99471: He fell asleep and missed prayer in congregation

I have been late to pray asr in congregation for some time. I tried hard not to
sleep, but about one hour or a bit less before prayer time I fall asleep. I
repented to Allah and vowed that I will not sleep again before asr time so that
I do not miss praying in congregation. But after this vow I again slept before
asr

time.

What is the ruling on this? Do I have to fulfill this vow? What is the ruling on
the days I fell asleep after I vowed?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We ask Allaah to reward you for your eagerness to pray in congregation, and
for your efforts to do so regularly. We ask Him to enable you to do all that is
good.
It should be noted that you are dealing with a Lord Who is generous, kind and
merciful; He is more merciful towards His slaves than they are to themselves.
He is watching over your heart and He knows what is on your mind. If He sees
that your intention is sincere, He will decree the reward for you in full, and He
will overlook every mistake and shortcoming.
Shareeah excuses the one who falls asleep, if he misses prayer in
congregation or he misses the time of prayer altogether, so long as he availed
himself of the appropriate means and tried hard to catch up with the prayer in
congregation. If sleep overtook him after that because of something that was
beyond his control, without any shortcoming or negligence on his part, then
Allaah will forgive him, for He does not burden any soul beyond its scope.

Al-Bukhaari (570) and Muslim (681) narrated from Abu Qataadah (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was with some of his companions on a journey, and they halted at the
end of the night. He lay down his head, then he said: Guard our prayer for
us. The first one to wake up was the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). When the sun was on his back. We woke up,
startled, then he said, Ride on. So we rode on and traveled until the sun
had risen, then he stopped and called for the water vessel I had with me, in
which there was a little water. He did wudoo from it, using less water than
usual. A little water was left in it, and he said to Abu Qataadah, Guard your
water vessel, for you will see something happen with it. Then Bilaal gave the
call to prayer and the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) prayed two rakahs, then he prayed Fajr, and did as he did every
day. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
rode on and we rode with him, and we began to whisper to one another,
saying: What expiation is there for what we have done by neglecting our
prayer? Then he said: Do you not have an example in me? Then he said:
There is no negligence in sleep, rather negligence is the fault of one who
does not pray until the time for the next prayer comes. Whoever does that, let
him pray when he remembers it, and if it is the following day, then let him
pray at the time of the prayer (that he missed).
Think about what the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said to his companions: Guard our prayer for us. You will see that it
indicates that it is essential to take the necessary means to offer prayer on
time and to pray in congregation, but the effort and exhaustion caused by

travel prevented them from waking up at the time of Fajr, and they only woke
up when the sun has risen, so they had an excuse in that case.
Al-Nawawi said in Sharh Muslim (5/186):
This is evidence for that on which the scholars are unanimously agreed, that
the sleeper is not accountable. End quote.
It says in al-Mawsooah al-Fiqhiyyah (7/187):
It may be understood from this hadeeth that if a person thinks it most likely
that if he sleeps he will miss the prayer, he should tell someone to wake him
up. End quote.
To sum up: If you need to sleep before the prayer but are keen to wake up,
and you tell someone in your family to wake you up, or you set an alarm clock,
there is nothing wrong with that, and the Muslim is not sinning if he misses
prayer in congregation or misses the time for prayer (in that case).
Secondly:
As for the vow you made, you should have fulfilled it. As you did not do that,
you have to offer the expiation for breaking an oath (kafaarat yameen),
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The
expiation for breaking a vow is kafaarat yameen. Narrated by Muslim (1645).
You only have to offer one expiation, even if there were many days on which
you slept before Asr, because the vow is dissolved when it is broken and it
does not remain in effect.
Kafaarat yameen is freeing a slave or feeding ten poor persons with the
average kind of food that you eat, or clothing them. If you cannot do one of
these three things, then you have to fast for three days.

