congregational Prayer for the two...???

muslimshabs

Junior Member
Asalamu alaikum ...

I would like to know the rulings for congregational prayer (Salat Al-Jama'ah) when only two brothers have to make it... as I mostly end up doing that...

jazakallahu khair...
 

-Marwan-

Junior Member
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Yes, two people are enough to pray in congregation, whether that is in the house or elsewhere. Imam al-Bukhaari (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Chapter: Two or more form a congregation (jamaa’ah).” Then he narrated the hadeeth of Maalik ibn al-Huwayrith (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “When the time for prayer comes, give the adhaan and iqaamah then let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer.” (al-Bukhaari, 658).

Hope this answers your question

:wasalam:
 

muslimshabs

Junior Member
Jazakallahu khair for reply

"...let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer"
My question is "HOW" to lead prayer... I mean How the two stand and where should the imam stand...???
 

Janaan

ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا
Staff member
: “When the time for prayer comes, give the adhaan and iqaamah then let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer.” (al-Bukhaari, 658).


:wasalam:

How is that possible...?:confused:

There's this hadeeth in Blugh al-Maraam:

Narrated `Amr bin Salima(radiyallaahu `anh) My father said, "I have come from the true prophet :saw:, so when the time of salaat comes one of you should announce the adhaan and the one of you who knows the Qur'aan most should be your Imaam." He(`Amr) said, "They looked around and there was no one who knew the Qur'aan more than I. So they put me forward in front of them and I was only six or seven years old."[Al-Bukhari, Abu Daawood and An-Nasaaii]

And another which is found in Muslim and narrated by Ibn Mas`ood who said that Allaah's messenger :saw: said, "The one who knows(iby reciatation and memorization) the book of Allaah most should be the Imaam of the people. If they are equal in the reciatation, then the one who knows the sunnah most and if they're equal in the sunnah then the earliest of them to emigrate(to Al-Madeenah) and if they're equal then the oldest among them in Islaam. In another narration, it has "agewise"....."
 

-Marwan-

Junior Member
Jazakallahu khair for reply

"...let the oldest of you two lead you in prayer"
My question is "HOW" to lead prayer... I mean How the two stand and where should the imam stand...???

:salam2:

My bad brother,

When there are only two people in Salat al-Jama'at, the Imam and the Ma'mum, then it is Mustahab that the Ma'mum position himself just behind the Imam on his right side, although, he can also stand in line with the Imam. When there are many followers, according to Ihtiyat Wajib, the followers must not stand beside the Imam, rather they must be behind him.

Hope this answers your question now

:wasalam:
 

Janaan

ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا
Staff member


My question is "HOW" to lead prayer... I mean How the two stand and where should the imam stand...???

I hope this'll answer your question,

Narrated Ibn `Abbaas(radiyallahu `anh): "I prayed(tahajjud) with Allaah's messenger :saw: one night and I stood on his left side, whereupon he took me by the back of my head and made me go around to his right side. [It's a Muttafaqun `alaih- Agreed upon]

The Imaam stands on the left side.

EDIT: Didn't see brother Marwan's post...but I suppose I can still leave this hadeeth.
 

-Marwan-

Junior Member
How is that possible...?:confused:

There's this hadeeth in Blugh al-Maraam:

Narrated `Amr bin Salima(radiyallaahu `anh) My father said, "I have come from the true prophet :saw:, so when the time of salaat comes one of you should announce the adhaan and the one of you who knows the Qur'aan most should be your Imaam." He(`Amr) said, "They looked around and there was no one who knew the Qur'aan more than I. So they put me forward in front of them and I was only six or seven years old."[Al-Bukhari, Abu Daawood and An-Nasaaii]

And another which is found in Muslim and narrated by Ibn Mas`ood who said that Allaah's messenger :saw: said, "The one who knows(iby reciatation and memorization) the book of Allaah most should be the Imaam of the people. If they are equal in the reciatation, then the one who knows the sunnah most and if they're equal in the sunnah then the earliest of them to emigrate(to Al-Madeenah) and if they're equal then the oldest among them in Islaam. In another narration, it has "agewise"....."

Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 5.595 Narrated by Amr bin Salama

That he heard the Prophet (saws) say: “Offer such-and-such prayer at such-and-such time, and when the time for the prayer becomes due, then one of you should pronounce the Adhan (for the prayer), and let the one amongst you who knows Qur'an most to lead the prayer."
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 1.653 Narrated by Malik bin Huwairth
We went to the Prophet (saws) and we were all young men and stayed with him for about twenty nights. The Prophet (saws) was very merciful. He (saws) said, "When you return home, impart religious teachings to your families and tell them to offer perfectly such and such a prayer at such and such a time and such and such a prayer at such and such a time. And at the time of the prayer one of you should pronounce the Adhan, and the oldest of you should lead the prayer."
When the believers gather to offer their congregational prayers at a place of worship or the masjid, they should offer their prayers behind the ‘imaam’ chosen and appointed by those in authority. But when the believers happen to assemble and pray amongst themselves, the criteria for choosing the ‘imaam’ amongst them should be the one who either knows the Quran more or is the oldest amongst them in age.
 

