the prayer mat and engaging in remembrance and reflection is also a great means of receiving the supplications of the angels.
➍ Sitting in the mosque waiting for the next prayer—by doing so, one is considered as if he is in prayer itself.
These are the causes which, by performing prayer in congregation, become a means of Allah’s grace and bounty.
They should not be considered as the reasons for the twenty-five times superiority of congregational prayer over individual prayer, as might be inferred from the apparent wording of the hadith.

Benefits:

➊ Many scholars have taken these ahadith as evidence that congregational prayer is not obligatory. They argue that although there is twenty-five or twenty-seven times more virtue in congregational prayer, one still receives the reward of a single prayer when praying at home or in the market. However, in the previous chapter, it was established through multiple proofs that congregation is obligatory, and that after hearing the adhan, it is not permissible to pray at home or in the market without a valid excuse. The meaning of these ahadith is that if a person misses the congregation due to an excuse—such as sleep or relieving oneself, etc.—and is unable to join the congregation, and thus has to pray at home or in the market, then he will receive only one degree of reward. Whereas, if he goes to the mosque and prays in congregation, he will receive twenty-five or twenty-seven degrees of reward.

➋ Here, there is a well-known question: in some ahadith, congregational prayer is said to be twenty-five times more virtuous, and in others, twenty-seven times; apparently, there is a contradiction—so how is this reconciled? Various answers have been given, one of which is that twenty-seven is not contrary to twenty-five, rather, twenty-five is included within twenty-seven degrees. In addition, Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah has mentioned several answers, and among all of them, he has preferred the answer indicated in the hadith of Abu Hurairah radi Allahu anhu: that for the one who goes to the mosque to pray in congregation, what reward is received for every step, and then what reward is there in waiting. From this indication, the commentators of hadith have deduced that the one who goes to the mosque and prays in congregation attains twenty-five such virtues that are not attained by the one who prays at home or in the market. As for the difference between twenty-five and twenty-seven, it is due to the difference between silent (sirri) and audible (jahri) prayers: in audible prayers, two additional virtues are attained by praying in congregation—one is listening to the recitation of the imam, and the other is saying "Ameen" after his «وَلَا الضَّالينَ».

➌ Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah said that I have selected only those virtues that are related to congregation, and they are as follows:

1. Responding to the adhan of the mu'adhdhin with the intention of praying in congregation.

2. Going early for prayer at its initial time.

3. Walking towards the mosque with tranquility.

4. Entering the mosque after reciting the supplication for entering.

5. Upon entering the mosque, performing the greeting of the mosque (tahiyyat al-masjid).

6. Waiting for the congregation.

7. The angels' prayers (salat) and seeking forgiveness for him.

8. The angels bearing witness in his favor.

9. Responding to the iqamah.

10. Being protected from the evil of Satan due to his fleeing upon hearing the iqamah.

11. Standing in anticipation of the imam's opening takbir (takbir tahrimah), or joining the imam in whatever state he is.

12. Joining the imam in the opening takbir (takbir tahrimah).

13. Straightening the rows and filling the gaps.

14. Responding to the imam's «سَمِعَ اللهُ لِمَنْ حَمِدَهُ».

15. Being mostly protected from forgetfulness (sahw), and alerting or prompting the imam if he errs.

16. Attaining humility (khushu') and being mostly safe from idle talk.

17. Generally, the form and quality of prayer is better than at home.

18. The angels encircle him.

19. Practicing the correct recitation of the Qur'an, and learning the pillars and other aspects of prayer.

20. Manifesting the symbols (sha'air) of Islam.

21. Gathering for worship, humiliating and disgracing Satan by rubbing his nose in the dust, cooperating in goodness, and keeping the lazy person alert.

22. Being protected from the trait of hypocrisy and from people’s suspicion that he does not pray.

23. Responding to the imam’s salam.

24. Benefiting from the collective supplication and remembrance of the Muslims, and the less virtuous among them benefiting from the blessings of the more complete ones.

25. Establishing a system of affection and love among neighbors, becoming aware of each other's conditions by coming to the mosque at prayer times, and helping each other as much as possible.

All these things are found in both silent (sirri) and audible (jahri) prayers. In audible prayers, there are two things more than in silent prayers:

One is listening to the imam’s recitation,

The other is saying "Ameen" at the end of Surah al-Fatihah.

Regarding all these things, there is some command or encouragement. [فتح الباري]

Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz rahimahullah has written in the margin of Fath al-Bari that restricting the twenty-seven degrees to audible prayers is questionable. The more apparent view is that the twenty-seven degrees are for both silent and audible prayers, and this is an extra gift from Allah that He grants to those who pray in congregation. Thus, according to the Shaykh, the first answer mentioned at the beginning of this benefit is the prevalent one.

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, mention is made of marketplaces.
And it is also mentioned that, when necessary, prayer may be performed there.
From this, it is established that the existence of marketplaces is maintained in Islam, and that coming and going there, as well as buying and selling, are permitted so that societal affairs may progress. However, since people frequently engage in lying, deceit, and fraud in marketplaces, for this reason the marketplace has been declared the worst of places on earth. The correspondence between the chapter and the hadith is evident.

