Is the wife sinful for asking her husband to pray 'Isha at home on his strenuous work days, knowing that the prayer time is late and she desires to spend time with him and avoid keeping the child awake, especially since the mosque's sheikh considers her sinful while he himself leaves the congregational prayer, justifying it by bringing joy to the heart of a Muslim?

Congregational prayer in the mosque is obligatory for an able-bodied man who hears the call [to prayer], and it is not permissible for him to pray at home except for an excuse. The call refers to hearing the adhan (definition) with the normal voice, without a loudspeaker, provided the muezzin raises his voice and there is no wind or noise. A wife asking her husband to pray Isha at home is not a valid excuse according to Sharia (definition). As for the Imam, if dinner is served, he may start with it even if the prayer has been established, based on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who said: "If dinner is served and the prayer has been established, begin with dinner," as long as there is someone to perform the rituals of prayer, such as the adhan and imamate. However, merely accepting an invitation to bring joy to the host's heart is not an excuse to abandon congregational prayer.