“Prayer in a congregation is twenty-seven times superior to prayer performed alone.”
صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ بِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً
The Book of Prayer
Chapter on Imamate
Chapter on Imamate
(Leading the Prayer)332
332 In this chapter, Imam Ibn Qudâmah addresses the proper order in the selection of imams, the invalid imamate, the lining up for the prayer, and some rulings concerning the late-comers. However, he does not address the ruling of the congregational prayer itself here or elsewhere in this book. According to (A), it is obligatory on men, but they may perform it at home or in the market, etc., though it will be inferior to one performed in the masjid. According to the majority, prayer in congregation is recommended. The enormous reward of jamâ‘ah is established in the Sunnah and agreed upon among the scholars. The Messenger of Allah (SA) said:
It should suffice the caretakers of the masjids that Allah praised them with this description:
{The mosques of Allah are only to be maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day and establish prayer and give zakat and do not fear except Allah, for it is expected that those will be of the [rightly] guided.} (at-Tawbah 9: 18)
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَعَسَى أُولَئِكَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ
بَابُ الإِمـــَـامَـــةِ
[Who Leads the Prayer]
Narrated Abu Mas‘ood al-Badri (RA) that the Messenger of Allah (SA) said, “The one who should lead the people is the best reciter of the Book of Allah among them; if they are equal in recitation, then the one most knowledgeable in the Sunnah; if they are equal in [their knowledge of] the Sunnah, then the one whose migration was earlier; and if they are equal in migration, then the eldest. A man should not lead another man at his [the second man’s] home or at a place under his authority, and he should
رَوَى أَبُوْ مَسْعُوْدٍ الْبَدْرِيُّ، أَنَّ رَسُوْلَ اللهِ قَالَ: "يَؤُمُّ الْقَوْمَ أَقْرَؤُهُمْ لِكِتَابِ اللهِ، فَإِنْ كَانُوْا فِي الْقِرَاءَةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَعْلَمُهُمْ بِالسُّنَّةِ، فَإِنْ كَانُوْا فِي السُّنَّةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ هِجْرَةً، فَإِنَ كَانُوْا فِي الْهِجْرَةِ سَوَاءً، فَأَقْدَمُهُمْ سِلْمًا، وَلاَ يَؤُمَّنَّ الرَّجُلُ الرَّجُلَ فِيْ بَيْتِهِ، ولا في سُلطانِهِ، وَلاَ يُجْلَسُ عَلَى تَكْرِمَتِهِ إِلاَّ بِإِذْنِه." وَقَالَ لِمَالِك ِبْنِ الْحُوَيْرِثِ
It was not a coincidence that the Messenger of Allah (SA) started his mission in Madinah by building the masjid, which he made in its center. Whatever can be said about the importance of the masjid for Muslim communities throughout the world is even more magnified when we talk about the Muslim minorities, to whom the masjid is truly the ark of Noah. In America, for example, Muslims are a small minority scattered throughout a large continent. For some of them, weeks or months may pass by without getting a chance to see another Muslim except in the masjid. The masjid, therefore, constitutes the link between them and their deen (religion). In it, they develop that emotional bond with their community, which is vital to the wellbeing of their allegiance to the Ummah and faith in Allah. Many youth may find in the masjid the role models they lack at home. In addition to this, the Muslims seeing a masjid – and especially the younger one who did not grow up in Muslim countries – is vital because it’s the most evident symbol of Islam in their tangible world.
not sit in his favorite seat except with his permission.”333 He (SA) said to Mâlik ibn al-Ḥuwayrith and his companion, “When it is time for ṣalâh, let one of you call the adhân, and let the older of you lead the prayer.”334 They were close in their [mastery of] recitation. 335
وَصَاحِبِهِ: "إِذَا حَضَرَتِ الصَّلاَةُ، فَلْيُؤَذِّنْ أَحَدُكُمَا، وَليَؤُمُّكُمَا أَكْبَرُكُمَا". وَكَانَتْ قِرَاءَتُهُمَا مُتَقَارِبَةً
333 (M)
334 (Ag)
335 Who Should Lead the Prayer?
All of them agreed on giving precedence to the (sultan) governor, then the appointed imam (imâm râtib). They also agreed that the mastery of recitation and knowledge take precedence over piety. Otherwise, they disagreed on the order to be observed. (A/SM): The one with better recitation, then the one who has more Qur’an memorized, then the one who is more knowledgeable in fiqh, then the one who is older. The majority (-H, -M, -S) said that the one with more knowledge takes precedence over the best reciter, since you need a limited amount of Qur’an during the prayer, but you need a great deal of knowledge to perfect it and to know what to do in case of error or confusion. They also argued that the Messenger of Allah (SA) assigned Abu Bakr (RA) to lead the congregation despite the presence of people who had better recitation. (A) argued that the hadith mentioned in the text is clear in giving precedence to the one who has better recitation, so if all candidates have mastered the knowledge pertaining to leading the prayer, then the best reciter out of them should lead. Abu Bakr (RA) was chosen by the Prophet (SA) as a hint to his upcoming role as Caliph, and the Caliph, or one in authority, leads within his realm of authority.