Congregational Prayer its Importance Quranic Verse and Ahadith :Regulation of making Rows Ahadith and Islamic Ruling

Congregational Prayer

Stress on Congregational Prayers and its Excellence

The fact that both, the Qur'an and Sunnah, have laid great stress on the congregational prayer and described its unique excellence, shows that the fard prayer is meant to be offered collectively, and no one in the Islamic community should even think of observing it individually unless one has to do so on the account of a genuine reason. The Qur'an says:

"…and bend down in ruku with those who bend down in ruku." [Al-Baqarah 2:43]

Arguing from this verse, the commentators are generally of the view that prayer has to be offered collectively. The importance of the congregational prayer in Islam is so great that the Muslims have been enjoined to observe it even in the battlefield where danger to life is extreme. The Qur'an has prescribed the following way:

" And when you, O Prophet, are among the Muslims and are going to lead them in salah (in a state of war), let a party stand behind you, carrying their weapons with them. When they have made their prostrations, they should fall back and let another party of them, who have not yet offered salah, say it with you and they too, should be on guard and keep their weapons with them." [An-Nisaa 4:102]

The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, also has greatly stressed the offering of prayer in congregation and described its unique merit and excellence. For instance, he said:

• "Nothing is harder on the hypocrites than the Isha and Fajr prayer; had they known of the great rewards that Allah would bestow for those prayers they would never had missed them even if they had to come to the masjid on their knees." Then he said, "I wish I should tell a Mua'dhin to pronounce the iqamah and appoint someone as Imam in my place, and I should myself go and set fire to the houses of those who do not come out even after hearing the adhan. (Bukhari, Muslim).
• "Offering the prayer in congregation carries 27 times greater reward than offering it alone individually." (Bukhari, Muslim)

• According to Sayyidna Anas, Radi-Allahu anhu, the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "The person who offers his prayers continuously for 40 days without missing the first takbeer, is granted a two-fold immunity by Allah: immunity from Hell-fire and immunity from hypocrisy. (Tirmidhi)

• According to Sayyidna Abdullah bin Masoud, Radi-Allahu anhu, the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "O Muslims! Allah has prescribed paths of right guidance for you among which is the offering of the daily prayers in congregation in the masjid, which is the offering of the daily prayers in congregation in the masjid; if you start saying your prayers individually at home, as so-and-so does, you will be forsaking the Sunnah of your Prophet, and if you forsake the Sunnah of your Prophet, you will certainly be going astray." (Muslim)
• According to Ubayy bin Ka'ab, Radi-Allahu anhu, the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, said: "If the people come to know of the great rewards and benefits of the congregational prayer, they would never stay back but would rush to the masjid for it. The first row merits the highest reward. Two persons praying together merit greater reward than the same praying individually, the rule being that the bigger the congregation the higher its worth in the Sight of Allah." (Abu Dawud)

• "Give good news to those who go to the masjid in the darkness of the night to offer the prayer in congregation that on the Day of Judgement they will be provided with a perfect light." (Tirmidhi)

• Sayyidna Usman, Radi-Allahu anhu, has reported that he heard the Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, say: "The person who observes the Isha prayer in congregation, will have the reward and blessings of staying up half the night in prayer, and the one who observes the Fajr prayer in congregation will have the reward and blessings of staying up the whole night in prayer." (Tirmidhi)

Regulations for Making Rows

• Utmost care has to be exercised to keep the rows straight and balanced. The Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has instructed: "Keep your rows straight and balanced in the prayer, for proper alignment is a necessary condition of observing the prayer well." (Bukhari, Muslim)
• The front rows should be filled and completed first. The followers should stand behind the Imam in a balanced way, equally on the right and left, keeping him in the middle in front.
• If there is a single follower, he should stand on the right of the Imam with his heels a little behind the Imam. It is undesirable for a single follower to stand behind the Imam in a separate row.
• If the followers are more than one, they should invariably stand behind the Imam; it is undesirable for two or more followers to stand beside the Imam on his right or left.
• If at the beginning of the prayer, there is only one follower and later on one or more follower joins in, they should either pull the first follower back in the row, or the Imam should step forward and let the followers make a row behind him.
• If the front rows are complete, and there is no room for a late comer, he should avoid standing alone behind, but should pull a person back from the front row and make a separate row at the back.
• If there is room for a late comer to stand in the front row, it is undesirable for him to stand alone at the back.

