48.

٤٨. عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللّٰهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: قَالَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ:

«لَيْسَ صَلَاةٌ أَثْقَلَ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ وَالْعِشَاءِ وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِيهِمَا لَأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا».

 

48. Abu Huraira (r.a.) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the Fajr and the ‘Isha’ prayers and if they knew the reward for these prayers at their respective times, they would certainly present themselves (in the mosques) even if they had to crawl.” (Bukhari, Adhan, 34; Muslim, Masajid, 252. Also see Ibn Majah, Masajid, 18)

 

Explanations:

Islam attaches great significance to social solidarity and living in harmony. Allah the Almighty wants His servants to socialize. For this reason, in the Noble Qur’an there are many commands and signs for humans about living in societies. One of them is as follows:

“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves…” (Al-i Imran; 3:102-103)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) expressed the importance and virtue of praying in congregation as:

“The hand (help) of Allah is with the congregation. Those who leave the congregation leave for the Hell.” (Tirmidhi, Fitan, 7/2167)

“Congregation is mercy and discord is torment.” (Ahmad, IV, 278)

“The blessing is with the congregation” (Ibn Majah, At’ima, 17)

“I command you five things that Allah has commanded me: to hear, to obey, jihad, pilgrimage, and congregation. Whoever gets even one step further from the congregation of Islam, he takes down his bonds with Islam until he returns back.” (Tirmidhi, Adab, 78/2863)

Attending mosques regularly and going to perform prayers in congregation is the most important act of worship and is the most powerful element which ensures the creation of such spirit. The first thing that the Messenger of Allah did when he arrived at Quba and Madina was to build a prayer room.^[1]  Later, the number of the prayer rooms/mosques increased quickly. Those who follow the tradition of the Prophet have built prayer rooms in places that they have conquered throughout history. Today, building a mosque is still considered the best honor and service that one can do and acquire. This is because mosques and congregation are the most important places that Muslims socialize and strengthen the spirit of brotherhood. The following hadith that shows the social solidarity and harmony in mosques is so attention grabbing:

“…If anyone of you leaves congregation and prays by himself, he should not lead anyone else. Whoever does this betrays the congregation.” (Ahmad, V, 250, 260)

This hadith shows not only the quality of a congregation that must be achieved but also the importance of praying for the nation of Islam.

As a matter of fact, praying for the followers of Islam (Muslim ummah) was the tradition of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), which he did after each prayer. One day when Aisha (r.a.) saw that the Prophet was happy asked him:

“O Messenger of Allah, will you pray for me!”

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) prayed saying:

“O Allah, forgive Aisha’s all past, future, hidden, and known sins!”

Aisha, the mother of believers, became so happy that she leaned her head.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) asked:

“Did my prayer make you happy?”

She said:

“Why should not your prayer make me happy?”

Upon that the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:

“I swear to Allah this is my prayer that I say for my followers in every prayer.” (Haythami, IX, 243; Ibn Hibban, Sahih, XVI, 47/7111)

For this reason, the friends of Allah think about the nation of Islam and pray as:

 

اَللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ ارْحَمْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ انْصُرْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ احْفَظْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ اجْمَعْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ أَصْلِحْ أُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ

اَللّٰهُمَّ فَرِّجْ عَنْ أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ

O Allah! Forgive the followers of the Prophet Muhammad!

O Allah! Show mercy to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad!

O Allah! Help and make the followers of the Prophet Muhammad victorious!

O Allah! Protect the followers of the Prophet Muhammad!

O Allah! Bring the followers of the Prophet Muhammad together and unite them!

O Allah! Straighten out the followers of the Prophet Muhammad!