Hadith Commentary:
In this hadith, the marketplace is mentioned and the performance of prayer therein is discussed. From this, it is established that the existence of marketplaces is maintained in Islam. Going there, coming back, and engaging in buying and selling are also permissible so that societal affairs may progress. However, some people commit robbery, deception, lies, and fraud in the marketplaces; in this regard, they have been declared the worst places on earth. The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah in mentioning this hadith is that it contains the mention of the marketplace and the performance of prayer there.

Hadith Footnote:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
Al-Fadh:
It means alone, that is, in the sense of being single and unique.

Hadith Commentary:
Vocabulary of the Hadith:
(1)
Lā yanhazuhu:
Nothing causes him to rise except the prayer;
further, Lā yurīdu illāṣ-ṣalāh:
Its explanation and clarification is that he intends only the prayer.
(2)
Khuṭwah:
With a kasrah (i.e., pronounced with "i"),
a step.
(3)
Khuṭwah:
With a fatḥah (i.e., pronounced with "a"),
to take a single step.
(4)
Mā lam yu’dh:
Its explanation is Mā lam yuḥdith:
That is, by passing wind and thereby causing harm or discomfort to those present (angels or humans),
or by committing any act in the mosque that is contrary to the Shariah.

Benefits and Issues:
This hadith has already been mentioned previously, and its benefits have been discussed there. The purpose is that a worshipper coming from a distant place has to take more steps, and therefore he receives greater reward and recompense. And as long as a person sits in the mosque waiting for the prayer, he is considered to be in the state of prayer, and he becomes deserving of the supplications of the angels. Therefore, he should sit in the mosque with etiquette, respect, and dignity, and should not do anything that would be troublesome to others.

1:
There is no contradiction between twenty-five and twenty-seven;
the count of twenty-five is included within twenty-seven.
It is also possible that at first the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) mentioned the reward as twenty-five times, and later as twenty-seven times.
And some have said that this difference is based on the proximity or distance of the mosque: if the mosque is farther, the reward will be greater, and if it is nearer, it will be less.
And it has also been said that this increase or decrease will be according to the increase or decrease in humility and submissiveness (khushu‘ and khudu‘).
Likewise, it has been said that this difference will be according to the increase or decrease in the number of people in the congregation.

487. Commentary:

➊ "Twenty-five times" — because in order to perform prayer in congregation, a person has to do many additional good deeds, for example: leaving the house with the intention of prayer, reciting supplications, walking towards the mosque, greeting and replying to those met on the way, visiting the sick, keeping the path clean, guiding someone on the way, and helping the needy, etc.

➋ Although the angels are present at every prayer, since at the dawn (fajr) prayer both the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather together, therefore its special mention has been made.

Commentary:
(1)
The opportunity for action that we have been granted in this world is very brief.
It is a special favor of Allah Ta'ala that He has assigned a very great reward to certain deeds.
We should take advantage of this mercy of Allah and, in order to attain as much reward as possible, we should always perform the prayer (salah) in congregation.

(2)
In this hadith, the word (بِضْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ) is used.
The word "bid‘" is used for numbers ranging from three to nine.
This is clarified by the following ahadith in which the words "twenty-five times" and "twenty-seven times" are mentioned.

(3)
The meaning of this number is that the reward can reach up to this extent.
If there is any deficiency in attention, humility, submissiveness, or tranquility in the prayer, then there will also be a decrease in the reward.

Hadith Authentication:
[الموطأ رواية يحييٰ بن يحييٰ 129/1 ح 287، ك 8 ب 1 ح 2، التمهيد 316/6، الاستذكار : 256
● وأخرجه مسلم 649، من حديث مالك به ورواه البخاري 648، من حديث الزهري عن سعيد بن المسيب و أبى سلمة عن أبى هريره به نحو المعني مطولاً]
Jurisprudential Understanding:
➊ The congregational prayer in which there is the greatest number of Muslims with correct belief is the most virtuous. The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said: «وصلاته مع الرجلين ازكٰي من صلاته مع الرجل وما كثر فهو اَّحب إلى الله» And a man's prayer with two men is better than his prayer with one man, and the greater the number, the more beloved it is to Allah. [مسند أحمد 140/5، وسنده حسن، سنن ابي داود: 554، و صححه ابن خزيمه، وبن حبان، الموارد: 429 وللحديث لون آخر عند ابن ماجه : 790 وغيره وسنده حسن]
Note: The criticism of this hadith by Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr is rejected.
➋ The prayer of a person performed alone without congregation is valid, but performing it in congregation is more virtuous.
➌ In some narrations, the reward is mentioned as twenty-seven (27) degrees. There is no contradiction in these narrations; rather, every person will receive reward according to his intention, sincerity, adherence to the Sunnah, and excellence in action, insha Allah.