After the testimony of faith, the prayer is the most important of all commandments in Islam. One of the most important aspects of the prayer for men is to pray the obligatory prayers in congregation (known in Arabic as jamā’ah). This should normally take place in the local mosque; however, even when there is no mosque nearby, the obligatory prayers must still be offered in congregation. As for women, they are not required to pray in congregation, but they may do so if they wish, and if there are appropriate facilities available.
The seriousness of praying in congregation is shown in the following verse of the Qur’an:
“When you (O Messenger Muhammad) are among them, and lead them in As‑Salaah (the prayer), let one party of them stand up [in Salaah (prayer)] with you taking their arms with them; when they finish their prostrations, let them take their positions in the rear and let the other party come up which have not yet prayed, and let them pray with you” [The Qur’an: an-Nisā’ 4:102]
The following points are made on the basis of this verse:
Allah commands the believers to pray in congregation, then He repeats this command a second time with regard to the second party or group, as He says, “and let the other party come up which have not yet prayed, and let them pray with you”. This indicates that prayer in congregation is an obligation for all individuals, because Allah did not absolve the second group of this obligation as a result of the first group having prayed in congregation. If prayer in congregation was only something recommended, it would be more appropriate for people to be excused from it at times of fear [the situation referred to in this verse], and if it were a communal obligation, it would be discharged by the actions of the first group. So this verse shows that it is an individual obligation upon every male Muslim.
The second proof to show how serious praying in congregation is the following narration:
Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I had thought of ordering that wood be gathered, then I would command the call to prayer to be given, and I would appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would go to men [who do not attend the congregational prayer] and burn their houses down around them. By the One in Whose hand is my soul, if anyone of you had known that he would receive a bone covered with meat or two (small) pieces of meat from a sheep’s foot, he would attend the ‘Ishā’ prayer.” [al-Bukhārī: 7224; Muslim: 651]
Benefits of Praying in Congregation
There are many benefits of praying in congregation, one of the greatest being that the reward of your prayer is multiplied many times over, as mentioned in the following narration:
“Prayer in congregation is twenty-five levels better than a prayer offered on one’s own.” [an-Nasā’ī: 839]
Narrated `Abdullah bin `Umar: Allah’s Messenger (May the Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“The prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer offered by person alone.” [al-Bukhārī: 646]
Praying in congregation also gives you protection from the devil, as is mentioned in the following narration:
Abū ad-Dardā’ narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) 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.” [Abū Dāwood: 547].
Praying Behind An Imām
The one who leads others in prayer is known in Arabic as an imām.
A man may lead both men and women in prayer, but a woman may only lead other women in prayer.
The Arrangement of the Rows
The arrangement of the people praying is as follows:
- If there are two men praying together, they stand level with each other, with the imām on the left, and the follower on the right.
- If there is more than two men, the imām stands in front, and the two man form a row behind.
- The rows continue, according to the available space, with the imām approximately in the centre and in front of the first row.
- If there are any women praying, they always pray behind the men, even if there is only one man as an imām and one woman following. The evidence for this is the narration of Anas ibn Mālik: “that his grandmother Mulaykah invited the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to a meal that she had made for him, and he ate some, then he said: ‘Get up and let me lead you in prayer.’ Anas said: I went and got a reed mat of ours that had become blackened from long use, and sprinkled it with water. Then the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stood, and the orphan and I stood behind him, and the old lady stood behind us…” [al-Bukhārī: 380, Muslim: 658].
