2. Ṣalāh (Ritual Prayer)
٢۔ كتاب الصلاة
The Prophet ﷺ said: The further one is from the mosque , the greater will be one's reward.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ الأَبْعَدُ فَالأَبْعَدُ مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ أَعْظَمُ أَجْرًا
There was a certain person, out of all people of Medina, who used to pray in the mosque. I do not know that any one of them lived at a farther distance than that man. Still he never missed the prayer in congregation in the mosque. I said: it would be better if you buy a donkey and ride it in heat and darkness. He said: I do not like that my house be by the side of the mosque. The discourse reached the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. He said him about it. He said: I did it so that my walking to the mosque and return to my home when I return be recorded. He said: Allah has granted all this to you; Allah has granted all that you reckoned.
كَانَ رَجُلٌ لاَ أَعْلَمُ أَحَدًا مِنَ النَّاسِ مِمَّنْ يُصَلِّي الْقِبْلَةَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ أَبْعَدَ مَنْزِلاً مِنَ الْمَسْجِدِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ الرَّجُلِ وَكَانَ لاَ تُخْطِئُهُ صَلاَةٌ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَقُلْتُ لَوِ اشْتَرَيْتَ حِمَارًا تَرْكَبُهُ فِي الرَّمْضَاءِ وَالظُّلْمَةِ فَقَالَ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ مَنْزِلِي إِلَى جَنْبِ الْمَسْجِدِ فَنُمِيَ الْحَدِيثُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنْ قَوْلِهِ ذَلِكَ فَقَالَ أَرَدْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكْتَبَ لِي إِقْبَالِي إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ وَرُجُوعِي إِلَى أَهْلِي إِذَا رَجَعْتُ فَقَالَ أَعْطَاكَ اللَّهُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ أَنْطَاكَ اللَّهُ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ مَا احْتَسَبْتَ كُلَّهُ أَجْمَعَ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: If anyone goes out from his house after performing ablution for saying the prescribed prayer in congregation (in the mosque), his reward will be like that of one who goes for hajj pilgrimage after wearing ihram (robe worn by the hajj pilgrims). And he who goes out to say the mid-morning (duha) prayer, and takes the trouble for this purpose, will take the reward like that of a person who performs umrah. And a prayer followed by a prayer with no worldly talk during the gap between them will be recorded in Illiyyun.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ مَنْ خَرَجَ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ مُتَطَهِّرًا إِلَى صَلاَةٍ مَكْتُوبَةٍ فَأَجْرُهُ كَأَجْرِ الْحَاجِّ الْمُحْرِمِ وَمَنْ خَرَجَ إِلَى تَسْبِيحِ الضُّحَى لاَ يُنْصِبُهُ إِلاَّ إِيَّاهُ فَأَجْرُهُ كَأَجْرِ الْمُعْتَمِرِ وَصَلاَةٌ عَلَى أَثَرِ صَلاَةٍ لاَ لَغْوَ بَيْنَهُمَا كِتَابٌ فِي عِلِّيِّينَ
Prayer said by a man in congregation is twenty five degrees more excellent than prayer said by him alone in his house or in the market. This is because when any of you performs ablution and does it perfectly, and goes out to the mosque having no intention except praying, and nothing moves him except prayer, then at every step which he takes his rank is elevated by one degree on account of this (walking), and one sin is remitted from him for this (walking), till he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he will be reckoned as praying as long as he will be detained by the prayer. The angels keep on invoking blessing on any of you so long as he remains seated in the place he prayer, saying: O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, have mercy on him; O Allah, accept his repentance so long as he does not harm anyone, or breaks his ablution.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ تَزِيدُ عَلَى صَلاَتِهِ فِي بَيْتِهِ وَصَلاَتِهِ فِي سُوقِهِ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً وَذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ أَحَدَكُمْ إِذَا تَوَضَّأَ فَأَحْسَنَ الْوُضُوءَ وَأَتَى الْمَسْجِدَ لاَ يُرِيدُ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةَ وَلاَ يَنْهَزُهُ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةُ لَمْ يَخْطُ خَطْوَةً إِلاَّ رُفِعَ لَهُ بِهَا دَرَجَةٌ وَحُطَّ عَنْهُ بِهَا خَطِيئَةٌ حَتَّى يَدْخُلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَإِذَا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ كَانَ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا كَانَتِ الصَّلاَةُ هِيَ تَحْبِسُهُ وَالْمَلاَئِكَةُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مَا دَامَ فِي مَجْلِسِهِ الَّذِي صَلَّى فِيهِ يَقُولُونَ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْهُ اللَّهُمَّ تُبْ عَلَيْهِ مَا لَمْ يُؤْذِ فِيهِ أَوْ يُحْدِثْ فِيهِ
Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers (offered alone). If he prays in a jungle, and performs its bowing and prostrations perfectly, it becomes equivalent to fifty prayers (in respect of reward). Abu Dawud said: 'Abd al-Walid b. Ziyad narrated in his version of this tradition: "Prayer said by a single person in a jungle is more excellent by multiplied degrees than prayer said in congregation."
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الصَّلاَةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ تَعْدِلُ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ صَلاَةً فَإِذَا صَلاَّهَا فِي فَلاَةٍ فَأَتَمَّ رُكُوعَهَا وَسُجُودَهَا بَلَغَتْ خَمْسِينَ صَلاَةً