Is prayer in the mosque obligatory, or is it sufficient for a Muslim to pray at home? And is expiation (kaffarah) due for one who does not pray in the mosque with the congregation? And what is the interpretation of the verse, "So woe to those who pray, [but] who are heedless of their prayer"? And what is the punishment for those who are negligent in prayer?

Congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory for an able-bodied man who hears the call [to prayer]. To fail to attend it without a legitimate excuse is a sin and may put one at grave risk of acquiring the characteristics of hypocrites. The Almighty’s saying, "So woe to those who pray [But] who are heedless of their prayer" (Quran 107:4-5), refers to negligence in prayer. And His saying, "Indeed, the hypocrites, when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily" (Quran 4:142), describes hypocrites as being lazy in prayer due to their lack of intention and faith. Hypocrisy is of two types: major hypocrisy, which involves outwardly displaying faith while inwardly concealing disbelief, and its punishment is eternal dwelling in the lowest depths of Hell; and minor (practical) hypocrisy, which does not expel its practitioner from Islam.