- If there is a woman leading other women in prayer, she does not stand in front of the other women, but stands in the centre of the first row. The evidence for this is the narrations of ‘Aa’ishah and Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that when a woman leads other women in prayer, she should stand in the middle of them. [Muṣnnaf ‘Abdurrazzāq and others]
As for when there are rows of men and rows of women praying in the same room or hall, they should be as far apart as possible, with the men’s rows starting at the front, and the women’s rows at the back, because of the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“The best rows for men are the front ones and the worst are the back ones, and the best rows for women are the back ones and the worst are the front ones.” [Ibn Mājah: 1001]
Straightening the Rows and Closing the Gaps
When standing in the rows for prayer, it is important that the row is straight, and that there are no gaps between people. There are numerous narrations regarding the importance of this, including the following narration of Abū Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“…Make the rows straight and do not differ, lest your hearts differ…” [Muslim: 432]
As well as the narration of an-Nu’mān ibn Basheer (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
“The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) used to straighten our rows, as if he was straightening the shaft of an arrow, until he saw that we had learned it. Then he came out one day and was about to say the takbeer, when he noticed a man whose chest was sticking out from the row. He said: ‘Slaves of Allaah! Make your rows straight or Allaah will cause discord among you.'” [al-Bukhārī: 717, Muslim: 436]
As for removing the gaps in the row, ‘Abdullāh Ibn ‘Umar narrated that:
“The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Straighten the rows, for you form rows like the angels, and keep your shoulders in line with one another, and fill the gaps, and do not leave any room for the devil. Whoever joins a row to complete it, Allah will take care of him, and whoever interrupts a row, Allah will cut him off.” [Abū Dāwood: 666]
Following the Imām and not Preceding Him
It is particularly important that the imām is followed, and that all of the actions of the prayer (with the exception of saying aameen) occur after the imām, without preceding the imām, and without lagging behind. The evidence for this is the narration of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“The imām has only been made to follow, so when he says Allaahu Akbar, then say Allaahu Akbar; and when he bows, then bow; and when he says, sami’ allaahu li-man ḥamidah, then say, rabbanaa wa lakal-ḥamd; and when he prostrates, then prostrate; and if he prays sitting, then pray sitting altogether.” [al-Bukhārī: 734]
With regard to preceding the imām, the following narration of Abū Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Does the one who raises his head before the imam not fear that Allah may turn his head into the head of a donkey, or make his form like that of a donkey?” [an-Nasā’ī: 828]
Praying With Different Intentions
It is sometimes the case that you will wish to join a prayer with a different intention to that of the person leading the prayer. For example, a person may be praying a voluntary prayer, and you wish to join them to pray your obligatory prayer. Likewise, a person may be praying ‘Aṣr prayer, and you are travelling and want to pray Dhuhr prayer.
Generally, it is permissible for a person praying an obligatory prayer to lead a person praying a voluntary prayer, and likewise for a person praying a voluntary prayer to lead a person praying an obligatory prayer. It is also permissible to pray a different obligatory prayer than the obligatory prayer which is currently being performed (should you have a valid reason for doing so, such as travelling), and likewise a different voluntary prayer from the voluntary prayer currently being performed.
The evidence for this can be found in the following narrations:
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “Mu’ādh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray with the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then he would go to his people and lead them in prayer…”[Muslim: 465]
Abū Sa’eed al-Khudrī (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: “One day the Messenger (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was sitting with his companions when a man came in after the prayer had finished, and he said: ‘Who will give charity to this man and pray with him?’ One of the people got up and prayed with the man.” [at-Tirmidhi: 220]
Both of these narrations show people leading others with a difference in intention. In the first narration, the person praying a voluntary prayer leads those who are praying an obligatory prayer, and in the second narration, the person praying an obligatory prayer leads a person praying a voluntary prayer.
As for the differences in the prayer itself, there are three situations:
- The prayer of the imām and the person following are the same length. In this case, there is no confusion or difficulty. For example, a traveller prays Dhuhr prayer behind an imām praying ‘Aṣr prayer. Both are the same length, so there is no problem.
- The prayer of the imām is shorter than the prayer of the person following. In this case, the person following has to make up the extra part of the prayer at the end. For example, a man praying a two rak’ah voluntary prayer leads a person who is praying a four rak’ah obligatory prayer. At the end of the prayer, instead of giving the tasleem, the person following stands up, and makes up an extra two units of prayer.
- The prayer of the imām is longer than the prayer of the person following. If the person following is praying a voluntary prayer, this is no problem, and they can simply extend their voluntary prayer to the length of the prayer of the imām. The difficulty occurs if the person following is praying an obligatory prayer which is shorter than the obligatory prayer of the imām. Neither of them can change the length of their prayer, because they are obligatory. The most common example of this is a traveller who wishes to pray Maghrib (which is three units of prayer in length) behind an imām who is praying ‘Ishā (which is four units of prayer in length). In this case, there are two options for the person following the imām:
- At the end of the third rak’ah, when the imām stands up to pray the fourth, the person makes the intention to stop following the imām, and sits in the position of the final tashahhud, without saying anything, and waits until the imām comes back to that position, then joins the imām in the final tashahhud.
- At the end of the third rak’ah, when the imām stands up to pray the fourth, the person makes the intention to stop following the imām, and performs the final tashahhud on their own, then says the tasleem. They then stand up and join the imām in the ‘Ishā’ prayer, as though they were a latecomer.
Lateness & Making Up The Prayer
You may not always begin the prayer with the imām. There are various matters that you need to be aware of relating to lateness and making up parts of the prayer.
