Group prayer

GROUP PRAYER

Its provision:

Shafii sees that it is an emphasized Sunnah. Others see that it is a sufficiency duty on men, and Sunnah for women, and it is better for women to perform it at their homes.

Group prayer excellence:

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said, “A man’s prayer in a group is twenty-five times more rewarding than his prayer at home or in his shop, and it is because when he performs his ablution properly and proceeds towards the mosque with the purpose of performing prayer in a group, he does not take a step without being raised a degree (in rank) for it and having a sin remitted for it, till he enters the mosque. 
When he is performing prayer, the angels continue to invoke Blessings of Allah on him as long as he is in his place of worship in a state of ablution. 
They say: ‘O Allah! Bestow Your blessings upon him, be Merciful to him.’ And one is regarded in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer.” 

[AL-Bukhari].

●Abu-AL Dardaᶦ (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah saying, “If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in a group),the Devil must have certainly overcome them. Therefore, stick to the group prayer, for the wolf eats a solitary sheep that stays far from the flock.” [Abu-Daoud]. 

The Messenger meant by “the wolf eats a solitary sheep that stays far from the flock.” that the Devil sneaks into the one who prays alone.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) said: “By Him in Whose Hand my soul is, I was about to order for collecting firewood (fuel), and then order someone to pronounce the call to the prayer, and then order someone to lead the prayer, then I would go from behind and burn the houses of men who did not present themselves for the group prayer.”

[AL Bukhari and Muslim].

Group prayer provisions

❶Group prayer should be in mosque, which is the best place for prayer, or in any clean place. It is better to perform the obligatory prayer in mosque, then perform the voluntary prayer following it (the Sunnah) at home.

●It was narrated from Ibn ᶦUmar (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Offer some of your prayers at home; do not make them graves.” [AL-Bukhari].

●It was narrated from Zaid ibn Thabit (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said: “O people! Perform your (voluntary) prayers in your homes because the best prayer of a man is that he performs at home, except the obligatory prayer.” [AL Bukhari].

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❷If you came to prayer while the leader was bowing down in the first prayer unit and had not raised his head yet, you would say the intention text, for example: “I have intended to pray three prayer units of the obligatory sunset prayer in a group… Allah is the Greatest.” Say: “Allah is the Greatest.” again and bow down. If the leader had not raised his head from bowing down yet, it would have been considered a prayer unit. Performing bowing down is the core of considering it a complete prayer unit.

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah said, “If you come to pray while  we are prostrating ourselves, you must prostrate and do not consider it anything (prayer unit). And if you come to pray, while we are still bowing down, and bow with us, you have been present at the prayer.” [Abu-Daoud and AL Hakim].

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❸A man leads men and women; a woman leads women only.

It is not allowed for a woman to lead men.

The one who has performed ablution can pray behind the leader who has performed sand ablution.

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❹Priority, in prayer leading, is given to the one who is aware of prayer provisions perfectly, then to the best reciter, then to the most God fearing, then to the oldest one, then to the one whose clothes are the cleanest. If the prayer is performed in a house, priority in leading will be to the house owner. If it is performed in mosque, priority in leading will be to Sheikh AL Masjid (the religious scholar who is appointed to lead praying persons in that mosque).

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❺Arrangement of rows:

Men first, then boys, then women.

Priority is given to scholars and Qurᶦan memorizers to pray in the first row, in order to 
support the leader. 

If the leader forgot something in his prayer, they would say, “Exalted is God”to remind 
him. If he was mistaken in reciting, they would remind him.

And if something happened to him, they would be the nearest to
 him so 

that he appoints one of them as a successor to lead people and 
complete the prayer instead of him.

 ۞How to appoint a successor?

The leader walks backwards and points, without talking, to his successor. 

If the leader went out the mosque without appointing a successor, this prayer would be invalid.

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❻Leadership of the rebellious and
 the innovator of a heresy is disliked.

●It was narrated from Abi Masᶦud AL-Ansari that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, 

“A man who is well versed in the Book of Allah and can recite it better, should lead 
the prayer.” [Muslim].

●Abu-Masᶦud AL Badri reported: The Messenger of Allah used to gently pat our shoulders when we were 
standing in rows at the time of prayer and say, “Keep (the rows) straight and do not 
differ from 
each other; otherwise, your hearts will differ due to disaccord. Let those of you who 
are mature and prudent be nearer to me, then those 

who are next to them, and then those who are next to them.” [Muslim].

●Abu-Saᶦid AL-Khudri reported: When the Messenger of Allah saw that his companions 
tended to stand in the back rows, he said to them, “Come forward and be close to me 
and let those who come after you follow your lead. If people 
continue to lag behind, Allah will put them back.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from Abi-Hurairah that Allah’s Apostle (P.P.B.U.H) said, “The best rows
 for men are the
 first rows, and the worst ones are the last ones. And the best rows for women are the 
last ones, and the worst ones for them are the first ones.” [Muslim].

●Zainab AL-Thaqafiyyah reported: The Messenger of Allah said to us: “When any one of you comes to the mosque, she should not apply perfume.” [Muslim].

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❼If the group prayer started with a leader and one praying person, he would stand on the leader’s right. As for a woman, if she was alone, she would stand behind the leader.

●Ibn ᶦAbbas reported: “I spent a night with my maternal aunt Maymunah. The Prophet got 
up to pray at night. So, I got up and stood on his left. He took me by the head and made 
me stand on his right.” [AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

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❽A leader must be careful not to prolong reciting, taking into account conditions of the praying persons behind him.

●It was narrated from Anas that Allah’s Apostle (P.P.B.U.H) said, 
“When I start prayer I intend to prolong it, but on hearing the cries of a child, I 
shorten it because of the distress caused to his mother
 by his crying.” 

