Congregational Prayer & Imam

The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Allah will give shade, to seven, on the Day when there will be no shade but His. (These seven persons are) a just ruler, a youth who has been brought up in the worship of Allah (i.e. worships Allah sincerely from childhood), a man whose heart is attached to the mosques (i.e. to pray the compulsory prayers in the mosque in congregation), two persons who love each other only for Allah's sake and they meet and part in Allah's cause only, a man who refuses the call of a charming woman of noble birth for illicit intercourse with her and says: I am afraid of Allah, a man who gives charitable gifts so secretly that his left hand does not know what his right hand has given (i.e. nobody knows how much he has given in charity), and a person who remembers Allah in seclusion and his eyes are then flooded with tears."

Anas was asked, "Did Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) wear a ring?" He said, "Yes. Once he delayed the `Isha' prayer till midnight and after the prayer, he faced us and said, 'The people prayed and have slept and you remained in prayer as long as you waited for it.' " Anas added, "As if I were just now observing the glitter of his ring."

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) passed by a man praying two rak`at after the Iqama (had been pronounced). When Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) completed the prayer, the people gathered around him (the Prophet) or that man and Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said to him (protesting), Are there four rak`at in Fajr prayer? Are there four rak`at in Fajr prayer?"

Ibn `Umar said, "Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) said, 'If the supper is served for anyone of you and the Iqama is pronounced, start with the supper and don't be in haste (and carry on eating) till you finish it." If food was served for Ibn `Umar and Iqama was pronounced, he never came to the prayer till he finished it (i.e. food) in spite of the fact that he heard the recitation (of the Qur'an) by the Imam (in the prayer).

My father said, "The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'When I stand for prayer, I intend to prolong it but on hearing the cries of a child, I cut it short, as I dislike to trouble the child's mother.' "

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) fell from a horse and got injured so he led the prayer sitting and we also prayed sitting. When he completed the prayer he said, "The Imam is to be followed; if he says Takbir then say Takbir, bow if he bows; raise your heads when he raises his head, when he says, 'Sami`a l-lahu liman hamidah say, 'Rabbana laka l-hamd', and prostrate when he prostrates."

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The purification of the utensil belonging to any one of you, after it is licked by a dog, lies in washing it seven times, using sand for the first time.

Of the a hadith narrated by Abu Huraira from Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), one is this: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The purification of the utensil belonging to one amongst you, after it is licked by a dog, lies in washing it seven times.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) forbade to urinate in stagnant water.

" She (A'isha) reported: I used to wash it from the garment of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)."

I stayed in the house of 'A'isha and had a wet dream (and perceived its effect on my garment), so (in the morning) I dipped both (the clothes) in water. This (act of mine) was watched by a maid-servant of A'isha and she informed her. She (Hadrat A'isha) sent me a message: Whatprompted you to act like this with your clothes? He (the narrator) said: I told that I saw in a dream what a sleeper sees. She said: Did you find (any mark of the fluid) on your clothes? I said: No. She said: Had you found anything you should have washed it. Incase I found that (semen) on the garment of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) dried up, I scraped it off with my nails.

It was narrated from Abdullah bin As Saib that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prayed on the day of Conquest (of Makkah), and he put his sandals to his left.

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to gently pat our shoulders (to make sure the row was straight) at the time of prayer, and he-would say:'Keep (the rows) straight; do not differ from one another lest your hearts would be afflicted with discord. Let those who are mature and wise stand closest to me, then those who are next to them, then those who are next to them."' Abu Mas'ud said: Today, there is much disharmony among you. ,Abu 'Abdur-Rabin (An-Nasai)said: (One of the narrators) Abu Ma'mar's name is 'Abdullah bin Sakhbarah.

"Abu Musa led us in prayer and when he was sitting, a man from among the people entered and said: 'Prayer is based on righteousness and is always mentioned alongside Zakah (in the Qur'an).' When Abu Musa had said the Salam, he turned to the people and said: 'Which of you spoke these words?' The people kept quiet. Then he said: 'O Hittan, perhaps you said it?' He said: 'No, but I was afraid that you would rebuke me for it.' He said: 'The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) taught us our prayer and Sunnah prayers, and he said: The Imam is appointed to be followed, so when he says the Takbir, say the Takbir; when he says "Not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger, nor of those who went astray," say Amin, and Allah will respond to you; when he rises up from bowing and says, 'Sami' Allalhu liman hamidah (Allah hears those who praise Him), say 'Rabbana lakal-hamd (Our Lord, to You be praise),' and Allah will hear you; when he prostrates, prostrate, and when he sits up, sit up. The Imam should prostrate before you do and sit up before you do.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'This makes up for that.'"

"A man from the Ansar came when the Iqamah for prayer had been said. He entered the Masjid and prayed behind Muadh, and he(Muadh) made the prayer lengthy. The man went away and prayed in a comer of the Masjid, then he left. When Muadh finished praying, it was said to him that so-and-so had done such and such. Muadh said: 'Tomorrow I will mention that to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).' So Muadh came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) and told him about that. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent for him and asked him: 'What made you do what you did? He said: '0 Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), I had been working with my camel to bring water all day, and when I came the Iqamah for prayer had already been said, so I entered the Masjid and joined him in the prayer, then he recited such and such a Surah and made it lengthy, so I went away and prayed in a comer of the Masjid.' The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: 'Do you want to cause hardship to the people, 0 Muadh do you want to cause hardship to the people, 0 Muadh do you want to cause hardship to the people, 0 Muadh?"'

