I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation), for the wolf eats only the straggling animal. Sa'ib said: By the word Jama'ah he meant saying prayer in company or in congregation.  

سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ مَا مِنْ ثَلاَثَةٍ فِي قَرْيَةٍ وَلاَ بَدْوٍ لاَ تُقَامُ فِيهِمُ الصَّلاَةُ إِلاَّ قَدِ اسْتَحْوَذَ عَلَيْهِمُ الشَّيْطَانُ فَعَلَيْكَ بِالْجَمَاعَةِ فَإِنَّمَا يَأْكُلُ الذِّئْبُ الْقَاصِيَةَ قَالَ زَائِدَةُ قَالَ السَّائِبُ يَعْنِي بِالْجَمَاعَةِ الصَّلاَةَ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ  

Abu Hurairah reported the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as saying; I thought to give orders for arranging prayer in congregation, and then to have the Iqamah called for it, then to order a man to lead the people in prayer, then to go off in company of the people who have bundles of firewood to those people who are not present at the prayer and then to burn down their houses with fire.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِالصَّلاَةِ فَتُقَامَ ثُمَّ آمُرَ رَجُلاً فَيُصَلِّيَ بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أَنْطَلِقَ مَعِي بِرِجَالٍ مَعَهُمْ حُزَمٌ مِنْ حَطَبٍ إِلَى قَوْمٍ لاَ يَشْهَدُونَ الصَّلاَةَ فَأُحَرِّقَ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ  

I thought about giving orders to some youths for gathering a bundle of firewood, then going off to some people who their prayers in their homes without any excuse, and burning down their houses over them. I (Yazid b. Yazid) said: I asked Yazid b. al-Asamm: Abu ‘Awf did he mean Friday (prayer) or any other? He replied: may my ears become deaf if I have not heard Abu Hurairah narrating it from the Messenger of Allah (May peace be upon him); He did not mention Friday (prayer) or any other.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ فِتْيَتِي فَيَجْمَعُوا حُزَمًا مِنْ حَطَبٍ ثُمَّ آتِيَ قَوْمًا يُصَلُّونَ فِي بُيُوتِهِمْ لَيْسَتْ بِهِمْ عِلَّةٌ فَأُحَرِّقُهَا عَلَيْهِمْ قُلْتُ لِيَزِيدَ بْنِ الأَصَمِّ يَا أَبَا عَوْفٍ الْجُمُعَةَ عَنَى أَوْ غَيْرَهَا قَالَ صُمَّتَا أُذُنَاىَ إِنْ لَمْ أَكُنْ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا هُرَيْرَةَ يَأْثِرُهُ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَا ذَكَرَ جُمُعَةً وَلاَ غَيْرَهَا  

Persevere in observing these five times of prayer where the announcement for them is made, because they are from the paths of right guidance. And Allah, the Might, the Majestic, has laid down for his prophet ﷺ the paths of right guidance. I have seen the time when no one stayed away from prayer except a hypocrite whose hypocrite was well known. I witnessed the time when a man would be brought swaying between two men till he was set up in the row (of the prayer). Every one of us has a mosque of his in his house. If you were to pray in your houses and stay from your mosques. You would abandon the Sunnah (practice) of your prophet, and if you were Abandon the Sunnah (Practice) of your Prophet, you would become an unbeliever.  

حَافِظُوا عَلَى هَؤُلاَءِ الصَّلَوَاتِ الْخَمْسِ حَيْثُ يُنَادَى بِهِنَّ فَإِنَّهُنَّ مِنْ سُنَنِ الْهُدَى وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَرَعَ لِنَبِيِّهِ ﷺ سُنَنَ الْهُدَى وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا وَمَا يَتَخَلَّفُ عَنْهَا إِلاَّ مُنَافِقٌ بَيِّنُ النِّفَاقِ وَلَقَدْ رَأَيْتُنَا وَإِنَّ الرَّجُلَ لَيُهَادَى بَيْنَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ حَتَّى يُقَامَ فِي الصَّفِّ وَمَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ إِلاَّ وَلَهُ مَسْجِدٌ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَلَوْ صَلَّيْتُمْ فِي بُيُوتِكُمْ وَتَرَكْتُمْ مَسَاجِدَكُمْ تَرَكْتُمْ سُنَّةَ نَبِيِّكُمْ ﷺ وَلَوْ تَرَكْتُمْ سُنَّةَ نَبِيِّكُمْ ﷺ لَكَفَرْتُمْ  

If anyone hears him who makes the call to prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse--he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness--the prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.  

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَنْ سَمِعَ الْمُنَادِيَ فَلَمْ يَمْنَعْهُ مِنَ اتِّبَاعِهِ عُذْرٌ قَالُوا وَمَا الْعُذْرُ قَالَ خَوْفٌ أَوْ مَرَضٌ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ مِنْهُ الصَّلاَةُ الَّتِي صَلَّى  

Ibn Umm Maktum asked the Prophet ﷺ saying: Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man, my house is far away (from the mosque), and I have a guide who does not follow me. Is it possible that permission be granted to me for saying prayer in my house? He asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes. He said: I do not find any permission for you.  

أَنَّهُ سَأَلَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ ضَرِيرُ الْبَصَرِ شَاسِعُ الدَّارِ وَلِي قَائِدٌ لاَ يُلاَئِمُنِي فَهَلْ لِي رُخْصَةٌ أَنْ أُصَلِّيَ فِي بَيْتِي قَالَ هَلْ تَسْمَعُ النِّدَاءَ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَالَ لاَ أَجِدُ لَكَ رُخْصَةً  

Messenger of Allah, there are many venomous creatures and wild beasts in Medina (so allow me to pray in my house because I am blind). The Prophet ﷺ said: Do you hear the call, "Come to prayer," "Come to salvation"? (He said: Yes.) Then you must come. Abu Dawud said: Al-Qasim al-Jarmi has narrated this tradition from Sufyan in a similar manner. But his version does not contain the words "Then you must come."  

يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّ الْمَدِينَةَ كَثِيرَةُ الْهَوَامِّ وَالسِّبَاعِ فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ أَتَسْمَعُ حَىَّ عَلَى الصَّلاَةِ حَىَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحِ فَحَىَّ هَلاَ