Source: Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, vol. 1, p. 308
If a congregational prayer has already been performed in a mosque, is it permissible to hold the same prayer in congregation again in that same mosque? Kindly explain with evidence from ḥadīth.
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Without doubt, repeating congregational prayer in the same mosque is permissible in Sharīʿah. There is no harm in it; rather, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged it.
Narration 1 – Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī
Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) reported:
A man came after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had already prayed. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Who will trade with this man?” Then one man stood (it is reported to be Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه) and prayed with him.
(Tirmidhī with Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, vol. 1, pp. 189–190; Abū Dāwūd, vol. 1, p. 224; also in Nayl al-Awṭār)
Narration 2 – Abū Dāwūd
Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) reported:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying alone and said: “Will no one give charity to this man by praying with him?”
(ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, Bāb fī al-Jamʿ fī al-Masjid Marratayn, vol. 1, p. 224)
Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakpūrī graded the ḥadīth as ḥasan and said:
This narration was also reported by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd, who remained silent upon it. Al-Mundhirī accepted the grading of al-Tirmidhī as ḥasan. Al-Ḥākim said it is “ṣaḥīḥ according to the conditions of Muslim.” Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Ḥibbān both recorded it in their Ṣaḥīḥ collections. Al-Haythamī said: its narrators are narrators of authentic ḥadīth.
(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, vol. 1, p. 190)
◈ These aḥādīth are ḥasan (sound) and a valid proof that:
◈ This was the practice of Companions such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه), Anas (رضي الله عنه), and other senior Ṣaḥābah.
◈ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Imām Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh also held this view.
◈ There is no authentic or sound ḥadīth reported that prohibits it.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I hold; and Allah knows best what is correct.)
Question
If a congregational prayer has already been performed in a mosque, is it permissible to hold the same prayer in congregation again in that same mosque? Kindly explain with evidence from ḥadīth.
Answer
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام علىٰ رسول الله، أما بعد!
Without doubt, repeating congregational prayer in the same mosque is permissible in Sharīʿah. There is no harm in it; rather, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ encouraged it.
Evidence from Ḥadīth
Narration 1 – Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī
Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) reported:
A man came after the Messenger of Allah ﷺ had already prayed. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Who will trade with this man?” Then one man stood (it is reported to be Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq رضي الله عنه) and prayed with him.
(Tirmidhī with Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, vol. 1, pp. 189–190; Abū Dāwūd, vol. 1, p. 224; also in Nayl al-Awṭār)
Narration 2 – Abū Dāwūd
Abū Saʿīd al-Khudrī (رضي الله عنه) reported:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying alone and said: “Will no one give charity to this man by praying with him?”
(ʿAwn al-Maʿbūd, Bāb fī al-Jamʿ fī al-Masjid Marratayn, vol. 1, p. 224)
Opinions of the Muḥaddithīn
Ḥāfiẓ ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Mubārakpūrī graded the ḥadīth as ḥasan and said:
This narration was also reported by Aḥmad and Abū Dāwūd, who remained silent upon it. Al-Mundhirī accepted the grading of al-Tirmidhī as ḥasan. Al-Ḥākim said it is “ṣaḥīḥ according to the conditions of Muslim.” Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Ḥibbān both recorded it in their Ṣaḥīḥ collections. Al-Haythamī said: its narrators are narrators of authentic ḥadīth.
(Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī, vol. 1, p. 190)
Summary
◈ These aḥādīth are ḥasan (sound) and a valid proof that:
- If congregational prayer has already been performed in a mosque, it is still permissible to hold another congregation for the same prayer in that mosque.
◈ This was the practice of Companions such as ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه), Anas (رضي الله عنه), and other senior Ṣaḥābah.
◈ Imām Aḥmad ibn Ḥanbal and Imām Isḥāq ibn Rāhwayh also held this view.
◈ There is no authentic or sound ḥadīth reported that prohibits it.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
(This is what I hold; and Allah knows best what is correct.)