See also the answer to question no. 45676

And Allaah knows best.
Islam Q&A

96871: It is mustahabb to pray in congregation when making

up missed prayers

Should missed prayers be made up individually or in congregation? We went

out in the countryside one day and we did not wake up for Fajr prayer. After
the sun had risen, we made up the prayer, praying individually, because the
time for the prayer had ended. Is what we did correct?.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is prescribed to pray in congregation when making up missed prayers,

because of the report narrated by al-Bukhaari (595), Muslim (681) and alNasaai (846) from Abu Qataadah who said: We were with the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) (on a journey) and some of
the people said: Why dont you let us stop to rest (at the end of the night) O
Messenger of Allaah? He said: I am afraid that you will sleep and miss the
prayer. Bilaal said: I will keep watch for you. So they lay down and went to
sleep, and Bilaal leaned back against his mount. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) woke up and saw that the edge
of the suns disk had risen. He said: O Bilaal, what about what you said? He
said: I have never slept like that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: Allaah took your souls when He willed
and He returned them when He willed. Get up, O Bilaal, and call the people to
prayer. So Bilaal got up and called the people to prayer, and they did wudoo,
i.e., when the sun had gotten high, then he stood up and led them in prayer.

Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/356): It is
mustahabb to make up missed prayers in congregation. On the day of al-

Khandaq, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) missed
four prayers, and he made them up in congregation. And in the hadeeth of
Abu Qataadah and elsewhere it says that when the Prophet made up for Fajr
prayer on the day of al-Khandaq, he and his companions, he led them in
offering the prayer in congregation. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: From the
hadeeth of Abu Qataadah it may also be understood that it is prescribed to
offer made-up prayers in congregation if there is a group, because making up
is to be done as one would have performed the prayer. If they would have
offered the prayer in congregation if they had prayed on time, then when they
make it up they should offer it in congregation. This is also mentioned in the
Sunnah in the hadeeth of Abu Hurayrah, when the Messenger (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) told Bilaal to give the call to prayer, then he
prayed two (Sunnah) rakahs of Fajr, then he led them in praying Fajr prayer in
congregation. End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti (2/140).

Based on this, it would have been better for you to give the call to prayer and
offer the Sunnah prayers individually, then recited the iqaamah and offered
the prayer in congregation, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did with his companions.

And Allaah knows best.

Islam Q&A

127293: If he misses the first prayer in congregation in the

mosque, should he pray with his family or should he come to
the mosque for the second prayer in congregation?

If a man prays in his house with his children, is it regarded as prayer in

congregation? If he misses the first prayer in congregation in the mosque,
should he hasten to go to the mosque in order to catch up with others praying
in congregation or is it acceptable for him to pray at home with his children,
for example? If a man prays with his wife only, is it regarded as a prayer in
congregation?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Prayer in congregation in the mosque is obligatory for men who are able to do
that, if they can hear the call to prayer, as has been explained in the answer
to questions number 120 and 8918.

If a person comes to the mosque and finds that he has missed the prayer in
congregation, it is prescribed for him to pray in congregation with others who
also missed it, or with other worshippers who pray with him as an act of
charity, because of the reports narrated by Abu Dawood (574) from Abu
Saeed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of
Allaah (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) saw a man who was
praying alone, and he said: Will any man be charitable towards this one and
pray with him? The hadeeth was classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
Abi Dawood.

If he knows that the congregation in the mosque has ended and he is in his
house, then he may pray with his family or he may go to the mosque to offer
the prayer there with the second congregation.

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy upon him) was asked: What is
the ruling on having a number of prayers in congregation in a mosque which
has a regular imam and a regular muezzin?

He replied: Having a number of congregations is divided into two categories.

The first category is when that is done regularly so that the second
congregation deliberately comes late in order that a second congregation may
be done. This is an innovation, because only one congregational prayer should
be done in the mosque.

The second category is when that is not done regularly and deliberately, but
after the first congregation ends some other people come into the mosque
and they offer their prayer in congregation. This is prescribed and is Sunnah,
because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) was with his
Companions one day, and a man came in who had missed the prayer, and he
said: Who will be charitable towards this man and pray with him? and one
of the Companions got up and prayed with him.

And because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allaah be upon him) said: A
mans prayer offered with another man is better than his praying on his own,
and his praying with two other men is better than his praying with one other
man. The more there are the more beloved it is to Allaah.

