salaam alikom
An abandoned Sunnah that must be revived:
Offering prayer in congregation
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has also greatly stressed the offering prayer in congregation and described its unique merit and excellence. He has
mentioned the importance of congregational prayer on numerous occassions The importance of the congregational Prayer (in Jam'ah) in Islam is so great
that the Muslim have been joined to observe that even in the battlefield where danger to life is extreme and it is mentioned in Quran.[surah an-Nur; 4: 102]
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that praying in congregation is far superior to praying individually. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than praying individually.”
According to Ubayy bin Ka'b (radiAllahu anhu), the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said
"If the people come to know of the great rewards and benefits of the congregational Prayer, they would never stray back but would rush to the mosque for it. The first row merits the highest rewards and should be regarded as if it consisted of pure angels. Two persons praying together merit greater rewards than each praying individually, the rule being that the larger the congregation, the higher its rewards in the sight of Allah."
[abu Dawud]
Straighten the Row and Narrow the Gap:
There are many authentic ahadeeth from the Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam concerned with the command to straighten the rows (for congregational prayer). However it remains unknown to many that straightening the rows requires straightening it with the feet.In these two ahadeeth there are a number of important points of benefit and fiqh.
1. The obligation to straighten the rows for salaah and to stand close together in them, due to the command mentioned in the ahadeeth
2.The forming and straightening of the rows mentioned in the hadeeth is only achieved by joining the shoulder and the side of ones foot with the shoulder
and foot of the adjacent person
The two authentic ahadeeth on this topic: The first is the hadeeth reported by Anas, and the second is that reported by An-Nu’maan ibn Basheer, may
Allaah be pleased with them both.
#1- The hadeeth is reported by al-Bukharee, from Humayd at-Taweel who said Anas ibn Maalik narrated to us saying: "The call for commencing of
salaah was made, the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam) turned to us and said..." "Straighten your rows and come close together, for
indeed I see you behind my back" Also adding at the end "each of us would adjoin his shoulder with that of his companion (standing next to him) and his foot with that of his companion"
#2-The Hadeeth of an-Nu’maan ibn Basheer
from Abil-Qaasim al-Jadalee Husayn ibnil-Haarith who said; I heard an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer say: "The Messenger of Allaah Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam
turned to us and said..." "Straighten your rows (he said it three times),by Allaah either you straighten your rows or Allaah will cause conflict between
your hearts." Then an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer added: ".So I saw each man joining his shoulder; knee and ankle with that of his companion."
in another Hadith Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam said: "Servants of Allaah! You either straight.. your rows, or Allaah would cause your faces to differ
---Look down without looking around:
The Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam said, "What is wrong with those people who look towards the sky during the Salat (prayer)?" his talk grew sternwhile delivering this speech and he said, "They should stop [looking towards the sky during the Salat (prayer)]; otherwise their eyes would be snatched away." [Bukhari 1.717, Narrated Anas bin Malik]
I asked Allah's Messenger Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam about looking hither and thither in As-Salat (the prayer). He replied, "It is a way of stealing by
which Satan takes away (a portion) from the Salat (prayer) of a person." [Bukhari 1.718, Narrated 'Aisha]
It is one thing to say that Islam does not compel women to go to mosques for praying in congregation burdened as they are with the duties of providing nurturing care and love for their family; it is another to say that they are not supposed to make use of the opportunity to reap the rewards of congregational prayer whenever and wherever an opportunity arises for them to avail of such rewards.
We are confirmed in the above reasoning when we know from the practice of the Mothers of the Believers that they availed themselves of the opportunity of praying in congregation whenever they had an opportunity to do so. Thus, aside from the fact that the women during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in congregation in the mosque, they also used to pray in jama`ah at other times whenever they were all by themselves. We read in the sources that both `A’ishah and Umm Salamah, the most knowledgeable among the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), used to lead women in congregational Prayers. We also read in the sources that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Umm Waraqah to lead the members of her household in Prayers.
Question:
Is it better for women in the prayer-rooms of women’s colleges to pray together in jamaa’ah or individually? Which will bring the greater reward?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:
It is better for them to pray in jamaa’ah, if possible, but the reward of twenty-seven times more applies only to men, because praying in jamaa’ah is obligatory for them.
“The correct view is that for women to pray in jamaa’ah, and for a woman to lead other women in prayer, are things that are permitted in Islam and indeed are mustahabb for them. The evidence (daleel) for that is the hadeeth of Um Waraqah that we have referred to above, in which it states that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave her permission to lead the (female) members of her household in prayer… It is also confirmed by the fact that some of the Mothers of the Believers led other women in prayer. It was reported from Laytah al-Hanafiyyah (from the tribe of Banu Haneefah) that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers led them in the obligatory prayer. And it was narrated from Tameemah bint Saleemah that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) led women in Maghrib prayer, and that she stood in the middle of them and recited Qur’aan aloud. It was also narrated that Um Salamah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to lead women in prayer in Ramadaan, and that she stood with them in the row. And it was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar used to tell one of his slave women to lead his womenfolk in prayer in Ramadaan.”
Al-Muhalla, 4/119-200
Al-Mufassal fi Ahkaamal-Mar’ah, p. 254
wa` salaam alikom..
An abandoned Sunnah that must be revived:
Offering prayer in congregation
The Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) has also greatly stressed the offering prayer in congregation and described its unique merit and excellence. He has
mentioned the importance of congregational prayer on numerous occassions The importance of the congregational Prayer (in Jam'ah) in Islam is so great
that the Muslim have been joined to observe that even in the battlefield where danger to life is extreme and it is mentioned in Quran.[surah an-Nur; 4: 102]
the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that praying in congregation is far superior to praying individually. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than praying individually.”
