What is the ruling on one who prays the obligatory prayer in congregation and then repeats the prayer in another congregation with the intention of a voluntary act?
The jurists differed on repeating the obligatory prayer in congregation:
The Shafi'is (according to the most authoritative opinion) and the Hanbalis: It is recommended to repeat the prayer with another congregation. Their evidence is the hadith of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to one who had prayed in his dwelling and then came to a congregational mosque: "Then pray with them, for it will be a supererogatory prayer for both of you." Al-Nawawi held that the madhhab is the absolute recommendation of repeating it, but he pointed out an opinion that recommends repeating it if the second congregation is better. The Malikis and the Shafi'is (contrary to the most authoritative opinion): The prayer is not repeated in congregation if it has already been performed in congregation, because the virtue of congregational prayer has already been achieved. Exceptions to this are the three mosques (Al-Haram, the Prophet's Mosque, and Al-Aqsa) due to their merit.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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