• If a person who has offered a fard prayer alone, finds that the same fard prayer is being offered collectively, he should join the congregation, unless it is the Fajr, or Asr, or Maghrib prayer; the reason is that no prayer is valid after the Fajr or Asr prayer and Maghrib having 3 rak'ahs cannot be counted as a nafl prayer, for the prayer offered in congregation by the person will have nafl status and not fard, because he has all ready offered his fard prayer individually.
• If a person is offering a fard prayer and than finds the same prayer being held in congregation, he should abandon his prayer and join the congregation. If, however, it is the Fajr prayer and he has performed the sajdah of the second rak'ah, or in case of other prayers the sajdah of the third rak'ah, he should complete his prayer independently. If at the end he finds that the congregational prayer is still in progress, he may join it provided it is the Zuhr or Isha prayer only.
• If a person had started a nafl prayer and than finds a fard congregational prayer due to begin, he should pronounce salutation after two rak'ahs and join the congregation.

• If a person has started the first four sunnah of the Zuhr or Friday prayer, and then finds the Imam standing up for the fard congregational prayer, he should pronounce salutation after two rak'ahs and complete them after observing the fard prayer in congregation.
• When Imam has stood up for a fard prayer, the sunnah prayer should not be started. However, in view of the great importance of the sunnah rak'ahs of the Fajr prayer, one may offer them even if there is a hope of gaining a single rak'ah of the fard prayer.
• If a fard congregational prayer is in progress, one may observe the sunnah rak'ah, if one so likes, in a place outside the masjid; if this is not possible, one may observe them in a corner of the masjid, away from the congregation; if this is also not possible, the one should join the congregation instead, for it is undesirable to offer a prayer independently in a place here a congregational fard prayer is in progress.
• If due to some reason, one is late for a congregational prayer and has no hope of gaining the prayer, one should hasten to the masjid because it is expected that Allah will not deprive rewards and blessings of congregational prayer. Holy Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, has said: "The person who preformed his wudu well, then went to the masjid, and found the prayer to have been preformed already, he will get the same reward from Allah as those who were tended as observed the prayer in congregation without any decrease in there rewards."
• The person who joins the Imam in the ruku position is deemed to have gained that rak'ah; if he joins later, he will have to complete the rak'ahs that he has missed, independently.
• For a congregational prayer to be valid, there has to be at least one follower beside the Imam. In the Friday prayer, however, there should be at least two followers beside the Imam.

The Masjid After Ramzan: Islamic Poem, Please remind yourself and Family,friends .your city and all mankind for Salat/Namaz Quran Ayah Surah Ibraheem verse 40 Arabic text and english translation

The Masjid After Ramadan

By Naeem Nasrullah

Taken with thanks http://www.albalagh.net/general/0094.shtml

NAMAZ /SALAH is so important that even Prophet is praying for becoming establisher of Salat........... 

Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala quoted in Quran supplication of Ibrahim 'alaihis salam as:

رَبِّ اجْعَلْنِي مُقِيمَ الصَّلاَةِ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي رَبَّنَا وَتَقَبَّلْ دُعَاءِ (إبراهيم: 40

o My Rabb! Make me an establisher of Salat, and from my descendents also. Our Rabb! And accept my Du'a (supplication). Ibrahim 14: 40

Please be continue for regular Prayer after Ramzan Also......Requesting for Dua.

