The congregational prayer surpasses the prayer of any one of you alone by twenty-five times. And the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer
Chapter: Superiority of the Fajr (early morning) prayer in congregation.
Authentic
hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari
Muttafaq ‘alayh (Bukhari and Muslim)Sahih al-Bukhari 648
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say:
"The congregational prayer surpasses the prayer of any one of you alone by twenty-five times. And the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer." Then Abu Hurayrah said: Recite, if you wish: {The recitation of dawn is ever witnessed [by the angels].} [Al-Isra: 78]
Reported by Al-Bukhari (No. 648), Muslim (No. 649b) and Ahmad (No. 6888).
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) explained that the reward and recompense of a man's prayer in congregation with the Imam is better than twenty-five prayers that he performs alone in his home or marketplace. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) then mentioned that the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather at the Fajr prayer. Then Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), citing evidence for this, says:
Recite, if you wish: {The recitation of dawn is ever witnessed [by the angels].} [Surat al-Isrā’: 78] i.e., the Fajr prayer is witnessed by the angels of the night and the angels of the day.
Lessons
Ibn Hajar said: The prayer in the mosque in congregation is superior to the prayer in the house and the marketplace, whether in congregation or individually. Ibn Daqīq al-'Īd stated this.
The Hadīth highlights the excellence of the Fajr prayer because the angels assemble exclusively in it.
Ibn Bāz said: A believer should be keen to maintain prayer in congregation, even if his house is far, in order to attain this great goodness.
An-Nawawi, in reconciling between the narrations, said that the congregational prayer is better than the individual prayer by twenty-five degrees in one narration and by twenty-seven in another. The reconciliation between them can be understood in three ways: 1. There is no contradiction, as mentioning the lesser number does not negate the greater. The concept of a specific number is invalid according to the Scholars of Usūl (Islamic jurisprudence). 2. It may be that he first mentioned the lesser number, and later Allah Almighty informed him of the greater reward, which he then conveyed. 3. The reward can vary depending on the conditions of the worshipers and the prayer itself. For some, the reward may be twenty-five, and for others, twenty-seven, depending on the perfection of their prayer, their adherence to its proper postures, humility and focus, the number of worshipers and their merit, the virtue of the place of prayer, and other factors. And Allah knows best.
Explanation in Arabic
بيَّن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ثواب وجزاء صلاة الرجل في جماعة مع الإمام أفضل من خمس وعشرين صلاة يصليها وحده في بيته أو سوقه، ثم ذكر صلى الله عليه وسلم أن ملائكة الليل والنهار يجتمعون في صلاة الفجر، ثم يقول أبو هريرة رضي الله عنه مستشهدًا لذلك:
فاقرءوا إن شئتم:
{إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا}
[الإسراء: 78]،
أي: إن صلاة الفجر تشهدها ملائكة الليل وملائكة النهار.
قال ابن حجر: أن الصلاة في المسجد جماعة تزيد على الصلاة في البيت وفي السوق جماعة وفرادى، قاله ابن دقيق العيد.
فيه فضيلة صلاة الفَجر؛ لاختصاص اجتماع الملائكة بها.
قال ابن باز: ينبغي للمؤمن أن يحرص على المحافظة على الصلاة في جماعة ولو بَعُدت داره لينال هذا الخير العظيم.
قال النووي في الجمع بين الروايات أن صلاة الجماعة تفضل صلاة الفذ بخمس وعشرين درجة، والأخرى بسبع وعشرين: والجمع بينهما من ثلاثة أوجه: أحدها: أنه لا منافاة فذِكْر القليل لا ينفي الكثير، ومفهوم العدد باطل عند الأصوليين، والثاني: أن يكون أخبر أولًا بالقليل ثم أعلمه الله تعالى بزيادة الفضل فأخبر بها، الثالث: أنه يختلف باختلاف أحوال المصلين والصلاة، وتكون لبعضهم خمس وعشرون، ولبعضهم سبع وعشرون بحسب كمال الصلاة ومحافظته على هيئاتها وخشوعها وكثرة جماعتها وفضلهم وشرف البقعة ونحو ذلك، والله أعلم.
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 reward of a man's prayer in congregation is twenty five times greater than that of the prayer he offers in his house or market. That is because if he performs…
