Al-Matalib al-'Aliyah 399 — Congregational prayer

It is narrated from Abu Bahriyyah; he said: I entered the mosque of Hims, and my eyes fell upon a young man around whom people had gathered. His hair was tightly curled, and when he spoke it was as if light and pearls were coming from his blessed mouth. I asked: "Who is this?" The people said that this was Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him). I heard him saying: "Whoever would be delighted to come before Allah Almighty in a state of safety and security, let him take care to perform these five prayers (in congregation) where the call to prayer is given for them, for these prayers are among the clear paths of guidance and among the ways that your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) laid down for you. And let no one say: 'I have a place of prayer in my house where I pray,' for if you did that, you would abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and if you abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, you would certainly go astray. By the One in Whose Hand is my soul! I saw us in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when no one stayed behind from these prayers except one whose hypocrisy was plainly evident, to the point that a sick man would be brought, supported between two men, so that he could be made to stand in the row."
And Imam Abu Ya'la said: Abd al-A'la bin Hammad narrated to us.