• Congregation: A duty on the Muslim Community
1. What are the rules for holding a congregational prayer? How do worshipers stand? What is the advantage of praying in a congregation? Is it compulsory to form a congregation?
2. I have noticed that most women either pray at home or do not pray at all. Is it obligatory for women to offer their five prayers in mosque as men?
1. To pray in a congregation i.e. with jama'ah is a distinctive aspect of Islamic worship. Many scholars consider that holding a congregational prayer and joining congregational prayers is compulsory for all Muslims. Allah says in the Qur'an; "Bow down with those who bow down." This is a clear reference to prayer. If it was not a duty, we would have been given a concession not to pray in congregation when we are in a state of fear. Allah, however, has changed the requirements of prayer in such state without canceling its congregational aspect.It does not mean, that every Muslims must offer every single obligatory prayer in a congregation. It means that the holding of a congregational prayer is an obligation of the community and it is also obligatory on every individual to be keen in congregation prayer whenever possible. Such attendance is indeed a marking of strong faith. From the literature of early Islamic periods, we can conclude that a person was considered good if he regularly offered his obligatory prayer with the congregation in the mosque.
Moreover, offering a prayer in a congregation enhances our reward. The Prophet says that praying with the congregation earns 27 times the reward of the same prayer offered individually. Since every one of us is always in need of greater reward from Allah, we should be keen to offer our obligatory prayers in the mosque with the congregation. The Prophet also recommends us to offer obligatory prayers at home, so that our homes are not denied the blessings of prayer.
The minimum number of worshipers required for congregation is two, one of whom should be the imam. If there are only two worshipers, the imam stands a little ahead and the other person stands to his right. If there are more than two, then the imam stands on his own and the other worshipers, stand in a row, leaving a distance which is sufficient for them to do their prostration. If one row is complete and a second row is to be formed, it starts at the point exactly behind the imam and worshipers stand to the imam's right and left, in a balanced way. Every new line starts in the same way, right behind the imam. But it should have at least two people. If the last line is complete, the next one cannot be started by one person only. He either pulls one of the people in the last row back so that they could form a new line or he should wait until another person comes in to join the prayer. In a congregational prayer, the worshipers follow the imam without leaving any gap between his movement and theirs. When he gives the signal for the next movement, all worshipers follow suit. [Care must be taken not to advance your action in anticipation of that signal for the next movement].
2. Women are exempt from the requirement of attending congregational prayers in the mosque. This is due to the nature of their role in looking after young children and household duties. If they go to the mosque to attend prayers, they are welcome to do so. In a congregational prayer in a mosque, women stay in the rear forming their own ranks. They are, however, required to offer the same obligatory prayers in their respective time ranges. When a woman has her menstruation period, she is exempt from prayer. The same exemption applies to a woman in her postnatal period. It is this exemption that sometimes may give the impression that many women do not offer prayers. It is important, therefore, not to judge them on the basis of a casual impression. Many women attend to their religious duties with keenness and enthusiasm.
Perhaps I should also explain that while congregational prayer is a duty on the Muslim community, it is not obligatory on every single one of us to attend every single obligatory prayer in the mosque. Allah has given us a time range for each prayer and allowed us to pray individually because He knows that our circumstances may be difficult and we may not be able to attend congregational prayers all the time. Nevertheless we must be keen to pray with the congregation in the mosque as frequently as possible.
• Congregation: At home or office
I live with a group of my friends in a bachelor accommodation provided by our employers. When we first came, most of us used to miss some of our prayers. However, we are all praying regularly now. Sometimes we find it difficult to go to the mosque for congregational prayer and we offer prayer in congregation at home or in the office. Some people suggest that our prayer is invalid. Please comment.
It is definitely better if you offer your obligatory prayers with a congregation in a mosque. The Prophet states: "Prayer in congregation is rewarded 27 times more than the prayer of the individual." When the Prophet was asked about the best action a person can do, he answered: "To offer prayers when they fall due." Congregational prayers are offered in the mosque shortly after they are due, then prayer in the mosque with the congregation is far better than any other place.
However, every one of us works within the constraints of his own circumstances. Allah has not made it obligatory that we pray any prayer at any particular moment or in a particular place. He has given us a range of time for each prayer. The Prophet says: "The whole earth has been assigned to me as a place of worship and a source of purification." A Muslim may pray anywhere. When you offer your prayers at home, they are perfectly valid. If it so happens that two of you are at home or in the office and you want to offer your prayer, it is far better if you offer in congregation. What you should guard, however, is against substituting congregational prayer at home [or office] for prayer in the mosque. In that way you cut yourself from the local community. This will not do. Whenever you can attend the congregation at the mosque, you should do so. If you are praying at home, it is far better to pray in congregation than to pray alone.
• Congregation: Friday sermon & the voluntary prayers
I have always understood that the reason that Friday prayer is only two rak'ahs is that the khutbah compensates for the other two which we normally offer in Dhuhr prayer. Some people suggest that it is strongly discouraged to offer voluntary prayer when the speech is being delivered. I have seen people continuing to offer such voluntary prayer when the sermon is in progress. Please comment.
I think it is wrong to relate the fact that Friday prayer consists of two rak'ahs only to the requirement of having a sermon before it. Otherwise, we would have to say that the sermon should be as long as or as short as the two rak'ahs, or the attendance of the whole sermon would be obligatory to everyone. As it is, Friday prayer is deemed to be offered correctly and in full if one misses the whole of the sermon, but attends the prayer itself. It is certainly most important to attend the sermon and to make sure that one arrives in the mosque early enough to listen to it in full. But that is not a condition for the validity and acceptability of the prayer itself. What we say is that Friday prayer is made in this fashion because God has willed it so. Besides, the sermon is meant to discuss matters of importance which are relevant to the life of the Muslim community, or to remind the worshippers of God and the day of judgment.
According to the Maliki school of thought, if a person arrives in the mosque when the sermon is in progress, the only option available to him is to sit down and listen. Other schools of thought make it permissible to offer two short rak'ahs in greeting to the mosque.
During the time of the Prophet, a man came into the mosque while the sermon was being delivered by the Prophet. He sat down to listen, but the Prophet interrupted the sermon to tell him to offer two short rak'ahs, and the man complied. The Maliki school of thought considers this a special case because the Prophet wanted to draw the attention of the community to the fact that the man was in a situation of extreme poverty. That would have ensured that he would receive some charitable donations, or sadaqah. Other scholars take it as an indication of permissibility.
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