The severe warning against abandoning the congregation

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "It is utter harshness, it is disbelief and it is hypocrisy that a person hears the caller of Allah calling to the prayer, calling to success, and then does not respond to him."
Imam Ahmad and Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir recorded this narration; its chain contains a narrator, Zabban bin Fa'id, whom Yahya bin Ma'in declared da'if (weak), and Abu Hatim declared thiqah (trustworthy).

Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is enough wretchedness and disgrace for a believer that he hears the mu'adhdhin calling to the prayer and then does not respond to him."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain also contains the narrator Zabban.

Sayyiduna Abu Musa al-Ash'ari (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Whoever hears the adhan and then does not respond to it, without any illness or excuse, has no prayer."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir; its chain contains a narrator, Qays bin al-Rabi', whom Shu'bah and Sufyan al-Thawri declared thiqah (trustworthy), and a group declared da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Were it not for the women and children in the houses, I would have established the Isha prayer and ordered my young men to burn with fire those who are in the houses."
Imam Ahmad recorded this narration; the narrator named Abu Ma'shar is da'if (weak).

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "Those people living around the mosque who do not attend the Isha prayer in congregation will either desist from this, or I will set fire around their houses with bundles of firewood." I say: This narration is reported in the Sahih, but without these words: "of those who live around the mosque."
Imam Ahmad recorded this narration, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy (muwaththaqun).

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) states: Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah! My house is far away, my sight is gone, and I hear the sound of the adhan." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "If you hear the adhan, then respond to it (that is, attend the congregational prayer), even if you have to come crawling or on your hands and knees."
Imam Ahmad, Imam Abu Ya'la and Imam al-Tabarani in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat recorded this narration; all the narrators of Imam al-Tabarani have been declared trustworthy (muwaththaqun).

Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) states: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the mosque and saw that the people were few in number, so he said: "I have resolved to appoint someone as imam for the people, then go out, and whichever person I get hold of who has left the prayer and is sitting in his house, I would set fire to it." Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum said: "O Messenger of Allah! Between me and the mosque there are date palms and other trees, and I do not find someone to lead me at all times. Is there room for me to offer the prayer in my house?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Do you hear the iqamah?" He said: "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Then come here."
I say: Imam Abu Dawud recorded part of this narration. Imam Ahmad recorded this narration, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Ujrah (may Allah be pleased with him) states: A blind man came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "I hear the sound of the adhan, but sometimes I do not find anyone to lead me, so coming is difficult for me. Shall I set apart a place for prayer in my house?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Does the sound of the adhan reach you?" He said: "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When you hear it, then respond to it!"
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat and al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. In his narration the wording is: "Respond to the one who calls on behalf of Allah Almighty." The chain of this narration contains a narrator, Yazid bin Sinan, whom Imam Ahmad and a group declared da'if (weak). Abu Hatim says: His standing is truthfulness (mahalluhu al-sidq). Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) says: He is muqarib al-hadith (close to acceptable in hadith).

Sayyiduna Abu Umamah (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) came; he was blind. He is the one concerning whom Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "He frowned and turned away, because the blind man came to him." He was a man from Quraysh. He came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: "O Messenger of Allah! May my father and mother be sacrificed for you! As you see me, my age has advanced, my bones have become weak and my sight has gone, and I have a guide whose leading of me does not suit me. So do you find a concession for me to offer the prayers in my own house?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "In the house where you live, do you hear the voice of the mu'adhdhin?" He said: "Yes, O Messenger of Allah!" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I do not find a concession for you. If those who stay behind from the congregational prayer knew how much reward there is for walking to it, they would certainly attend it (the congregational prayer), even if they had to come crawling on their hands and feet."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir. Its chain mentions that Ali bin Yazid al-Alhani narrated it from al-Qasim; the majority declared both these narrators da'if (weak), and there is disagreement about using them as evidence.

Sayyiduna al-Bara' bin Azib (may Allah be pleased with him) states: Sayyiduna Ibn Umm Maktum (may Allah be pleased with him) came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him); he was blind. He complained to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and requested that he grant him a concession (from attending) the Isha and Fajr prayers in congregation. He said: "Between me and you there is a watercourse (in low ground)." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Do you hear the sound of the adhan?" He said: "Yes." This exchange took place once or perhaps twice, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not grant him permission in this matter.
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat; its chain contains a narrator, Udhrah bin al-Harith, and I do not know him.

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I resolved to order Bilal to call the iqamah for the prayer, then go to those people who heard the adhan and did not respond to it (that is, did not attend the congregational prayer), and then set fire to their houses with them in them."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih. Imam Muslim recorded this narration with these words: "I resolved to order a man to lead the people in prayer, and then set fire to the houses of those men, with them in them, who do not attend the Friday prayer."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "If a man were to invite people to a meat bone or two trotters, they would go there; yet these people are called to the congregational prayer and they do not attend it. I resolved to instruct a man to lead the people in congregational prayer, then go to those people who heard the adhan and did not respond, and set fire to them. No one stays behind from the congregational prayer except a hypocrite."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators have been declared trustworthy (muwaththaqun).

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) says: "Whoever hears 'Hayya ala al-falah (Come to success)' and does not respond to it has abandoned the Sunnah of Sayyiduna Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Imam al-Tabarani recorded this narration in al-Mu'jam al-Awsat, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih.

Sayyiduna Uqbah bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports this saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): "What I fear most for my Ummah is the Book and milk. As for milk, some people, out of love for it, will abandon the Friday prayer and the congregational prayers. As for the Book, its knowledge will be opened up to some people, and they will argue with it against the believers."
Imam al-Tabarani and Imam Ahmad recorded this narration, though their wording differs; its chain contains a narrator, Ibn Lahi'ah, about whom there has been criticism. Narrations other than this one will come later in the chapter on Friday, if Allah wills.