The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

"‏ إِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ تُصَلِّي عَلَى أَحَدِكُمْ مَا دَامَ فِي مَجْلِسِهِ تَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْهُ مَا لَمْ يُحْدِثْ وَأَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا كَانَتِ الصَّلاَةُ تَحْبِسُهُ ‏"

The angels invoke blessings on everyone among you so long as he is in a place of worship with these words: O Allah! pardon him, O Allah, have mercy upon him, (and they continue to do so) as long as, he ablution (of the worshipper) is not broken, and one among you is in prayer and so long as he is detained for the prayer.

"‏ لاَ يَزَالُ الْعَبْدُ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا كَانَ فِي مُصَلاَّهُ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاَةَ وَتَقُولُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْهُ ‏.‏ حَتَّى يَنْصَرِفَ أَوْ يُحْدِثَ ‏"

The servant is constantly in prayer so long as he is in a place of worship waiting for the prayer (to be observed in congregation), and the angels invoke (blessings upon him in these words): O Allah! pardon him. O Allah! show mercy to him, (and they continue to do so) till he returns (from the mosque having completed the prayer) or his ablution breaks. I said: How is the ablution broken? He said: By breaking of the wind noiselessly or with noise.

"‏ لاَ يَزَالُ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا دَامَتِ الصَّلاَةُ تَحْبِسُهُ لاَ يَمْنَعُهُ أَنْ يَنْقَلِبَ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ إِلاَّ الصَّلاَةُ ‏"

Everyone among you is constantly in prayer so long as the prayer detains him (for this noble objective) and nothing prevents him to return to his family but the prayer.

"‏ أَحَدُكُمْ مَا قَعَدَ يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاَةَ فِي صَلاَةٍ مَا لَمْ يُحْدِثْ تَدْعُو لَهُ الْمَلاَئِكَةُ اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لَهُ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْهُ ‏"

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Anyone amongst you who sat in a place of worship waiting for the prayer is in prayer and his ablution is not broken, the angels invoke blessing upon him (in these words): O Allah! pardon him. O Allah! have mercy upon him.

وَحَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِنَحْوِ هَذَا ‏.‏

A hadith like this has been narrated by Hammam b. Munabbih on the authority of Abu Huraira.

"‏ صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ بِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً ‏"

Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.

"‏ صَلاَةُ الرَّجُلِ فِي الْجَمَاعَةِ تَزِيدُ عَلَى صَلاَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ ‏"

The prayer of a person in congregation is twenty-seven times in excess to the prayer said alone.

وَحَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو أُسَامَةَ، وَابْنُ، نُمَيْرٍ ح قَالَ وَحَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي قَالاَ، حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ، بِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ ‏.‏ قَالَ ابْنُ نُمَيْرٍ عَنْ أَبِيهِ، ‏"‏ بِضْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فِي رِوَايَتِهِ ‏"‏ سَبْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Ibn Numair reported it on the authority of his father (a preference of) more than twenty (degrees) and Abu Bakr in his narration (has narrated it) twenty- seven degrees.

"‏ بِضْعًا وَعِشْرِينَ ‏"

Ibn 'Umar reported from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as some and twenty (degrees).

"‏ لَقَدْ هَمَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ رَجُلاً يُصَلِّي بِالنَّاسِ ثُمَّ أُخَالِفَ إِلَى رِجَالٍ يَتَخَلَّفُونَ عَنْهَا فَآمُرَ بِهِمْ فَيُحَرِّقُوا عَلَيْهِمْ بِحُزَمِ الْحَطَبِ بُيُوتَهُمْ وَلَوْ عَلِمَ أَحَدُهُمْ أَنَّهُ يَجِدُ عَظْمًا سَمِينًا لَشَهِدَهَا ‏"

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) found some people absenting from certain prayers and he said: I intend that I order (a) person to lead people in prayer, and then go to the persons who do not join the (congregational prayer) and then order their houses to be burnt by the bundles of fuel. If one amongst them were to know that he would find a fat fleshy bone he would attend the night prayer.