5. Mosques and Places of Prayer
٥۔ كتاب الْمَسَاجِدِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الصَّلاَةِ
Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-five degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ أَحَدِكُمْ وَحْدَهُ بِخَمْسَةٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جُزْءًا
Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-five degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person. He (Abu Huraira further) said: The angels of the night and the angels of the day meet together. Abu Huraira said: Recite it you like:" Surely the recital of the Qur'an at dawn is witnessed" (al-Qur'an, xvii. 78).
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ تَفْضُلُ صَلاَةٌ فِي الْجَمِيعِ عَلَى صَلاَةِ الرَّجُلِ وَحْدَهُ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً قَالَ وَتَجْتَمِعُ مَلاَئِكَةُ اللَّيْلِ وَمَلاَئِكَةُ النَّهَارِ فِي صَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ قَالَ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ اقْرَءُوا إِنْ شِئْتُمْ { وَقُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا}
A hadith like this has been narrated by Abu Huraira with another chain of transmitters with a very slight change of words.
سَمِعْتُ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ يَقُولُ بِمِثْلِ حَدِيثِ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ إِلاَّ أَنَّهُ قَالَ بِخَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ جُزْءًا
Prayer said in a congregation is equivalent to twenty-five (prayers) as compared with the prayer said by a single person.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ تَعْدِلُ خَمْسًا وَعِشْرِينَ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ
The Messenger of Allah (way peace be upon him) said: Prayer along with the Imam is twenty-five times more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ صَلاَةٌ مَعَ الإِمَامِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ خَمْسٍ وَعِشْرِينَ صَلاَةً يُصَلِّيهَا وَحْدَهُ
Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ بِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً
The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty-seven times in excess to the prayer said alone.
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ صَلاَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ تَزِيدُ عَلَى صَلاَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ
Ibn Numair reported it on the authority of his father (a preference of) more than twenty (degrees) and Abu Bakr in his narration (has narrated it) twenty- seven degrees.
عَنْ أَبِيهِ بِضْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً
Ibn 'Umar reported from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ as some and twenty (degrees).
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ بِضْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ found some people absenting from certain prayers and he said: I intend that I order (a) person to lead people in prayer, and then go to the persons who do not join the (congregational prayer) and then order their houses to be burnt by the bundles of fuel. If one amongst them were to know that he would find a fat fleshy bone he would attend the night prayer.
أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَدَ نَاسًا فِي بَعْضِ الصَّلَوَاتِ فَقَالَ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أُخَالِفَ إِلَى رِجَالٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنْهَا فَآمُرَ بِهِمْ فَيُحَرِّقُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بِحُزَمِ الْحَطَبِ بُيُوتَهُمْ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَنَّهُ يَجِدُ عَظْمًا سَمِينًا لَشَهِدَهَا يَعْنِي صَلاَةَ الْعِشَاءِ
The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the night prayer and the morning prayer. If they were to know the blessings they have in store, they would have come to them, even though crawling, and I thought that I should order the prayer to be commenced and command a person to lead people in prayer, and I should then go along with some persons having a fagot of fuel with them to the people who have not attended the prayer (in congregation) and would burn their houses with fire.
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّ أَثْقَلَ صَلاَةٍ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ صَلاَةُ الْعِشَاءِ وَصَلاَةُ الْفَجْرِ وَلَوْ يَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِيهِمَا لأَتَوْهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا وَلَقَدْ 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
This is what Abu Huraira reported to us from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and (in this connection) he narrated some ahadith, one of them is: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: I intend that I should command my young men to gather bundles fuel for me, and then order a person to lead people in prayer, and then burn the houses with their inmates (who have not joined the congregation).
عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَذَكَرَ أَحَادِيثَ مِنْهَا وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ فِتْيَانِي أَنْ يَسْتَعِدُّوا لِي بِحُزَمٍ مِنْ حَطَبٍ ثُمَّ آمُرَ رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ تُحَرَّقُ بُيُوتٌ عَلَى مَنْ فِيهَا
عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ بِنَحْوِهِ
I intend that I should command a person to lead people in prayer, and then burn those persons who absent themselves from Jumu'a prayer in their houses.
أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ لِقَوْمٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنِ الْجُمُعَةِ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أُحَرِّقَ عَلَى رِجَالٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنِ الْجُمُعَةِ بُيُوتَهُمْ