How to Join the Congregational Prayer Late
The most important thing in joining the congregational prayer late is that you should perform the takbeerat-ul-iḥrām (the opening takbeer). Without this, the prayer is not valid. So, before joining the action which the imām is doing, you should stand in the appropriate place, raise your hands to shoulder or ear level, and say: ‘Allaahu Akbar‘. Then, you should immediately join the imām in the action that he is doing. So, if he is prostrating, you should immediately prostrate, without doing any of the actions that come before. You should not wait for the imām to move, or wait for him to stand, as some people do. This is because of the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“The imām has only been made to follow, so when he says Allaahu Akbar, then say Allaahu Akbar; and when he bows, then bow; and when he says, sami’ allaahu li-man ḥamidah, then say, rabbanaa wa lakal-ḥamd; and when he prostrates, then prostrate; and if he prays sitting, then pray sitting altogether.” [al-Bukhārī: 734]
If There Is Only One Person Praying
If there is only one person praying, and you want to join the prayer, it is important that the person knows and accepts that they are going to be leading you in prayer. The simplest way to achieve this is to tap them gently on the shoulder, so that they are aware that they are going to be leading someone in prayer. However, if they show that they are aware of this, by making space for you, or something similar, then this is also acceptable.
It was narrated that Ibn ‘Abbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“I stayed overnight with my maternal aunt. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) got up to pray at night and I got up to pray with him. I stood on his left and he took hold of my head and made me stand on his right.” [Muslim: 763]
If There Are Two People Praying
As mentioned in the arrangement of the rows, two people stand next to each other, and three people stand with the imām in front. If two people are praying and you wish to join them, simply tap the person who is following the imām on the shoulder, and they will move backwards in their prayer to form a row behind the imām.
It was narrated that Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
“The Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was praying in Ramaḍān, and I came and stood beside him, and another man came and stood too, until there was a group of us. When the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) realized that I was behind him, he made his prayer brief.” [Muslim: 1104]
How Many Rak’ah to Make Up?
When joining the imām late, it is important to count the number of rak’ah (units of prayer) that you pray with the imām, so that you know how many to make up. A rak’ah is counted as long as you catch the imām in rukoo’ (the bowing position), or before. So, if you come into the masjid, and the imām is bowing, and you say the opening takbeer, and then join the imām in the bowing position, then this rak’ah is counted as a full unit of prayer, even though you may have missed a part of it. The evidence for this is the narration of Abū Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that:
“He came to the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) when he was bowing and he bowed with him, before he reached the row. He mentioned that to the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and he said: ‘May Allah make you more keen, and do not do it again.'” [al-Bukhārī: 783]
The words ‘do not do it again’ in this narration refer to him bowing before the row and shuffling forward, and not the fact that he caught the imām bowing. The evidence for this is that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) didn’t command him to repeat the prayer, or to make up an extra rak’ah, as well as the fact that he bowed with the imām in the first place, showing that he had an understanding that this would count as making up the entire unit of the prayer.
There is further evidence for this from the narration of Ibn Mas’ood (may Allaah be pleased with him) that he said:
“Whoever does not catch up with the imām when he is bowing has not caught up with that rak’ah.” [al-Bayhaqi]
Therefore, if you catch the imām while he is bowing in the first rak’ah, there is nothing to make up from the prayer, and you finish the prayer with the imām. However, if you join the prayer later than that, you have to count how many rak’ah you perform with the imām, and whatever is missing at the end you have to make up.
How to Make Up the Missing Rak’ah
You must follow the imām in everything that he does, up until the tasleem, when he says: ‘Assalaamu ‘alaykum waraḥmatullaah’. At this point, wait until he finishes saying it to both sides, and do not follow him in doing so; rather, you should stand up without saying the tasleem.
The key to making up the missing number of rak’ah is to concentrate on the number that you have prayed, and then to imagine that you are in that position in your regular prayer. For example, if you join the imām for Dhuhr and you only caught one rak’ah with the imām, stand up as though you are in your second rak’ah. That means that you are going to sit for the middle tashahhud in this rak’ah, then you are going to stand for your third and fourth rak’ah, just like you would in your normal prayer.
To give another example, if you join the imām for Maghrib prayer, and you join him in the second rak’ah, you would sit for the middle tashahhud immediately (because you follow the imām in everything that he does). You would then stand up for your second rak’ah and the imām’s third, and would sit for the final tashahhud with the imām. You would then stand up for your third rak’ah, and would sit for the final tashahhud at the end of it (as is the norm in the third rak’ah of Maghrib).
