Two Authentic Hadiths and Fatwas Regarding a Second Congregation
◈ Ruling on a Second Congregation
Prophetic Guidance
Sayyiduna Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri رضي الله عنه narrates:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ saw a man praying alone and said:
“Who will give charity to this man by praying with him?”
(Abu Dawud, Prayer, Chapter: Congregation in the Mosque Twice, 575 — authenticated by Imām Tirmidhī, Imām Ḥākim, and Imām Dhahabī)
Fatwa from “al-Buḥūth al-‘Ilmiyyah wal-Iftā’” (Saudi Arabia):
If some people arrive at the mosque after the imam has completed the prayer and said salām, it is permissible for them to establish a second congregation. There is no harm or prohibition in this when the first congregation has already ended.
(Fatāwā Islāmiyyah, Vol. 1, p. 964)
◈ Adhān and Iqāmah for the Second Congregation
Practice of the Companions
Both practices — giving adhān and iqāmah again, or praying without them — are authentically reported from the Companions رضي الله عنهم:
① Sayyiduna Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه entered a mosque where the congregational prayer had already been offered. He instructed that adhān and iqāmah be given again, and then they prayed.
(Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, Hadith 8922)
② Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn Mas‘ūd رضي الله عنه led al-Aswad and ‘Alqamah in prayer at his home, but he did not instruct them to give adhān or iqāmah.
(Muslim, Book of Mosques, Chapter: Recommendation of Placing the Hands on the Knees in Rukū‘, Hadith 435)
Conclusion:
- Establishing a second congregation is permissible if the first has ended.
- Regarding adhān and iqāmah for the second congregation, both methods are valid, as practiced by the Companions.
