Praise be to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his companions. To proceed:

Performing the five daily prayers in congregation at the mosque is an emphasized Sunnah for men, and some scholars even consider it obligatory. However, the Friday prayer is obligatory on every individual by unanimous consensus.

You can receive the reward of congregation prayer even if you pray at home, at work, or any other place with one or more people. In this case, you would still be credited with the reward of congregation prayer, as long as it is not done as a permanent practice.

It is important for a Muslim to strive to attend congregational prayers at the mosque, as there is great merit and reward in doing so, as mentioned in many Hadiths. However, if there is a legitimate excuse or necessity, then it is not an issue.

Islam encourages the display and public practice of religious rituals in the Muslim community and the coming together of Muslims to perform some of the fundamental rituals and obligations, such as congregational prayer in the mosque, the Adhan, the Iqama, and other related acts. This may be one of the great wisdoms for which building and establishing mosques was legislated in Islam. Allah says in the Quran: “˹That light shines˺ through houses ˹of worship˺ which Allah has ordered to be raised, and where His Name is mentioned. He is glorified there morning and evening by men who are not distracted—either by buying or selling—from Allah’s remembrance, or performing prayer, or paying alms-tax. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will tremble, ˹hoping˺ that Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and increase them out of His grace. And Allah provides for whoever He wills without limit.” [Quran, 24:36-38]

Allah also says, “Certainly, a mosque founded on righteousness from the first day is more worthy of your prayers. In it are men who love to be purified. And Allah loves those who purify themselves.” [Quran, 9:108]

From this, we understand the significance of performing congregational prayers in the mosque, as it achieves these grand wisdoms and objectives, as well as the immense reward and virtue. A Muslim should strive to attend these congregational prayers, being keen to never miss one unless there is a valid excuse or necessity according to Islamic teachings.

The hadiths that emphasize the virtue of congregational prayer in the mosque are more numerous than we can count. Among them is the hadith about the seven people who will be in Allah’s shade on the Day when there is no shade but His. One of those people mentioned is: “A person whose heart is attached to the mosques.” [Bukhari, Muslim] Another Hadith states: “Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the dark of complete light on the Day of Resurrection.” [Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi] There is also the hadith of Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “A man’s prayer in congregation is multiplied 25 times more than his prayer in his home or in his shop. When he performs ablution, striving for excellence in doing so, then goes out with nothing driving him out other than the prayer, he does not take a single step except that his rank is raised by one degree and a misdeed is removed from him therewith. When he prays, the angels continue to supplicate for him as long as he remains in his prayer space and as long as he does not nullify his ablution; they say, ‘Allah bless him! Allah have mercy on him!’ He remains in a state of prayer as long as he waits for the next prayer.” [Bukhari, Muslim] There are many more blessed hadith, as well.

With this important background, let’s address the question and provide the views of scholars regarding congregational prayer in the mosque (excluding the Friday prayer, which is obligatory by consensus). We will then detail the Shafiʿi opinion:

Prayer in the mosque is an emphasized sunnah according to the Malikis and one opinion among the Hanafis. This is because the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) established the superiority of the congregational prayer over the individual prayer, and he did not rebuke those who said, “We prayed in our tents.” If it were obligatory, he would have rebuked them.

The Hanbalis hold, as is the selected opinion among the Hanafis, that it is obligatory, and that the one who leaves it off without an excuse is sinful; he is to be penalized and his legal testimony is not acceptable.

The Shafiʿi school has several opinions on the ruling of performing the five prayers in congregation in the mosque. One opinion holds it to be an emphasized sunnah for men. Another, which is the preferred opinion to Imam al-Nawawi, is that it is a communal obligation. Another opinion is that it is an individual obligation. [See: al-Mawsuʿa al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, 15.281]

The scholars who hold that it is a sunnah cite several proofs, including a hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) That the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Prayer in congregation is 27 times better than individual prayer.” [Bukhari, Muslim]

Those who hold that it is a communal obligation cite as evidence the hadith in which the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There is not a single group of three men in any village or desert among wom the congregational prayer is not established except that Satan has overcome them. So you must pray in congregation, for the wolf only eats the stray sheep.” [Abu Dawud, Nasaʾi] Based on this, it is obligatory upon them so that the hallmark ritual is performed in that place. If they all refuse, then they should be fought against, as the scholars point out. [See: al-Muhadhdhab, 1.176; Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/465]