●Jabir ibn Abd-Allah (May Allah be pleased with them) reported: Muᶦadh ibn Jabal 
AL-Ansari led his companions in the night prayer and prolonged

 it for them, so a man complained about him to the Prophet. The Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) got 
angry and said thrice, “O Muᶦadh! Are you putting people to trial (Fitnah)? It would 
have been better if you had recited: ‘Exalt the name of your Lord, the Most High’ (Chapter of 

the Most High), ‘By the sun and its brightness’ (Chapter of the Sun), ‘By the night 
when it covers’ (Chapter of the Night), for the old, the weak, 
and the needy pray behind you.” [The Two Scholars].

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Conditions of validity of following

 a prayer leader

1) A praying person must have the intention to follow the prayer leader.

2) The prayer of the leader and the praying person must have the same number of prayer units.

3) They must perform the prayer in the same place, so following a leader 

in the radio, or on T.V is not valid.

4) Knowing the leader movements during the prayer, like (bowing down, prostration, testification, etc) and following him, even by another person repeating what the leader 
says loudly.

5) The praying person must not be in front of the leader in place.

6) The praying person must not be faster than his leader in the prayer. Many warnings 
have been 
mentioned relating to that:

●It was narrated from Abi Hurairah that Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “The prayer leader is appointed to be followed, so do not differ from 
him. Recite AL-Takbeer (Allah is 
the Greatest) when he recites it, and bow down when he bows down. When he says, 
‘Allah hears the one who praises Him.’ then say, ‘Our Lord, to You be the praise.’ Prostrate when he prostrates.” [AL-Bukhari and Muslim].

●It was narrated from Abi Hurairah that Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “Does not he, who 
raises his head before the leader, fear that Allah may transform his head into that of a donkey?” [AL-Bukhari].

۞Guidelines to be known

①The longer the way to the mosque, the greater the reward.

●It was narrated from Abi Musa AL-Ashᶦary that the Messenger of Allah said: “The person, who will receive the highest reward for prayer, is the 

one who comes to perform it in the mosque from the farthest distance.” [The Two Scholars].

●Jabir ibn Abd-Allah reported: Our houses were away from the mosque. Therefore, 
we decided to sell our houses so that we come near the mosque. The Messenger of Allah forbade us (to do so) and said: 
“There is for every step (towards
 the mosque) a degree (of reward) 
for you.” [Muslim].

②If you are in the mosque after you have already prayed, and a group prayer is 

going to be performed, repeat your prayer with them again.

●It was narrated from Mihjan that he was in a gathering with the 

Messenger of Allah (P.P.B.U.H) when the call to prayer was pronounced. The Messenger 
got up, prayed, then he came back and Mihjan was still sitting there. The Messenger said 
to him: “What prevented you from praying with people? Aren’t you a Muslim?” He 
said, “Of course, Messenger of Allah, but I have already prayed with my family.” The Messenger of Allah said, “When you come, pray with people, even if you have already prayed.” [AL-Nasaᶦi].

③Mosques have their holiness and sacredness, as they are houses Allah has ordered 

to be raised.

God says ﴾In mosques which Allah has ordered to be raised and that His name 
be mentioned therein, exalting Him within them in the morning and the 
evenings (36)[Are] men whom neither commerce nor sale distracts from the remembrance of Allah and performance of prayer﴿
Chapter of Light (Surat An-Nur).

God also says ﴾And [He revealed] that mosques are for Allah, so do not invoke 
with Allah anyone﴿ Chapter of Jinns. Verse NO 18

۞Mosques are neither places for discussing issues of this world, nor cafes for talking 
with each other.

●It was narrated from Abi Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that Prophet 
(P.P.B.U.H) said, “If anyone hears a man inquiring in the mosque about something he 
has lost, he should say ‘May Allah

 not restore it to you’, for mosques are not built for this 

purpose.” [Muslim].

●It was narrated from Abi Hurairah that Allah’s Apostle (P.P.B.U.H) said, “When you see someone selling or buying in the mosque, say: ‘May Allah not profit your business.’”

[AL-Tirmidhi].

۞Whoever goes to the mosque must be clean and does not eat disgusting foods. 

God says ﴾O children of Adam, take your adornment at every mosque﴿
Chapter of the Heights.

●It was narrated from Jabir (May Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (P.P.B.U.H) said, “He who has eaten onion or garlic or leek should not approach our mosque, 
because the angels are also offended by (the strong smells) that offend the children of Adam.” [Muslim].

●Yahya related to me from Malik from Zayd ibn Aslam that Ataa ibn Yasar told him that 
the Messenger of Allah was in the mosque when a man 
came in with dishevelled hair and beard. The Messenger of Allah motioned with his hand 
that he should be sent out to groom his hair and beard. The man did so and then returned. 
The Messenger of Allah said, “Isn’t this better than that one of you come with his head dishevelled, as if he 

were a Devil?” [Malik].

۞Also quietness, calmness, and respecting holiness of the mosque
are necessary.

●Abdullah ibn Abi Qatadah narrated: My father said, “While we were praying with the Prophet, he heard the noise of some people. After the prayer he said, ‘What is the matter?’ They replied, ‘We were hurrying for the prayer.’
 He said, ‘Don’t do that, whenever you come for the prayer, you should come with calmness, and pray whatever you get (along with the leader) and complete the rest 
which you have missed.” [The Two Scholars].

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Excuses that allow absence from group prayer

Extreme cold and mud, heavy rain, illness, fear of unfair person, presence 

of food at the time of the group prayer, a blind person who does not find a leader for him, 
and feeling the call of nature.

.●Ibn ᶦUmar reported: The Messenger of Allah used to command an announcer who made 
the call to prayer. He then announced: “Pray in your dwellings.” on a cold or rainy night during journey.

[AL-Bukhari].