The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Praying in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than praying alone."

‘Abdullāh ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Praying in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than praying alone."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The most burdensome prayers for the hypocrites are the ‘Ishā’ and Fajr prayers. If they were to know the virtue of them, they would come to them, even if they had to crawl. I have almost intended to order for the prayer to be established, and appoint a man to lead the people in prayer, and then I would go along with some men having bundles of firewood, to the people who are not attending the prayer and burn their houses upon them with fire."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: A blind man came to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and said: "O Messenger of Allah, I have no one to lead me to the mosque." He asked the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to allow him to pray at home, which the Messenger of Allah did. When the man was leaving, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) called him back and said: "Do you hear the Adhān?" He replied in the affirmative. Thereupon, he said: "Then respond to it."

Abu Ash-Sha‘thā' reported: As we were sitting in the mosque with Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) the Muezzin proclaimed the Adhān and then a man stood up in the mosque and started walking out. Abu Hurayrah followed him with his eyes until he went out of the mosque. Thereupon, Abu Hurayrah said: "As for this man, he has disobeyed the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him)."

Jundub ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Qasri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs the Fajr prayer is under the protection of Allah; so, do not infringe upon Allah's protection in any respect, for whoever infringes upon Allah's protection in any respect, He will seize him and throw him on his face in Hellfire."

Jundub ibn ‘Abdullāh al-Qasri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs the Fajr prayer is under the protection of Allah; so, do not infringe upon Allah's protection in any respect, for whoever infringes upon Allah's protection in any respect, He will seize him and throw him on his face in Hellfire."

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: My grandmother, Mulaykah, invited the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to come and eat some food she had prepared for him. He ate some of it and said: "Get up and I will lead you in prayer." So I got up and brought a reed mat of ours that had turned black from prolonged use, and sprinkled some water on it. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessing be upon him) stood up and the orphan and I stood in a row behind him, and the elderly woman stood behind us. He led us praying two Rak‘ahs, then he left. In a narration by Muslim: “The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led him and his mother in prayer; and he made me stand on his right side and the woman stand behind us."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "A man's prayer in congregation is twenty-something degrees higher than his prayer in his house and market. When one performs ablution and perfects it, then goes out to the mosque, nothing motivates him except prayer and seeking nothing but prayer. For every step he takes, he is raised one degree and one sin is erased for him until he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque, he remains in prayer as long as prayer is what keeps him therein. The angels will keep invoking the blessings of Allah on you as long as you are in the place where you performed prayer, saying: 'O Allah, have mercy on him! O Allah, forgive him! O Allah, accept his repentance!' as long as you do not harm anyone therein and do not break your ablution."

’Ubayy ibn Ka‘b (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: There was a man who, as far as I know, lived farther from the mosque than anyone else, and he never missed a prayer. He said: It was said to him, or I said to him: If only you would buy a donkey so that you may ride it in the darkness and the scorching heat. He said: I do not like that my house be near the mosque, for I want the steps I take to the mosque and back from it to my family to be recorded for me. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily, Allah has gathered all of that for you."

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The tribe of Banu Salimah wanted to move nearer to the mosque. On learning this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "I was told that you intend to move nearer to the mosque." They said: "That is true, O Messenger of Allah, we want to." He said: "O Banu Salimah, stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you; stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you." Another narration reads: "Every footstep (towards the mosque) merits one higher rank."

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The tribe of Banu Salimah wanted to move nearer to the mosque. On learning this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to them: "I was told that you intend to move nearer to the mosque." They said: "That is true, O Messenger of Allah, we want to." He said: "O Banu Salimah, stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you; stay in your neighborhood, your footsteps (to the mosque) are recorded for you." Another narration reads: "Every footstep (towards the mosque) merits one higher rank."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that he heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "What if there was a river at the door of any of you wherein he takes a bath five times a day? Would there remain any of his filth?" They said: Nothing of his filth would remain. He said: "This is similar to the five prayers by means of which Allah erases sins."

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever goes to the mosque in the morning or the evening, Allah has prepared an abode for him in Paradise every time he goes in the morning or the evening."

Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (ﷺ), when he performed the Fajr prayer, would remain seated in his prayer place until the sun rose brightly. He said: He would not leave the spot where he prayed Fajr or the Morning prayer until the sun had risen. When the sun rose, he would stand up. During that time, the people would talk about matters from the pre-Islamic days of ignorance; they would laugh and he would smile.