837. It was narrated from Abu Bakr that the Prophet (ﷺ) offered the fear prayer (Salat Al-Khauf). He led those who were behind him in two Rak'ah and those who came (after them) in two Rak'ah, so the Prophet (ﷺ) prayed four Rak'ahs and each group prayed two.

I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: If there are three men in a village or in the desert among whom prayer is not offered (in congregation), the devil has got the mastery over them. So observe (prayer) in congregation), for the wolf eats only the straggling animal. Sa'ib said: By the word Jama'ah he meant saying prayer in company or in congregation.

If anyone hears him who makes the call to prayer and is not prevented from joining the congregation by any excuse--he was asked what an excuse consisted of and replied that it was fear or illness--the prayer he offers will not be accepted from him.

Ibn Umm Maktum asked the Prophet (ﷺ) saying: Messenger of Allah, I am a blind man, my house is far away (from the mosque), and I have a guide who does not follow me. Is it possible that permission be granted to me for saying prayer in my house? He asked: Do you hear summons (adhan)? He said: Yes. He said: I do not find any permission for you.

The one of you who is most versed in the Books of Allah should act as imam for the people; and the one who is the earliest of them in reciting (the Qur'an); if they are equally versed in reciting it, then the earliest of them to emigrate (to Medina); if they emigrated at the same time, then the oldest of them. No man must lead another in prayer in his house (i.e. in the house of a latter) or where the latter has authority, or sit in his place of honor without his permission. Shu'bah said: I asked Isma'il: what is the meaning of his place of honor? He replied: his throne.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: The imam is appointed only to be followed. This version adds: When he recites (the Qur'an), keep silent."

Abu Dawud said: The addition of the words "When he recites, keep silent" in this version are not guarded. The misunderstanding, according to us, is on the part of Abu Khalid (a narrator).

Allah's Messenger said: "Salat in congregation is twenty-seven degrees more virtuous than a man's Salat alone."

the Prophet said: "I was about to order my boys to collect bundles of firewood, then order Salat to be held, then burn (the homes) of the people who did not attend the Salat."

Allah's Messenger said: "The one who recites most of the Book of Allah is to lead the people (in prayers). If they are equal in recitation, then the most knowledgeable in the Sunnah among them. If they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest of them to emigrate. If they are equal in their emigration then the eldest among them. And a man is not to be led in prayer in the place of his authority, and his spot of esteem in his home is not to be sat on without his permission."

the Prophet said: "When one of you leads the people in prayer then let him be brief, for indeed here are among them the young and the old, the weak and the ill. When one of you prays alone, then let him pray as he wishes."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The prayer of a man in congregation is twenty-seven levels more virtuous than a man's prayer on his own.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The prayer of a man in congregation is higher than his prayer on his own by twenty-four or twenty-five levels."

The Prophet said: "Whoever hears the call and does not come, his prayer is not valid, except for those who have an excuse."

"The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "The people should be lead by the one who is most well-Versed in recitation of the Book of Allah. If they are equal in recitation, then they should be led by the one who emigrated first. If they are equal in emigration, then they should be led by the eldest. A man should not be led among his family or in his place of authority; no one should be sat in his place of honour in his house without permission, or without his permission.'"

I am sending you on the same mission as the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent me: do not leave any raised grave without levelling it or any image without erasing it.

The Prophet (ﷺ) said: "There is no obedience to any human being if it involves disobedience to Allah."

I was a man who emitted a great deal of madhi but I felt too shy to ask the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) about it because his daughter was married to me, so I told a man to ask him and he said: "For that, do wudoo’."

“Do not pray after ‘Asr unless you pray when the sun is still high.” Sufyan said: I do not know whether he meant in Makkah or anywhere close.

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) sent Abu Marthad, az-Zubair bin al-"Awwam and me on a mission, and we were all horsemen. He said: “Go out until you come to Rawdat Khakh." This is how Ibn Abu Shaibah said it “Khakh.” Ibn Numair said in his Hadeeth: "Rawdat such and such.” And Ibn Numair said: "Affan told us: Khalid told us: from Husain... a similar report. He said “Rawdat Khakh."

Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said, "The people will perspire on the Day of Resurrection and their perspiration will be seventy cubits down in the earth and it will reach up to their ears (they will be bridled with it)".

[Al-Bukhari and Muslim].

We were in the company of Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) when we heard a bang. Thereupon Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said. "Do you know what this (sound) is?" We said, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He (ﷺ) said, "That is a stone which was thrown into Hell seventy years before and it has just reached its bottom".

[Muslim].

I heard Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying, "He who is afraid of the pillage of the enemy, sets out in the early part of the night; and he who sets out early, reaches his destination. Be on your guard that the commodity of Allah is precious. Verily the commodity of Allah is Jannah".

[At-Tirmidhi].