Benefits of Praying in the Mosque (Congregation Prayer)

Praying is a form of conversation with Allah (SWT).

When a Muslim prays, it is as if he is standing in front of Allah (SWT) and talking to him.

It is obligatory for every Muslim to pray five times a day.

One who does not pray on time must face its consequences.

The mosque is said to be the house of Allah (SWT). Muslim men should pray in the mosque.

Even though women can pray in the house, it is not forbidden in Islam for women to pray in the mosque.

But for Muslim men, it is an obligation to pray in the mosque.

There are only a few situations where a man can skip going to the mosque. Otherwise, praying in the congregation is most loved by Allah (SWT).

Table of Contents

Quranic verses on congregation prayer

In Quran, Allah (SWT) has empathized multiple times on congregation prayer.

Let us see some of the Quranic verses on congregation prayer.

a) “And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give Zakaah, and bow down (or submit yourselves with obedience to Allah) along with Ar-Raaki’oon (those who bow)” [al-Baqarah 2:43]

b) “O Maryam! Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allah, by worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and bow down along with Ar-Raaki’oon (those who bow down)” [Aal ‘Imraan 3:43]

c) ‘When you are with the believers and about to lead them in prayer, let one group of them stand up with you.’ (4:102)

d) “Guard strictly your (habit of) prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah in a devout (frame of mind).” (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:238)

Ahadith on praying in congregation

Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) emphasized prayer in the congregation.

There are multiple ahadith in which he mentioned the virtues of praying in congregation, and he also mentioned how much he disliked the act of men praying at home.

Let us see some of the ahadith about praying in congregation.

a) “Salah (prayer) in congregation is twenty-seven times more rewarding than a Salah performed individually.” (Sahih Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

b) “A man’s prayer observed along with another is purer than his prayer observed alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with just one, and whenever there are more, it is more pleasing to Allah (SWT), the Almighty.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)

c) “If three men in a village or in the desert, make no arrangement for Salah in a congregation, Satan must have certainly overcome them. So observe Salah in the congregation, for the wolf eats up a solitary sheep that stays far from the flock.” (Sunan Abu Dawud)

d) “When a person prays in congregation his prayer gives him a reward which is 25 times the reward of his prayer at home or at his place in the market. This is so because when he performs the ablution at home, then goes out to the mosque for no reason other than attending the prayer, he is given a grade and forgiven a sin for every step he makes. When he is actually engaged in prayer, the angels bless him as long as he is at his place of worship.” (al-Bukhari, hadith No. 647)

e) “The prayers found too hard by the hypocrites are ‘Isha’ and Fajr. Had they known how much goodness they bring, they would have come crawling to join them, even though they would have to crawl. I have even thought of ordering the prayer to be held and ordering one of you to lead the prayer, then I would go with some men carrying bundles of firewood. We would go to some people who abstain from coming to prayer and I would burn their homes.” ( al-Bukhari, hadith No. 644; Muslim, hadith No. 651)

f) “Whoever hears the call must respond; his prayer away (from the mosque) is invalid unless he has a good reason.” (Abu Dawud, hadith 551; Ibn Majah, hadith No. 793; al-Hakim, vol. 1, p. 245)

g) “There we were, and only a person who was well known as a hypocrite would stay away (from the congregational prayers).” (Muslim, hadith No. 654)

h) It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A blind man [Ibn Umm Maktoom] came to the Prophet (SAW) and said:

“O Messenger of Allah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque,”

and he asked the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) to grant him a concession allowing him to pray in his house, and he allowed him that.

But when he turned away, he said, “Can you hear the call to prayer?” He said, “Yes.” He said, “Then answer it. (I do not find any concession for you.)”

Hadith on praying Taraweeh in the congregation

Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) used to pray Taraweeh in the congregation during the nights of Ramadan.

But later in his life, he discontinued this practice out of the concern that this would become mandatory for all people.

When Hazrat Umar (RA) became caliph, he continued this practice.

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said:

“Whoever stands up for prayers during (any) nights of Ramadan out of sincere faith and hoping for a reward from Allah (SWT), then all their past sins will be forgiven.” (Muslim and Bukhari)

The reward for praying in Masjid-al-Haram

Masjid al haram is located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.