Janaan

ربنا اغفر لنا ذنوبنا
Staff member
When the believers gather to offer their congregational prayers at a place of worship or the masjid, they should offer their prayers behind the ‘imaam’ chosen and appointed by those in authority. But when the believers happen to assemble and pray amongst themselves, the criteria for choosing the ‘imaam’ amongst them should be the one who either knows the Quran more or is the oldest amongst them in age.

Err, akhy! I get the bold. But why make it bold and big? Feels like you're shouting it at me...

And I hope you see what I meant now- The one who's more "knowledgable" is sought out first than the one who's the "oldest"...
 

thariq2005

Praise be to Allah!
Assalaamu 'alaykum

The one who is being led in the prayer stands to the right of the Imaam and he stands 'in line' with the Imaam as opposed to standing slightly behind the Imaam.
 

-Marwan-

Junior Member
Err, akhy! I get the bold. But why make it bold and big? Feels like you're shouting it at me...

And I hope you see what I meant now- The one who's more "knowledgable" is sought out first than the one who's the "oldest"...

Haha sorry ukthi i tried to make it smaller but it didn't work, i was kinda confused about the oldest and knowledgable part but later got it

:wasalam:
 

muslimshabs

Junior Member

Jazakallahu khairan for the reply brother marwan and siter suhaanah...

Assalaamu 'alaykum

The one who is being led in the prayer stands to the right of the Imaam and he stands 'in line' with the Imaam as opposed to standing slightly behind the Imaam.

walaikum salaam...Brother thariq... actually I didn't mention it earlier that it is the position of the person who is being led in the prayer, that I need to know with evidences ... like brother marwan mentioned , that muqtadi should stand slightly behind imam but I always stand in line... can you just give me some scholarly views about the position of the muqtadi...

wasalaam...
 

thariq2005

Praise be to Allah!

walaikum salaam...Brother thariq... actually I didn't mention it earlier that it is the position of the person who is being led in the prayer, that I need to know with evidences ... like brother marwan mentioned , that muqtadi should stand slightly behind imam but I always stand in line... can you just give me some scholarly views about the position of the muqtadi...

wasalaam...

Here is something from IslamQA on this issue:

Could you tell me as to how should a follower stand (right next ot slightly behind) with the Imaam, if they are only two praying in Jama'a?

Praise be to Allaah.

He should stand in line with the imaam, not in front of him or behind him, but perfectly in line with him, on his right. This is how ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abbâs stood when he prayed with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). In his Saheeh, al-Bukhaari entitled a chapter Baab yaqoomu ‘an yameenihi al-Imaam bi hidhaa’ihi sawaa’: idha kaanaa ithnayn (Chapter: he should stand on the right of the imaam in line with him if they are two). In this chapter he mentioned the hadeeth of ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: “I stayed overnight in the house of my maternal aunt Maymoonah, and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed ‘Isha’, then he came and prayed four rak’ahs, then he slept, then he got up and I came and stood on his left, but he put me on his right and prayed five rak’ahs, then two rak’ahs, then he fell asleep and I heard his snoring. Then he went out for the prayer.”

Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) also said: “I came to the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) at the end of the night and prayed behind him. He pulled me until I was in line with him, and when the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) turned back to his prayer, I went back to my original position behind him. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) prayed, and when he had finished his prayer he said to me, ‘What is going on? I made you stand in line with me and you moved back.’ I said, ‘O Messenger of Allaah, is it right for anyone to pray alongside you when you are the Messenger of Allaah whom Allaah has blessed?’ He liked what I said and prayed that Allaah would increase me in knowledge and understanding.” The hadeeth was narrated by Imaam Ahmad, 1/330 and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. Its isnaad is in al-Silsilat al-Saheehah, 6060.

Then al-Albaani said: “From this hadeeth we may understand that the Sunnah is when one man is praying alone following the imaam, he should stand alongside him on his right, not in front of him or behind him. This is the madhhab of the Hanbalis, as stated in Manaar al-Sabeel, 1/128.”

‘Abd al-Razzaaq narrated that Ibn Jurayj said: “I said to ‘Ata’: ‘If a man prays with another man, where should he stand in relation to him?’ He said, ‘To his right.’ I said, ‘Should he be precisely in line with him so that neither is in front of the other?’ He said, ‘Yes.’ I said, ‘Do you prefer that they should stand close together so that there is no gap between them?’ He said, ‘Yes.’”

In al-Muwatta’ it is narrated that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Utbah ibn Mas’ood said: “I entered upon ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab at midday and found him saying Tasbeeh (in the prayer). I stood behind him and he made me come closer until I was standing in line with him on his right.”

Al-Haafiz said in al-Fath (2/191): “Some of them narrated that there was scholarly consensus that one person praying alone with the imaam should stand to the right of the imaam.”

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid
 

*pink niqaabi*

Junior Member
Assalaamu alaikum,

There are also other important points to consider when choosing who the Imam should be.

For example, where possible the Imam should not be one who openly sins such as shaving the beard or being a smoker etc.
 
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