Part of Riyad as-Salihin — Gardens of the Righteous (series completed)
· Lesson 116 of 190
Riyadh Al-Salehin | Episode (126) | Chapter on the virtue of congregational prayer
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Transcript
Machine translation — may contain errors
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Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Chapter: The Virtue of Congregational Prayer.
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On the authority of Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both, that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Congregational prayer is twenty-seven degrees superior to praying alone."
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Agreed upon.
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"Al-fadh" means the individual.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"A man’s prayer in a congregation is multiplied over his prayer in his house or in his marketplace
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by twenty-five times.
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This is because when he performs wudu and perfects it,
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then goes out to the mosque,
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with no purpose other than the prayer,
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he does not take a step without a degree being raised for him thereby,
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and a sin being removed from him thereby.
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Then, when he prays,
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the angels continue to invoke blessings upon him as long as he remains in his place of prayer,
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provided he does not invalidate his wudu.
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They say:
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'O Allah, bless him.'
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'O Allah, have mercy upon him.'
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And he remains in a state of prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer."
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Agreed upon.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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A blind man came to the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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and said, "O Messenger of Allah,
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I have no guide to lead me to the mosque."
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He asked the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
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to grant him a concession to pray in his house,
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and he granted it to him.
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But when he turned away,
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he called him and said to him:
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"Do you hear the call to prayer?"
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He said, "Yes."
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He said, "Then answer it."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The obligation of congregational prayer for everyone capable of coming to the mosque,
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even if he is blind and has no guide to lead him.
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Seeking clarification of the circumstances when asked a question
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leads to a correct and just answer.
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On the authority of 'Abdullah—
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it is also said 'Umar ibn Qays—
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known as Ibn Umm Maktum the mu'adhdhin, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that he said:
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"O Messenger of Allah,
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Medina is full of vermin and wild beasts."
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Do you hear 'Hayya 'ala al-salah' (Come to prayer),
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'Hayya 'ala al-falah' (Come to success)?
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Then come!"
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Narrated by Abu Dawud.
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The meaning of "Hayya hala"
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is "Come."
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"Al-hawamm"
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refers to the small creatures of the earth,
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such as snakes and scorpions.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"By Him in Whose hand is my soul,
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I have considered ordering firewood to be gathered,
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then ordering the prayer to be called,
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then ordering a man to lead the people in prayer,
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and then going to those men
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and burning their houses down upon them."
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Agreed upon.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The condemnation of those who absent themselves from the prayer,
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by describing them as being preoccupied with trivial matters of food or play,
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while neglecting that which earns high degrees and honorable stations.
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Presenting a warning and a threat before the actual punishment.
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The wisdom behind this is that if the evil can be averted by a lighter form of rebuke,
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it is sufficient, rather than resorting to the highest level of punishment.
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The permissibility of taking criminals by surprise,
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for the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, intended to do so
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at a time when it was known that people should be occupied with congregational prayer,
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so he wanted to catch them off guard at a time when they would not expect anyone to come to them.
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The context implies that he had already rebuked them verbally for their absence,
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until they deserved the threat of action.
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The permissibility of executing the one who abandons prayer out of negligence.
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Excuses permit absence from the congregation.
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The Imam, his deputy, or the overseer (muhtasib) is permitted to leave the congregation
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for the purpose of flushing out those who hide in their homes and abandon it.
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The permissibility of a less virtuous person leading the prayer in the presence of a more virtuous one
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if there is a benefit in doing so.
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Prayer requires the Adhan, as it is a notification that the time has entered.
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On the authority of Ibn Mas'ud, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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"Whoever is pleased to meet Allah, the Exalted, tomorrow as a Muslim,
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let him maintain these prayers where they are called out.
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For Allah has legislated for your Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the Sunnahs of guidance,
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and these are among the Sunnahs of guidance.
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If you were to pray in your homes as this absentee prays in his home,
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you would have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet.
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And if you were to abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet, you would go astray.