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The places that are dearest to Allah are the mosques, and the places that are most hateful to Allah are the marketplaces."

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who is the most versed in Allah's Book should lead the people in prayer. If they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who is the most knowledgeable about the Sunnah; and if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate; if they emigrated at the same time, then the earliest one to embrace Islam. No man must lead another in prayer where the latter has authority, or sit in his place in his house without his permission.”

Abu Mas‘ūd al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The one who is the most versed in Allah's Book should lead the people in prayer. If they are equally versed in reciting it, then the one who is the most knowledgeable about the Sunnah; and if they are equal regarding the Sunnah, then the earliest one to emigrate; if they emigrated at the same time, then the earliest one to embrace Islam. No man must lead another in prayer where the latter has authority, or sit in his place in his house without his permission.”

Abu Sulaymān, Mālik ibn al-Huwayrith, (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: We came to the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) when we were young and of about the same age. We stayed with him for twenty nights. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was merciful and compassionate; so, he realized our longing for our families. He asked us about our families whom we had left behind and we told him about them. Thereupon, he said: "Go back to your families and stay with them. Teach them (religion) and command them (to adhere to it), perform so-and-so prayer at so-and-so time, and when prayer becomes due, let one of you call the Adhān and let the oldest among you lead you in prayer." Another version by Al-Bukhāri has this addition: "Pray as you saw me pray.”

Abu Qatādah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) addressed us and said: "You will proceed with your journey along the evening and the night, then you will come to a place of water, Allah willing, in the morning." So the people proceeded, without paying any heed to one another. Abu Qatādah said: "The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also traveled until it was midnight. I was by his side. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) dozed off and leaned (to one side) of his camel. I went to him and lent him support without waking him up until he sat upright on his riding mount. He went on traveling until a major part of the night was over and (he again) leaned (to one side) of his camel. I supported him without waking him up until he sat on his ride. Then he traveled until it was near dawn. He (again) leaned, but far more, than the two earlier leanings, and he was about to fall down. So I went to him and supported him, and he lifted his head and said: 'Who is this?' I said: 'It is Abu Qātadah.' He (the Prophet again) said: 'How long have you been traveling along with me like this?' I said: 'I have been traveling in this very state since the night.' He said: 'May Allah guard you as you have guarded His Prophet.' He again said: 'Do you see that we are hidden from the people?' And again he said: 'Do you see anyone?' I said: 'Here is a rider.' I again said: 'Here is another rider,' until we gathered together and we were seven riders.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) stepped aside of the road and placed his head (for sleep and said): 'Guard our prayers for us.' The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was the first to wake up, and the rays of the sun were falling on his back. We got up startled. He (the Prophet) said: 'Ride on.' So we rode on until the sun had (sufficiently) risen. He then dismounted and called for a jug of water which I had with me. There was a little water in it. He performed an ablution which was less thorough than his usual ablutions, and some water was left. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to Abu Qatādah: 'Keep for us your jug of water; it will have a miraculous affair.' Then Bilāl called (the people) to prayer, and then the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) observed two Rak‘ahs and then observed the morning prayer as he did every day. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) (then) rode on and we rode along with him, and some of us whispered to the others saying: 'How would there be compensation for the negligence we committed in our prayers?' Upon this, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Is there not in me a model for you? There is no negligence in sleeping. The (cognizable) negligence is that one should not observe the prayer (intentionally) until the time of the next prayer comes. So the one who does this (leave a prayer on account of sleep or due to other unavoidable circumstances) should observe the prayer when he becomes aware of it, and on the next day he should observe the prayer at its prescribed time.' Then he (the Prophet) said: 'What do you think the people would do (at this hour) when they would not find their Prophet with them in the morning. Abu Bakr and ‘Umar would say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) must be behind you, he cannot leave you behind (him).’ Other people would say: ‘The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) is ahead of you.’ So if they obey Abu Bakr and ‘Umar, they would follow the right path.' So we proceeded on till we came up to the people (from whom we had lagged behind), and the day had considerably risen and everything became hot, and they (the Companions of the Prophet) said: 'O Messenger of Allah, we are dying of thirst.' Upon this, he (the Prophet) remarked: 'There is no destruction for you.' And he then said: 'Bring that small cup of mine.' And he then asked for the jug of water to be brought to him. The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) poured water (in that small cup), and Abu Qatādah gave them water to drink. When the people saw that there was (a little) water in the jug, they gathered in crowds around it. Upon this, the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: 'Behave well; you will drink to your fill.' They complied. So the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would fill (the cup), and I would serve them until no one was left except me and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). He then filled (the cup) with water and said to me: 'Drink it.' I said: 'Messenger of Allah, I will not drink until you drink.' Upon this, he said: 'The server of the people is the last among them to drink.' So I drank, and the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) also drank, and the people came to the place of water quite happy and satiated." ‘Abdullāh ibn Rabāh said: "I was narrating this Hadīth in the grand mosque, when ‘Imrān ibn Husayn said: 'See, O young man, how will you narrate, for I was also one of the riders on that night.' I said: 'So you must know this Hadīth well.' He said: 'Who are you?' I said: 'I am one of the Ansār.' Upon this, he said: 'You narrate, for you know your Hadīths better.' I, therefore, narrated it to the people. Then ‘Imrān said: 'I was also present that night, but I do not know anyone who committed it to memory as well as you have.'"