With regard to the notion held by the people that having a second prayer in
congregation is an innovation, that is correct if it is done regularly and

deliberately. But if it happens occasionally, then having a second prayer in

congregation is Sunnah, because of the command of the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allaah be upon him and his family).

Question: Even if it is done in the house after the first prayer in congregation
has ended?

Shaykh: No, in the mosque is better, because if it is done in the mosque the
size of the congregation may increase and people who come later may join it,
so that will be better. Moreover, sometimes people go from their houses to
the mosque in order to pray with the congregation, but they may miss it and
find that they have already prayed, in which case praying in the mosque is
better for him and others, because if he and his companion return home and
offered a prayer in congregation there, another person may come after the
first prayer in congregation has ended and find no congregation, so he misses
out on praying in congregation. So it is better for it to be in the mosque.

Yes, if we assume that he knew when he was at home that the prayer in
congregation had ended, then in this case we say: It makes no difference,
pray in your house, because if he goes out to the mosque he may feel
embarrassed to meet people when they are coming out from the prayer, so he
may pray in his house.

But if he has come and entered the mosque, and found that they have already
prayed, he should not leave. Rather he should pray with the congregation in
the mosque. End quote from Liqa al-Baab al-Maftooh, 41/12.

A congregation may consist of two people, an imam and one who prays behind
him. If a man is excused for not praying in congregation or he has missed the

prayer in congregation, and he prayed with his wife, then this is a

congregation and his wife should stand behind him.

See also the answer to question number 98739.

And Allaah knows best.

8918: The evidence that it is obligatory to offer prayers in

congregation in the mosque

I am a new Muslim and I want to know whether it is better for the Muslim to
offer the obligatory prayers in the mosque, and what is the evidence for that?.

Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly:

We praise Allaah for guiding you to the religion of Islam. This is a great
blessing for which Allaah should be praised and thanked.

Secondly:

The Muslim has to understand that prayer is the greatest of the pillars of
Islam, and that it is the thing which distinguishes a Muslim from a kaafir, as it
says in the hadeeth of Jaabir (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: I
heard the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
say: Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.

Narrated by Muslim, 82.

Thirdly:

The fuqaha (may Allaah have mercy on them) differed concerning the ruling
on congregational prayers. There are a number of opinions, the most sound of
which is that prayer in congregation in the mosque is obligatory and is what is
indicated by the shari evidence.

This is the view of Ata ibn Abi Rabaah, al-Hasan al-Basri, al-Awzaai and Abi
Thawr, and of Imam Ahmad as it appears from some of his statements. This
was also stated by al-Shaafai in Mukhtasar al-Muzniwhere he said: With
regard to praying in congregation, I do not allow a concession to anyone not
to do it except one who has an excuse. This was also the view favoured by
Shaykh Ibn Baaz and Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
them).

With regard to the evidence that it is obligatory, it is as follows:

1 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

When you (O Messenger Muhammad) are among them, and lead them in AsSalaah (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

[al-Nisa 4:102]

Ibn al-Mundhir said:

The fact that Allaah has commanded us to establish prayer in congregation

even at times of fear indicates that doing so at times of security is even more
obligatory.

Al-Awsat, 4/135

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

There are several ways in which this verse may be taken as evidence:

Firstly, Allaah commands them to pray in congregation, then He repeats the

command with regard to the second group, by saying and let the other party
come up which have not yet prayed, and let them pray with you . This
indicates that praying in congregation is obligatory on an individual basis, as
Allaah did not excuse the second group because the first group had done it. If
praying in congregation was Sunnah, the best excuse for not doing it would
be the excuse of fear. If it were fard kafaayah (a communal obligation), it
would no longer be obligatory after the first group had done it. So this verse
proves that it is obligatory for each and every individual. So these are the
three ways in which this verse proves it is obligatory: Allaah commands it
once, then He commands it again, and He does not allow them a concession
not to do it at times of fear.