It is the most sacred mosque in Islam.

It is one of the oldest and the holiest mosques for Muslims. This mosque surrounds the Holy Kaaba.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:

“One prayer in my mosque (in Madinah) is better than one thousand prayers elsewhere, except in Al-Masjid Al-Haram (in Makkah), and one prayer in the Al-Masjid Al-Haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers elsewhere.” (Al-Abaani, Sahih)

Reward of praying in Masjid al Nabawi

Masjid al Nabawi is also one of those three special mosques that will make us earn big rewards if we pray in it.

The Prophet (SAW) said:

“The prayer in my masjid (Masjid An-Nabawi) is better than one thousand (1000) prayers in any other masjid with the exception of Masjid Al-Haraam, and a prayer in Masjid Al-Haraam is better than one hundred thousand (100,000) prayers.”

Abu Ad-Dardaa’ may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him reported on the authority of the Prophet (SAW), that:

The reward for praying at the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) is equal to the reward for one hundred thousand regular prayers; the reward for praying at the Prophet’s Mosque (in Madeenah) is equal to the reward for one thousand regular prayers; and the reward for praying at the Al-’Aqsa Mosque (in Jerusalem) is equal to the reward for five hundred regular prayers. [Al-Bazzaar]

Masjid al Nabawi is located in Madinah.

It is reported in Musnad Imam Ahmad (book of Hadeeth) and Al-Mu’jam book of At-Tabarani from Anas may Allah (SWT) be pleased with him in a Marfoo’ Hadeeth (A Hadeeth that is directly attributed to the Prophet (SAW):

“Whoever performs forty times of prayer in my mosque (i.e., the Prophet’s mosque) with the congregation of the mosque, a statement of being exempt of Hellfire and a salvation from its torture will be written to him/her, and he/she is considered free from hypocrisy.”

Al-Haythami said: “Its narrators are trustworthy.”

Benefits of praying Fajr in the mosque

A Muslim starts his day when he wakes up for Fajr prayer. Fajr is the first prayer of the day performed at dawn. For Muslim men, it is obligatory to pray Fajr in the mosque, whereas women can pray at home.

There are many benefits of praying Fajr in the mosque. Let’s have a look at a few of them.

1) Fajr and Isha are two prayers that are heavy on hypocrites. Glad tidings are conveyed to those who pray these two prayers on time and in the congregation.

Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “No Salat is more burdensome to the hypocrites than the Fajr (dawn) prayer and the ‘Isha’ (night) prayer; and if they knew their merits, they would come to them even if they had to crawl to do so.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Convey glad tidings to those who walk to the mosque in the darkness. For they will be given full light on the Day of Resurrection.” – At-Tirmidhi & Abu Dawud.

2) For those who pray in the congregation at the time of Fajr and in the evening prayer, Jannah is guaranteed for them.

As reported by Abu Hurairah (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“He who goes to the mosque in the morning or in the evening, Allah prepares him a place in Jannah whenever he goes to the mosque in the morning and returns from it in the evening.” – Bukhari & Muslim

3) Those who pray Fajr in the mosque will be rewarded with paradise. They will be blessed in this world as well as in the hereafter.

The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“A day that starts with Fajr prayer is a day worth living.”

4) Angels who take shifts in the morning and evening witness the person who prays Fajr in the mosque.

As the Prophet (PBUH) said:

“There are angels who take turns in visiting you by night and by day, and they all assemble at the dawn (Fajr) and the afternoon (Asr) prayers. Those who have spent the night with you ascend to Heaven and their Lord, Who knows better about them, yet asks, ‘In what condition did you leave My servants?’ They reply, ‘We left them while they were performing salah and we went to them while they were performing salah.” – Bukhari & Muslim

5) Those who pray Fajr regularly will be kept away from the hellfire.

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said,

“Whoever performs the prayer before the rising of the sun and the prayer before its setting will not enter hell.” – Muslim

In Quran, Allah (SWT) said:

“Establish the Prayer after the declining of the sun to the dusk of night, and the recitation of Fajr. Indeed, the recitation of Fajr is witnessed.” – Surah Al-Isra’ (17:78)

6) Fajr prayer is the best and the most valuable thing in the world.