Could You Clarify the Reward for Praying in Congregation?
Hanafi FiqhShafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Ustadh Sufyan Qufi
Question
What is meant by “congregation” when it is stated that the reward for praying in a congregation is 27 times greater? Is this a father and son praying together at home, or just one person at the masjid?
Additionally, do women get 27 times more reward for following the father and son, or do they pray only at the masjid in the congregation?
Answer
In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,
I pray this finds you in the best of states.
The reward of praying in congregation is attained by males praying together in or outside the mosque. It is also attained by females praying behind a male Imam.
The Prophet – peace be upon him – is reported as having said, “Praying in congregation is twenty-seven times better than praying alone.” [Bukhari; Muslim]
According to the Hanafi school, it is not obligatory, but it is an emphasized sunna for men who have no excuse to pray in a congregation. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar; Taqrirat al-Rafi’i on Hashiyat Ibn Abidin]
The sunna is fulfilled even by praying in a congregation outside the mosque, even though it is better to perform it in the mosque. [Tahtawi/Shurunbulali, Hashiyat Maraqi al-Falah]
Women Praying in Congregation
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings upon him) said: “A woman’s prayer inside her house is better than her prayer in her courtyard, and her prayer in her private room is better than her prayer in her house.” [Abu Dawud]
From a previous answer at SeekersGuidance:
“A congregation of women is prohibitively disliked (makruh tahriman), [Shurunbulali, Maraqi al-Falah; Ibn ‘Abidin, add al-Muhtar] because it is going against that which has been legislated, which is that women either pray alone (given the normal case would be for them to pray at home), or behind a male congregation.”
Shafi’i School
In the Shafi’i school, any prayer that is recommended to pray in a congregation applies to both men and women, irrespective if the congregation is an all-women group or behind a male Imam, and all receive the rewards of praying in the congregation.
Please see: How Should Women Pray in Congregation in the Shafi’i School?
And Allah knows best.
Wassalam
[Ustadh] Sufyan Qufi
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Ustadh Sufyan Qufi is an advanced seeker of knowledge, originally from Algeria, who grew up in France. He began searching far and wide for answers to the fundamental questions of life and was disappointed at the answers he found. Then he connected with various traditional teachers and gradually connected with SeekersGuidance. He embarked on his journey of learning through the various teachers at SeekersGuidance, including his mentor Shaykh Faraz Rabbani. He studied numerous texts in Islamic Law, Theology, Hadith, and other areas with Shaykh Faraz Rabbani and other teachers, including Shaykh Abdurrahman al-Sha‘ar, Shaykh Ali Hani, and others. He is an active instructor at SeekersGuidance and answers questions through the SeekersGuidance Answers Service.
