Back to search

Is it permissible to perform congregational prayer at home and not go to the mosque?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

A Muslim must perform the five daily prayers in congregation at the mosque, as congregational prayer in mosques is obligatory, and it is not permissible to miss it except for an excuse. This is evidenced by the Prophet's (peace be upon him) hadith: "I had intended to order the prayer to be established, then appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, then go with men carrying bundles of wood to people who do not attend the congregational prayer and burn down their houses on them with fire." This was also affirmed by Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "Whoever wishes to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him observe these prayers wherever their call is made." As for Friday prayer, it is unequivocally obligatory in mosques. While it is better for supererogatory prayers to be performed at home, except for those for which the mosque is prescribed, like the eclipse prayer. It is not permissible to pray in congregation at home if the mosque is near and the adhan (call to prayer) can be heard.

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

Read the full answer on Ftawy