‘Imrān ibn Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: Once we traveled with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). We set out traveling at night until the last part of it. Hence, we (stopped at a place) and slept (deeply). There is nothing sweeter than sleep for a traveler in the last part of the night. It was only the heat of the sun that woke us up. The first to wake up was so and so, then so and so, then so and so, and then ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb. Whenever the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) wanted to sleep, nobody would wake him up until he himself wakes up, because we did not know what was happening to him in his sleep. So when ‘Umar woke up and saw what happened to the people, and being a strict man, he said: "Allah Akbar" raising his voice with Takbīr. He kept on making Takbīr raising his voice with it until the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) woke up by his voice. When he got up, people complained to him about what had happened to them. He said: "There is no harm (or it does not matter). Depart!" So he departed. He walked not too long, and then dismounted and asked for water and made ablution. The call for the prayer was made, and he led people in prayer. After finishing the prayer, he saw a man in isolation. He did not pray with the people. So [the Prophet] asked, "O so and so! What prevented you from praying with the people?" He replied, "I have had a ritual impurity and there is no water." So he said: "Use earth; it is sufficient for you." Then the Prophet proceeded on and people complained to him of thirst. Thereupon, he dismounted and called a person and 'Ali. He said to them: “Go and find water.” So they departed and met a woman who was sitting on her camel between two bags of water. They asked: "Where is water?" She said: "I was at water this hour yesterday, and our men are absent." They said to her, “Then go.” She asked: "Where?" They said: "To the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him)." She said: "The one who is called Sābi' (apostate/who renounce his forefathers' religion)?" They said: "He is the one whom you mean. So come along." They brought her to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and told him the story. He said: "Help her to dismount her camel." The Prophet asked for a pot and poured in it water from the mouths of the two bags. Then he tied their mouths and released their bottoms. People were called upon to drink and water their animals. So whoever wanted to drink did so, and whoever wanted to water their animals did so. Last of all, the Prophet gave a pot of water to the person who had a ritual impurity and said: “Go and pour it on you.” The woman was there looking at what was being done with her water. By Allah, when it was done with [her bags], they looked to us as if they were fuller than it was when they started taking [water] from the bags. Then the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Collect something for her.” So they collected for her some ‘Ajwa (dates of Madīnah), flour and some dough, until some food was gathered for her, which they put in a piece of cloth. They helped her mount her camel and put that cloth in front of her. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "You know, we have not taken any of your water; it was Allah who has given us water." She went to her people, when she was delayed from her people. So they said: "O so and so what has delayed you?" She said: "A strange thing! Two men met me and took me to the man who is called Sābi' who did such and such a thing. By Allah, he is either the greatest magician between this and this (gesturing with her index and middle fingers toward the sky and earth) or he is really the Messenger of Allah." Afterward, Muslims used to attack the pagans around her abode but never touched the area to which it belonged. One day she said to her people, "I do not think that these people leave you on purpose. So have you got any inclination to Islam?" They obeyed her and all of them embraced Islam.

Abu Qatādah al-Ansāri (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: When the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encamped to sleep at night during a journey, he would lie down on his right side, and when he wanted to sleep before dawn, he would extend his forearm and place his head on his palm.

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever forgets a prayer should perform it as soon as he remembers it; there is no expiation for it except that: {and establish prayer to remember me.} [Surat Tā-ha: 14]"