Al-Salaah wa Hukm Taarikiha, p. 137, 138

2 Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give Zakaah, and bow down
(or submit yourselves with obedience to Allaah) along with Ar-Raakioon
(those who bow)

[al-Baqarah 2:43]

The way in which this verse may be taken as evidence is that here Allaah
commanded them to bow, which refers to prayer. Prayer is described as rukoo
(bowing) here because bowing is one of the pillars or essential parts of the
prayer, and prayer is sometimes referred to by its pillars and obligatory

components,

as

Allaah

calls

it sujood (prostration),

Quraan

and Tasbeeh (glorification of Allaah). And the phrase along with Ar-Raakioon
(those who bow) cannot mean anything other than doing it with a
congregation of worshippers. This is what the word maa (with) means. Once
this is understood, if a command mentions a particular manner or situation,
then the one who is commanded to do it cannot obey the command properly
unless he does it in the manner or situation mentioned. Some may argue that
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

O Maryam! Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allaah, by

worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and bow down along
with Ar-Raakioon (those who bow down)

[Aal Imraan 3:43]

but this does not mean that women have to attend prayers in congregation. It
was said that this verse does not imply that this is enjoined upon all women,
rather this was something that applied only to Maryam, unlike the words
And perform As-Salaah (Iqaamat-as-Salaah), and give Zakaah, and bow down
(or submit yourselves with obedience to Allaah) along with Ar-Raakioon
(those who bow). Maryam was a unique case, unlike other women, because
her mother had vowed that she would be sacred to Allaah and devoted to His
worship; she would stay in the place of worship and not leave it. So she was
commanded to bow with the people in the place of worship. When Allaah
chose her and purified her and chose her above all the women of the world,
He commanded her to obey Him in ways that were unique to her and did not
apply to other women. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

And (remember) when the angels said: O Maryam (Mary)! Verily, Allaah has
chosen you, purified you (from polytheism and disbelief), and chosen you
above the women of the Aalameen (mankind and jinn) (of her lifetime).

43. O Mary! Submit yourself with obedience to your Lord (Allaah, by

worshipping none but Him Alone) and prostrate yourself, and bow down along
with Ar-Raakioon (those who bow down)

[Aal Imraan 3:42-43]

Some say that the fact that they were commanded to bow with those who bow
does not indicate that it is obligatory to bow with them at the time when they
are bowing, rather it indicates that one should do as they do, as in the verse
(interpretation of the meaning):

O you who believe! Fear Allaah, and be with those who are true (in words
and deeds)

[al-Tawbah 9:119]

They further argue that the word maa (with) means doing the same as they
do, but it does not necessarily mean doing it at the same time. The answer is
that in Arabic, the word maa means more than doing the same as someone
else, rather it means doing it with them, especially in the case of prayer. If
someone says Go and pray with the congregation or I prayed with the
congregation, the only interpretation can be is that he went and joined them
and prayed together with them.

al-Salaah wa Hukm Taarikiha, 139-141

3 It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
By the One in Whose hand is my soul, I was thinking of ordering that wood
be gathered, then I would have ordered that the call to prayer be given, then I
would have told a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would have gone
from behind and burned the houses of men who did not attend the
(congregational) prayer down around them. By the One in Whose hand is my
soul, if any one of them had known that he would get a bone covered with
good meat or two sheeps feet with meat in them, he would have turned up
for the Isha prayer.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 618; Muslim, 651

It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The most burdensome prayers for the
hypocrites are Isha and Fajr. If they knew what (reward) is in them, they
would come to them even if they had to crawl. I was thinking of ordering that
the call to prayer be given, then I would tell a man to lead the people in
prayer, and I would go out with men carrying bundles of wood to people who
do not come to the prayers, and I would burn their houses with fire around
them.

Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 626; Muslim, 651

Ibn al-Mundhir said:

The fact that he was thinking of burning down the houses of people who
stayed behind and did not attend the prayers is the clearest indication that it
is obligatory to pray in congregation, because it would not have been

permissible for the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) to
burn down the houses of those who stayed behind if prayer in congregation
was only something good but not obligatory.

Al-Awsat, 4/134

Al-Sanaani said:

This hadeeth indicates that prayer in congregation is an individual obligation,

not a communal one, because if it was a communal obligation and some had
done it, why would others have deserved the punishment? There is no
punishment except for one who neglects an obligatory duty or does
something that is haraam.

