⭑ Ruling on Congregational Prayer in the Mosque and the Permissibility of Praying at Home ⭑
Taken from: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
A few individuals live together in the same house. Is it permissible for them to offer congregational prayer in that house, or is it obligatory for them to go to the mosque for prayer?
Alhamdulillah, peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is obligatory (wajib) for such individuals who live in one house to go to the mosque and offer the congregational prayer there. Every person who has a mosque nearby is obliged to perform the congregational prayer in the mosque.
«وَلَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِالصَّلٰوةِ فَتُقَامَ ثُمَّ آمُرَ رَجُلًا فَيُصَلِّی بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أَنْطَلِقَ بِرِجَالٍ مَعَهُمْ حُزَمٌ مِنْ حَطَبٍ اِلٰی قَوْمٍ لَّا يَشْهَدُونَ الصَّلٰوةَ فَاُحَرِّقُ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ»
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Adhan, Bab: Wujub Salat al-Jama‘ah, Hadith 644; Sahih Muslim, Masajid, Bab: Fadl Salat al-Jama‘ah… Hadith 651 [252], wording from Muslim)
“I considered ordering the prayer to be established, then appointing someone to lead the people, and then going with some men carrying bundles of wood to the houses of those who do not attend the prayer, and burning their houses down with fire.”
This hadith shows that even if they might be praying elsewhere, abandoning congregational prayer in the mosque is blameworthy and subject to severe warning.
For the individuals mentioned in the question, it is obligatory to pray in the mosque in congregation.
If the mosque is so far that going there is difficult and the adhan cannot be heard, then praying in congregation at home is permissible.
والله أعلم بالصواب
Taken from: Fatawa Arkan-e-Islam
⮚ Question:
A few individuals live together in the same house. Is it permissible for them to offer congregational prayer in that house, or is it obligatory for them to go to the mosque for prayer?
⮚ Answer:
Alhamdulillah, peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.
It is obligatory (wajib) for such individuals who live in one house to go to the mosque and offer the congregational prayer there. Every person who has a mosque nearby is obliged to perform the congregational prayer in the mosque.
❀ No Permission for Home Congregation if a Mosque is Nearby
- If a mosque is close by, then regardless of whether there is one person or many, it is not permissible for them to perform congregational prayer at home.
- The only exception is when the mosque is so far away that the call to prayer (adhan) cannot be heard; in that case, they may pray in congregation at home without any issue.
❀ Negligence and Some Scholars’ Opinion
- Some people are negligent in this matter, relying on the opinion of certain scholars who say:
- The main objective of congregational prayer is that people pray together, whether it is in the mosque or any other place.
- According to them, if people pray in congregation at home, they have fulfilled their duty.
- However, the correct opinion is that congregational prayer should be established in the mosque.
- The explicit statement of the Prophet ﷺ makes it clear that those who do not attend the mosque are under a severe warning.
❀ Statement of the Prophet ﷺ:
«وَلَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِالصَّلٰوةِ فَتُقَامَ ثُمَّ آمُرَ رَجُلًا فَيُصَلِّی بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أَنْطَلِقَ بِرِجَالٍ مَعَهُمْ حُزَمٌ مِنْ حَطَبٍ اِلٰی قَوْمٍ لَّا يَشْهَدُونَ الصَّلٰوةَ فَاُحَرِّقُ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ»
(Sahih al-Bukhari, Adhan, Bab: Wujub Salat al-Jama‘ah, Hadith 644; Sahih Muslim, Masajid, Bab: Fadl Salat al-Jama‘ah… Hadith 651 [252], wording from Muslim)
“I considered ordering the prayer to be established, then appointing someone to lead the people, and then going with some men carrying bundles of wood to the houses of those who do not attend the prayer, and burning their houses down with fire.”
❀ Ruling Derived from the Hadith
This hadith shows that even if they might be praying elsewhere, abandoning congregational prayer in the mosque is blameworthy and subject to severe warning.
⮚ Conclusion:
For the individuals mentioned in the question, it is obligatory to pray in the mosque in congregation.
If the mosque is so far that going there is difficult and the adhan cannot be heard, then praying in congregation at home is permissible.
والله أعلم بالصواب
