✦ Hadith:
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with them both):"The congregational prayer is twenty-seven times more rewarding than the prayer performed individually."
[Bukhārī: 645 | Muslim: 650]
Another narration from Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) states:
"It is twenty-five times more rewarding."
[Bukhārī: 646]
And from Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه):
"It is twenty-five parts more."
[Bukhārī: 648 | Muslim: 649]
✦ Key Lessons:
➊ Congregational prayer is highly emphasized. While these hadiths mention a reward difference between individual and congregational prayer, they do not suggest that praying alone is forbidden. Rather, they encourage the greater reward of praying in congregation. Those who miss congregational prayer due to a valid excuse still receive a lesser reward.➋ The variation between “twenty-five” and “twenty-seven” is not contradictory. It may reflect different occasions of the Prophet’s ﷺ statements or depend on variables such as level of humility (khushūʿ), distance from the mosque, repetition of congregations, thoroughness in ablution, intention, or use of miswāk.
➌ The nature of acts affects their reward — some deeds are far superior in merit compared to others.
➍ The variation in reward is a motivational tool that serves as both encouragement and a test for the believers, promoting active spiritual engagement.