O Allah! Remove the hardships of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad!^[2]

Muslims should be a strong community interlocked with each other with affection towards one another by praying for their brothers and sisters in Islam. The best way to achieve this divine goal is to attend congregations regularly. Performing prayers in mosques with congregation transforms believers into brothers and sisters in Islam who altruistically want and pray for the goodness of each other. Congregation cleanses Muslims from the feelings of egoism and individuality. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) encouraged believers to attend congregations regularly. He mentioned the virtue of praying in congregation and informed us that a prayer performed in congregation is twenty seven times superior to a prayer performed alone. He even expressed that the reward of a prayer is parallel to the number of people in congregation and said:

“A man’s prayer performed together with another is purer and more rewarding than his prayer performed alone, and his prayer with two men is purer and more rewarding than his prayer with one, but if there are more people, it is even more pleasing to Allah the Almighty.” (Abu Dawud, Salah, 47/554; Nasai, Imamat, 45/841)

He explained the pleasure of Allah with the following example:

“Allah gets pleased and becomes glad by the act of those Muslims who spend time in mosques for prayer and supplication just as a family gets happy when they see their relatives who live abroad.” (Ibn Majah, Masajid, 19)

In our second hadith, while we are being informed that prayer in congregation becomes expiation to our mistakes and elevates our level, it is also pointed out that one must be patient for the difficulties that arise during the process. This is because every hardship faced with patience increases the divine rewards of the performed worship.

The end of the second hadith and the third hadith give good news for the believers who really love being in mosques and don’t want to leave. They inform us about the superiority of acting this way. Those believers who sit after performing a prayer and who look forward to the next prayer earn divine rewards as much as those who keep guard at the borders. And they receive the prayers of the angels. Friends of Allah sincerely considered loving mosques the same as “guarding the borders of the Muslim city from the enemies such as desires of the self and Satan.”

However, this is on the condition not to break the ablution which proves the significance of being in the state of ritual purity (or having ablution) at all times.

Being spiritually awake and in a state of awe during the prayer is as important as coming to a mosque with peace and getting used to be there. By getting lost in thoughts, the congregation should not be unaware of what the imam is reciting. For this reason, the congregation should carefully listen to the chapter of the Opening (Al-Fatiha), which is an important invocation, and sincerely say Amin.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) also informed us about the harms of neglecting congregations. In several ahadith, he warned those who have difficulties in coming to congregation. This is because showing reluctance in coming to congregation is a sign of being a hypocrite. Joining the congregation is very difficult for them. Especially, the dawn (Salat al-Fajr) and night (Salat al-‘Isha) prayers become big issues for those who do not have a strong faith. Therefore, the reward of going to a mosque for these two prayers is more than the rewards for the other prayers.

One day, Uthman b. Affan (r.a.) came for the Night Prayer (Salat al-‘Isha). When he saw that there were not many people, he lied down at the back of the mosque and waited for others to come. At that time, Ibn Abi Amr came and sat next to Uthman. Uthman (r.a.) asked him who he was and he introduced himself.

Uthman (r.a.) asked:

“How much do you know from the Qur’an?”  He told him how much he knew.

Then, Uthman (r.a.) said:

“O the son of my brother!  I heard the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) saying:

“Whoever prays the night prayer (Salat al-‘Isha) with congregation, he is like he has spent half of the night praying. Whoever prays the dawn prayer (Salat al-Fajr) with congregation, he is like he has spent the whole night praying.” (See Muwatta, Salatu’l-Jama‘ah, 7; Muslim, Masajid, 260; Tirmidhi, Salah, 165; Abu Dawud, Salah, 47)

Allah the Almighty attached to prayer in congregation so much value that He not only commanded its performance in normal times but also in extraordinary times such as war, and explained how soldiers should perform it in the Noble Qur’an. (Al-Nisa; 4:102; Bukhari, Salat al-Hawf, 1-4; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 4/3035; Ahmad, II, 522)

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) strongly emphasized this issue and wanted that believers should regularly attend the congregation unless they have an important excuse.

As a matter of fact, Abdullah b. Ummi Maktum (r.a.) came and said:

“O the Messenger of Allah! I am blind and my house is far from the mosque. I have a guard but he does not treat me nicely and does not help me a lot. Is there permission for me to pray at home?”

The Prophet (pbuh) asked:

“Do you hear the call (adhan)?”

When he said “Yes”, the Messenger of Allah said:

“I cannot find an excuse for you.” (Abu Dawud, Salah, 46/552)

Normally, being blind is considered as an accepted excuse for not attending to congregation, but this incidence shows the significance of regularly attending to congregation. However, blind people should also try to attend congregation as much as they can so that they should not be deprived of the virtue and rewards of the congregation.