Ramadan came and the masjid brimmed with joy
from daybreak to sunset, men, women, and children overflowed its sacred halls
light emanated out from their ardent worship
magnificent chandeliers adorned the uplifted roof
perfectly straight and still rows stretched out far and wide
a mesmerizing recitation of the Quran marvelously glided through
encompassing their bodies and seizing their hearts
and unleashing the blessings of the Most Bountiful
the masjid gloated, beaming with praise and hope

when Ramadan ended, the masjid lamented and wept

its Eid was no Eid
its happiness was gone
its light was replaced by a gloomy darkness

for all those who visited it
had suddenly deserted it
perfectly content with their performance in Ramadan
they saw no further need to come back
they could happily chase after the pleasures they had missed out in Ramadan

and as I gaze now,
the masjid is silent as a mortuary
mourning without wailing
peaceful as waves breaking on a shore
lights reminiscent of the full moon shining down upon a vast desert
shadows abound,
of the door knobs peeking down
of the window grids forming black holes in the carpet

the people are gone
a feeling of emptiness overwhelms
how many vacant spots are there
beseeching, pleading for a worshipper
to come and connect his soul with the Almighty
to earn eternal success
how many mushafs are there
wishing they were being read by a sincere heart

why do not the people reform
why do they stubbornly persist in answering the calls of ignorance
why do they ignore the call of their Lord
why do they neglect the masjid except at Ramadan
alas, the masjid is there waiting, peacefully and silently for them to come

its looming, heavy silence is its tears
for it has to wait one long and dry year until the next Ramadan
when the people will finally come back
so it can be restored to its glory
and to its original purpose - in the service of its Creator.

Sahabah's suspending trade at the time of Salaat and Quranic Ayats in the regard

Sahabah's suspending trade at the time of Salaat

Hadhrat Abdullah bin 'Umar (Radhiyallaho anho) once visited the market. He noticed that at the time of Salaat, everybody closed his shop and flocked to the musjid. He remarked:


"These are people about whom Allah has remarked:


"Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in Salaat and paying to the poor their due; who fear a day when hearts and eyeballs will be overturned. (XXIV: 37)"

Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) says:
"These people were completely absorbed in their trade, but when they heard Azaan they left everything and hastened towards the musjid."

He once remarked: "By Allah, they were such traders whose trade did not hinder them from the remembrance of Allah."

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Masood (Radhiyallaho anho) once chanced to be in the market when Azaan was called out. He noticed everybody leaving his shop as it was, and proceeding to the musjid. He remarked:

"These are surely the persons of whom Allah says:


'Men whom neither merchandise nor sale beguileth from remembrance of Allah and constancy in Salaat and paying to the poor their due. (XXIV-.37).'

Another Hadith has it:

"All the people shall be gathered on the Day of Judgement, when it will be asked, 'Who are those who glorified Allah in ease and adversity?" A group will arise and enter Paradise without any reckoning. Again it will be asked, 'who are those who kept away from their beds and passed their nights in worshipping their Creator.' Another group will arise and enter Paradise without any reckoning. The angel will ask yet again, where are those whom trade did not hinder from remembering Allah.' And yet another group will arise and enter Paradise without any reckoning. After these three groups have departed, and reckoning would commence for the people in general."

Hadhrat Ibne Abbas (R.A) and his Sacrifice for the sake of Salat

Hadhrat Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallahu anhu) and his Salaat

Hadhrat Abdullah bin Abbas (Radhiyallaho anho) suffered from cataract of the eye. A doctor told him:
"A treatment is possible, provided you are willing to take precautions. For five days, it will be essential for you to avoid prostrating yourself on the ground. You can, however, use a wooden desk for performing Sajdah."
He said: "This cannot be so. I would not say a single rakaat like that. I have heard the Prophet (Sallal-laho alaihe wasallam) saying, "A person who intentionally foregoes a single Salaat shall have to face Divine wrath on the Day of Judgement."

Although it is quite permissible to perform Salaat in the way advised by the doctors, and it involves no direct transgression of the Law of Allah, yet due to his utter devotion to Salaat and implicit regard for the Prophet's warning, he was ready to lose his eyesight rather than allow the slightest modification in the Salaat as performed by the Prophet (Sallallaho alaihe wasallam) himself. In fact, the Sahabah would sacrifice the whole world for their Salaat. We may dub it as 'fanaticism', or make any other remark about that devoted band. but the verdict in the Hereafter would prove, beyond doubt, that they were the personages who really feared and loved their Creator above everything else in this world.