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What is the ruling on congregational prayer in the mosque, and what is the evidence for it?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory for able-bodied men, based on the following evidence:

1. The Holy Quran: Allah Almighty commanded congregational prayer even in a state of fear, and He did not exempt the second group from it, which indicates its individual obligation. 2. Hadith of Abu Hurairah: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, intended to burn the houses of those who stayed behind from congregational prayer, which indicates the severity of its obligation. 3. Another Hadith of Abu Hurairah: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, described the Fajr and Isha prayers as the heaviest prayers for the hypocrites, and he intended to burn the houses of those who stayed behind. 4. Hadith from Imam Ahmad: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, mentioned that the only thing preventing him from burning the houses of those who stayed behind was the presence of women and children. 5. Hadith of Ibn Umm Maktoum: The Prophet, peace and and blessings be upon him, did not grant permission to a blind man who could not find a guide to abandon the congregation, which emphasizes its obligation even for those with excuses. 6. Hadith of Ibn Abbas: Whoever hears the call to prayer and is not prevented by an excuse (fear or illness) from following it, his prayer will not be accepted from him. 7. Hadith of Ibn Mas'ud: He considered staying behind from the congregation to be a sign of the hypocrites, and that praying in the mosque is among the practices of guidance.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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