Subul al-Salaam, 2/18, 19

4 It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: A blind man [Ibn Umm Maktoom]
came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and said, O
Messenger of Allaah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque, and he asked
the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) 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. According to a version narrated by Abu
Dawood (552) and Ibn Maajah (792) he said: I do not think there is any
concession for you.

Al-Nawawi said concerning this hadeeth: its isnaad is saheeh or hasan.

Al-Majmoo, 4/164

Ibn al-Mundhir said:

If there is no concession for a blind man, then it is more appropriate that

there should be no concession for one who can see.

Al-Awsat, 4/134

Ibn Qudaamah said:

If there is no concession for a blind man who had no one to lead him, it is
more appropriate that there should be no concession for others.

Al-Mughni, 2/3

5 It was narrated that Ibn Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
Whoever would like to meet Allaah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him regularly
perform these prayers when the call for them is given, for they are among the
ways of guidance. Allaah has prescribed for your Prophet ways of guidance,
and if you pray in your homes, as this one who stays away from the prayers
prays in his home, then you will have abandoned the way of your Prophet, and
if you abandon the way of your Prophet you will go astray. There is no man
who purifies himself and does it well, then he goes to one of these mosques,
but for every step he takes, Allaah will record for him one hasanah (good
deed) and will raise him thereby one degree in status, and will erase for him
one sayiah (bad deed). I saw us (at the time of the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)) and no one stayed behind from these
prayers except a hypocrite who was known for his hypocrisy. A man would
come supported by two others so that he could stand in the row.

According to another version, he said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and

blessings of Allaah be upon him) taught us the ways of guidance, and told us
that one of the way of guidance is to pray in the mosque when the call to
prayer is given.

Narrated by Muslim, 654

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

What we may conclude from this is that he described staying away from the
prayers as one of the signs of the hypocrites who are known for their
hypocrisy. The signs of hypocrisy are not omitting mustahabb actions or doing
makrooh things. Whoever seeks to learn the signs of hypocrisy according to
the Sunnah will find that they are omitting obligatory actions or doing haraam
things. This is supported by the fact that he said: Whoever would like to
meet Allaah tomorrow as a Muslim, let him regularly perform these prayers
when the call for them is given. And he described the one who stays away
and offers the prayers at home as being one who has abandoned the Sunnah
which is the path of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) and the laws that he prescribed for his ummah. What is meant is
not the Sunnah which those who wish can do and those who do not wish can
omit, because omitting that is not misguidance or a sign of hypocrisy such
as not praying Duha and qiyaam al-layl, or fasting on Mondays and
Thursdays.

Al-Salaah wa Hukm Taarikiha, p. 146, 147

6 The consensus of the Sahaabah

Ibn al-Qayyim said:

There was consensus among the Sahaabah and we will quote what they said:

We have mentioned the words of Ibn Masood above: I saw us (at the time of
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)) and no one stayed
behind from these prayers except a hypocrite who was known for his
hypocrisy.

It was also narrated that Ibn Masood (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
Whoever hears the muezzin and does not respond with no excuse, his prayer
is not valid.

It was narrated that Abu Moosa al-Ashari said: Whoever hears the muezzin
and does not respond with no excuse, his prayer is not valid.

It was narrated that Ali said: There is no prayer for a neighbour of the
mosque except in the mosque. It was said, Who is the neighbour of the
mosque? He said, Whoever can hear the muezzin.

It was narrated that al-Hasan ibn Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said:
Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not come, his prayer does not go
beyond his head, except for one who has an excuse.

It was narrated that Ali (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: Whoever
among the neighbours of the mosque hears the call to prayer, and he is in
good health and does not have any excuse, his prayer is not valid.

Al-Salaah wa Hukm Taarikiha, p/ 153

There is a great deal of evidence, but what we have quoted above is

sufficient. You can refer to the book by Ibn al-Qayyim, al-Salaah wa Hukm
Taarikiha (Prayer and the Ruling on one who abandons it), which has a lot
more information. Shaykh Ibn Baaz wrote a useful essay entitled Wujoob Ada
al-Salaah fi Jamaaah (The obligation of offering prayers in congregation).

And Allaah knows best.