The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) warned against those who show reluctance in attending congregations:

“Whoever hears the call (adhan) but does not come to the mosque (congregation), his prayer is not accepted (as a perfect prayer) unless he has an acceptable excuse.” (Ibn Majah, Masajid, 17)

Once the Companions of the Prophet (pbuh) asked:

“(O Messenger of Allah!)  What is an excuse?”

The Prophet (pbuh) answered:

“Fear or illness!” (Abu Dawud, Salah, 46/551)

Based on the hadith, Muslim scholars listed the following “excuses which make it permissible to not  attend to a congregation”:

• Being too sick to walk,

• Being paralyzed,

• Being very old,

• Being blind,

• Being crippled.

Apart from these, important personal excuses may make not attending to a congregation permissible. For example, taking care of a sick person at home is one of them.

Attaching so much importance to performing prayers in congregation is to direct believers tosalvation. This is because congregation is one of the most important means for eternal salvation. As a matter of fact, praying in congregation is called “falah” (salvation) in Arabic since it causes the continuation of goodness and eternal salvation. Thus, believers are invited to mosques with the words of “Hayya ‘ala’ al-Falah” (Hasten to Salvation). (Adil Bebek, “Felah” article, DIA, XII, 301)

In shaping the believer’s character, there are many benefits of performing prayers in congregation, which ensures the salvation of the individuals and the society. Some of them are:

• The prayer performed in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer performed alone,

• Sins are forgiven and the spiritual levels are elevated,

• The angels pray for the performer to be forgiven and they become witnesses of his performances,

• Getting rid of insincerity in our acts of worship,

• Performing the prayers at the most preferred time: early parts of their time limits.

• Earning divine rewards by being present when the takbir al-iftitah (opening takbir) is being recited,

• Being socialized,

• Staying away from Satan,

• Getting our share from the spiritual rewards of prayers and supplications that are said in congregation,

• Establishing friendship among Muslims and its continuation,

• Helping each other in obeying and worshipping Allah,

• Learning how the Chapters of the Qur’an can be better recited by listening to the imam’s recitation,

• Performing the prayer perfectly and in a state of awe…

Praying in congregation strengthens the consciousness of being the followers of the same religion by being at the same row in worshipping Allah without discrimination of nation, color, language, position, or rank and by ensuring the social solidarity, cooperation, and accounting. In a social environment where individuals share common thoughts and goals, individual differences can mostly be solved. In such environments, feelings of equality and brotherhood are established in the hearts and  religious excitement is experienced.

The exemplary generation that obeyed Allah and His Messenger, the Noble Companions of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh), used to pay extreme attention to praying with the congregation. Abdullah bin Mas’ud (r.a.) expressed this fact saying:

“I swear to Allah, I have not seen anyone of us who missed the congregation except the hypocrites whose insincerities were known to all. I swear to Allah, even sick people who can’t stand properly used to come with the help of others and stayed standing up in between two people on his sides and with their helpperformed his prayer.” (Muslim, Masajid, 256-257)

Another good example in this topic is the following:

There were two Muslims during the time of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh). One of them was a tradesman and the other one was an ironsmith who made swords. When the tradesman heard the call (adhan), he would put his scale down if he was holding it at the time or just leave it if it was on the floor and run to the Prophet’s Mosque.

The ironsmith would leave his hammer if it was on an anvil and if he lifted his hammer to stroke to a sword, he would just drop it to the floor and run to the Prophet’s Mosque. In order to praise them and others who are like them, Almighty Allah revealed the following noble verse:

“By men whom neither traffic nor merchandise can divert from the remembrance of Allah, nor from regular prayer, nor from the practice of regular charity: Their (only) fear is for the day when hearts and eyes will be transformed (in a world wholly new).” (Al-Nur; 24:37) (Kurtubi, XII, 184)

One day in the market, Ibn Mas’ud (r.a.) saw a group of people who were running to a prayer by leaving their stuff just like that upon hearing the call to prayer. Upon that, he said:

“Now, these are the kind of people that Allah praised in the (above mentioned) 37^th verse of chapter al-Nur (Light).” (Haythami, VII, 83)