Does the obligation of prayer in the mosque differ for men, and what is the preferred view on this?

Muslims unanimously agree on the validity of prayer outside the mosque for men and women, except for the Zahiris, who hold that it is not valid for men outside the mosque unless there is an excuse. The majority of scholars cite the hadith: "The entire earth has been made for me a mosque (place of prayer) and a means of purification. So, any man from my nation whom the time of prayer overtakes, let him pray." Whereas the Zahiris rely on the hadith: "There is no prayer for the mosque's neighbor except in the mosque," which hadith has been weakened by the scholars of hadith or interpreted by them to mean the perfection and excellence of prayer or the congregational prayer.

Congregational prayer is obligatory for able-bodied men. Scholars differ on whether mosques are exclusively designated for congregational prayer. Some permit performing it at home, while others stipulate an excuse for performing it outside the mosque. Still others hold that it is a communal obligation (fard kifayah) in the mosque. The Sunnah indicates that performing congregational prayer in mosques is an individual obligation (fard al-ayn) unless there is an excuse.