Is he who hears the call [to prayer] but cannot respond due to the distance sinful, or he who does not hear the call inside his home because the mosque is surrounded by houses?

Whoever is at a distance from the mosque where the call to prayer (adhan) cannot be heard with a normal voice, there is no sin upon him if he prays with his neighbors or family members, especially if he knows that he will not reach the mosque until after the congregational prayer has finished. However, whoever is at a distance where the call to prayer can be heard with a normal voice in a quiet environment, it is obligatory for him to pray with the Muslim congregation in the mosque. And even if he does not hear the call due to an impediment other than distance, because of the saying of Ibn Mas'ud: "Whoever wishes to meet Allah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him observe these prayers wherever the call to them is made," and because of the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "The heaviest prayers for the hypocrites are the Isha and Fajr prayers." The availability of transportation facilities makes it easy to attend congregational prayers, and the use of a loudspeaker helps in witnessing them.