Some scholars held the prayer in congregation was an individual obligation due to the hadith narrated by Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him) in which the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, I wanted to instruct for firewood to be gathered, and then for the prayer to be announced, and then for a man to lead the people in prayer so that  I could go out to some men and burn their homes over them. I swear by the One in whose hand is my soul, if any of them knew that he would find a fat piece of meat or two nice practice-arrows, they would attend the ʿisha prayer.” [Bukhari, Muslim] The scholars refute this opinion by saying that this hadith is in regards to the group of hypocrites who would stay home from the congregational prayer and not pray. They also point out that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) did not burn them, but rather wanted to do so. [See: Imam al-Nawawi, al-Majmuʿ 4.192; Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1.466]

Imam al-Nawawi says in al-Majmuʿ, “

The congregational prayer is commanded, as per the famous and authentic hadiths, and the agreement of all Muslims. Scholars of our ilk have three opinions: that it is a communal obligation, that it is a sunnah (and [al-Shirazi] mentioned the evidence for both of these), and that it is an individual obligation. The correct view is that it is a communal obligation, as al-Shafiʿi mentioned… [4.182-3]

Al-Shafiʿi and the scholars say that a child is to be instructed to attend the mosques and congregational prayers in order to become accustomed to it. A person can attain the virtue of the congregational prayer by praying in his home or other places with his wife, child, slave, or others. The lowest is two people…. Praying in a congregation of many people is better than praying in a congregation with few people, according to what has been mentioned. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “A man’s prayer with another is more abundant than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two others is more abundant than his prayer with one; the more they are, the more is more beloved to Allah.” It is narrated by Aby Dawud and others, and authenticated by Ibn Hibban and others. [Mughni al-Muhtaj]

The smallest congregation is two people: the Imam and a follower. Abu Musa al-Ashʿari (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Two people or more is a congregation.” [Bukhari] For men to do it in the mosque is better, because they are a larger group; and the mosques wherein there are many people are better. Ubay ibn Kaʾb (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “A man’s prayer with another is more abundant than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two others is more abundant than his prayer with one; the more they are, the more is more beloved to Allah.” [Abu Dawud, Nasaʾi]

There are general reasons to forego the congregational prayer, such as severe rain or cold, and other inclement weather conditions, like storms and floods. The spread of contagious diseases can also be a valid excuse. Ibn Umar (Allah be pleased with him) said, “The adhan was given for the prayer one cold and windy night, and then he said, ‘Pray in the homes!’ The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) used to instruct the one giving adhan if it was a cold and rainy night to say, ‘Pray in your homes!’” [Bukhari and Muslim]

Some individual excuses may include illness, severe hunger and thirst, fear of a tyrant, and a pressing need to urinate or defecate. Bukhari and Muslim report that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “If anyone’s dinner is served while the prayer is being called to, then start with your dinner and do not rush until you finish therefrom.” Muslim also reports that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There may be no prayer in the presence of food, nor while one’s bodily waste urges him.” Also among the individual excuses is having eaten something with a foul odor, or wearing dirty clothing that may soil the mosque or offend those who are praying because of its filthy state or odor, such as the clothing of some workers. Each of these is considered a valid excuse according to the religion that would allow someone to forego attending the congregational prayer. Bukhari and Muslim both report from Jabir (Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whoever eats garlic or onion must then stay away from us (or: “from our mosque”) and sit in his home.”

Firstly: May Allah bless you, dear brother, in your dedication and perseverance with prayer.

Secondly: A Muslim by default must be keen to attend the congregational prayers in the mosque because of the extra reward and virtue that it contains, as stated in the plethora of hadith. But if there is a valid excuse or a pressing need, then there is no issue.

Thirdly: It is permissible to pray the five prayers in your home or at work, but strive as much as you can to pray them in congregation with someone who is there in order to get the reward of congregation. This must, however, not be a constant practice for you. Rather, you should take every opportunity to go to the mosque, even if only once every day, in order for you to maintain a strong connection to the house of Allah.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Abd al-Sami’ Yaqty