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I have seen us, and no one would absent himself from it except a hypocrite known for his hypocrisy.
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A man would be brought, supported by two men, until he was stood in the row."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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In a narration of his, he said:
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"The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, taught us the Sunnahs of guidance,
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and among the Sunnahs of guidance is prayer in the mosque where the Adhan is called."
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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Maintaining the prayers at their appointed times
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is the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Attending them in congregation is equivalent to an obligation for one capable of attending.
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The obligatory prayers have known times,
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as the Almighty said:
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“When ye have performed the act of worship, remember Allah, standing, sitting and reclining. And when ye are in safety, observe proper worship. Worship at fixed times hath been enjoined on the believers.” (4:103)
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Praying at home while one is capable of attending the congregation
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is contrary to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
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Negligence regarding the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, and his guidance
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is misguidance itself,
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and a departure from the Prophetic guidance of Muhammad.
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This is because the religion of Allah is a whole that cannot be divided.
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No one absents himself from congregational prayer except a hypocrite known for his hypocrisy.
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The Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
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had an intense desire to adhere to the Prophetic guidance,
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and not to waste the reward and the congregations.
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The people of Islam cooperate with one another in the obedience of Allah, the Exalted.
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The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, did not pass away until
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he had completed for them the clarification of the Sunnahs of guidance,
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through which they draw near to Allah, the Exalted, and which draw them near to Him.
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On the authority of Abu al-Darda', may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
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"There are no three in a village or a desert
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where the prayer is not established among them,
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but that the Shaytan has gained mastery over them.
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So hold fast to the congregation,
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for the wolf eats only the stray sheep."
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Narrated by Abu Dawud.
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"Istahwadha" means he overcame them and gathered them to himself.
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"Al-qasiyah" is the one isolated from the flock, far away from it.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The obligation of the Adhan and Iqamah for congregational prayer.
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The Shaytan gains mastery over those who are heedless of obedience and worship.
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Encouragement to attend congregational prayer, for congregations help in acts of obedience.
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The Shaytan cannot overpower the congregation.
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He only destroys people by isolating them and by their separation from their brothers.
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Chapter: Encouragement to Attend the Morning and Night Congregational Prayers.
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On the authority of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
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"Whoever prays the Night prayer (Isha) in congregation, it is as if he stood in prayer for half the night.
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And whoever prays the Morning prayer (Subh) in congregation, it is as if he prayed the whole night."
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Narrated by Muslim.
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In a narration by al-Tirmidhi, on the authority of 'Uthman ibn 'Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, he said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"Whoever attends the Night prayer in congregation, he shall have the reward of standing for half the night.
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And whoever prays the Night and the Dawn (Fajr) prayers in congregation,
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he shall have the reward of standing for the whole night."
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The recommendation to maintain the Morning and Night prayers in congregation,
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for whoever maintains these two will, a fortiori, maintain others.
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Maintaining the Dawn and Night prayers in congregation is a sign of faith,
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because they occur in the darkness of the night and the early dawn,
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when no one absents himself except a hypocrite or one with an excuse.
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The virtue of the Morning prayer in congregation is like standing for the whole night.
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The virtue of the Night prayer in congregation is like standing for half the night.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,
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that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"If they knew what was in the Night and Morning prayers, they would come to them even if they had to crawl."
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Agreed upon.
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On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
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The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
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"There is no prayer more burdensome to the hypocrites than the Dawn and Night prayers.
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If they knew what was in them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl."
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Agreed upon.
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From the benefits of the hadith:
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The immense virtue of the Morning and Night prayers in congregation.
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The hypocrite performs worship with lethargy and a corrupt soul.
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That is why Allah described them by saying:
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"And when they stand for prayer, they stand lazily."
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“Lo! the hypocrites seek to beguile Allah, but it is He Who beguileth them. When they stand up to worship they perform it languidly and to be seen of men, and are mindful of Allah but little;” (4:142)
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Riyadh al-Salihin.