According to Ubayy bin Ka'b (radiAllahu anhu), the Prophet (salAllahu alayhi wasalam) said
"If the people come to know of the great rewards and benefits of the congregational Prayer, they would never stray back but would rush to the mosque for it. The first row merits the highest rewards and should be regarded as if it consisted of pure angels. Two persons praying together merit greater rewards than each praying individually, the rule being that the larger the congregation, the higher its rewards in the sight of Allah."
[abu Dawud]
Straighten the Row and Narrow the Gap:
There are many authentic ahadeeth from the Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam concerned with the command to straighten the rows (for congregational prayer). However it remains unknown to many that straightening the rows requires straightening it with the feet.In these two ahadeeth there are a number of important points of benefit and fiqh.
1. The obligation to straighten the rows for salaah and to stand close together in them, due to the command mentioned in the ahadeeth
2.The forming and straightening of the rows mentioned in the hadeeth is only achieved by joining the shoulder and the side of ones foot with the shoulder
and foot of the adjacent person
The two authentic ahadeeth on this topic: The first is the hadeeth reported by Anas, and the second is that reported by An-Nu’maan ibn Basheer, may
Allaah be pleased with them both.
#1- The hadeeth is reported by al-Bukharee, from Humayd at-Taweel who said Anas ibn Maalik narrated to us saying: "The call for commencing of
salaah was made, the Messenger of Allaah (Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam) turned to us and said..." "Straighten your rows and come close together, for
indeed I see you behind my back" Also adding at the end "each of us would adjoin his shoulder with that of his companion (standing next to him) and his foot with that of his companion"
#2-The Hadeeth of an-Nu’maan ibn Basheer
from Abil-Qaasim al-Jadalee Husayn ibnil-Haarith who said; I heard an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer say: "The Messenger of Allaah Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam
turned to us and said..." "Straighten your rows (he said it three times),by Allaah either you straighten your rows or Allaah will cause conflict between
your hearts." Then an-Nu'maan ibn Basheer added: ".So I saw each man joining his shoulder; knee and ankle with that of his companion."
in another Hadith Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam said: "Servants of Allaah! You either straight.. your rows, or Allaah would cause your faces to differ
---Look down without looking around:
The Prophet Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam said, "What is wrong with those people who look towards the sky during the Salat (prayer)?" his talk grew sternwhile delivering this speech and he said, "They should stop [looking towards the sky during the Salat (prayer)]; otherwise their eyes would be snatched away." [Bukhari 1.717, Narrated Anas bin Malik]
I asked Allah's Messenger Sallallaahu ‘alayhiwasalam about looking hither and thither in As-Salat (the prayer). He replied, "It is a way of stealing by
which Satan takes away (a portion) from the Salat (prayer) of a person." [Bukhari 1.718, Narrated 'Aisha]
For women
is equally agreed upon among scholars and jurists that all general statements shall be interpreted as general unless there is evidence to indicate otherwise. Since there is nothing in the sources to suggest that the above rule about superiority of jama`ah Prayer is applicable to men only, there is no reason to exclude women from such rewards. It is one thing to say that Islam does not compel women to go to mosques for praying in congregation burdened as they are with the duties of providing nurturing care and love for their family; it is another to say that they are not supposed to make use of the opportunity to reap the rewards of congregational prayer whenever and wherever an opportunity arises for them to avail of such rewards.
We are confirmed in the above reasoning when we know from the practice of the Mothers of the Believers that they availed themselves of the opportunity of praying in congregation whenever they had an opportunity to do so. Thus, aside from the fact that the women during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed in congregation in the mosque, they also used to pray in jama`ah at other times whenever they were all by themselves. We read in the sources that both `A’ishah and Umm Salamah, the most knowledgeable among the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), used to lead women in congregational Prayers. We also read in the sources that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Umm Waraqah to lead the members of her household in Prayers.
When women get together, is it better for them to pray in jamaa’ah or individually?
Question:
Is it better for women in the prayer-rooms of women’s colleges to pray together in jamaa’ah or individually? Which will bring the greater reward?
Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.
We put this question to Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, may Allaah preserve him, who answered as follows:
It is better for them to pray in jamaa’ah, if possible, but the reward of twenty-seven times more applies only to men, because praying in jamaa’ah is obligatory for them.
“The correct view is that for women to pray in jamaa’ah, and for a woman to lead other women in prayer, are things that are permitted in Islam and indeed are mustahabb for them. The evidence (daleel) for that is the hadeeth of Um Waraqah that we have referred to above, in which it states that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) gave her permission to lead the (female) members of her household in prayer… It is also confirmed by the fact that some of the Mothers of the Believers led other women in prayer. It was reported from Laytah al-Hanafiyyah (from the tribe of Banu Haneefah) that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers led them in the obligatory prayer. And it was narrated from Tameemah bint Saleemah that ‘Aa’ishah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) led women in Maghrib prayer, and that she stood in the middle of them and recited Qur’aan aloud. It was also narrated that Um Salamah the Mother of the Believers (may Allaah be pleased with her) used to lead women in prayer in Ramadaan, and that she stood with them in the row. And it was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar used to tell one of his slave women to lead his womenfolk in prayer in Ramadaan.”
Al-Muhalla, 4/119-200
Al-Mufassal fi Ahkaamal-Mar’ah, p. 254
wa` salaam alikom..