Is there more reward if the congregation is greater?

Is there more reward if the congregation is greater?

Praise be to Allaah.

Yes, the reward for naafil and obligatory prayers is greater if the number of worshippers is greater.

It was narrated that Ubayy ibn Ka’b said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man’s prayer with one other man is better than his praying alone, and a man’s prayer with two other men is better than his praying with one other. The more there are the more beloved that is to Allaah.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 554; al-Nasaa’i, 834. Classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

Al-Bazzaar and al-Tabaraani narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The prayer of two men, one of them leading the other, is better before Allaah than the prayer of eight praying separately, and the prayer of four men, one of them leading the others, is better before Allaah than the prayer of one hundred praying separately.” Classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 412.

“Better” here means greater in reward.

“The more there are” means the greater they are in number; that is better than if there are fewer.

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said in Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 31/221:

It is better for the people to be gathered in one mosque than scattered between two mosques, because the greater the congregation, the better… then he quoted this hadeeth as evidence.

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen said:

If we assume that there are two mosques, one of which has a larger congregation than the other, it is better to go to the one which has the larger congregation, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “A man’s prayer with one other man is better than his praying alone, and a man’s prayer with two other men is better than his praying with one other. The more there are the more beloved that is to Allaah.” This is general in meaning. So if there are two mosques and one has a larger congregation than the other, then it is better to pray in the one that has the larger congregation.

Al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 4/150, 151.

Some of the scholars are of the view that congregations do not vary in virtue or reward, because of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him), which says that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Praying in congregation is twenty-seven times better than praying alone.” Agreed upon. So any congregation is twenty-seven times better and no differentiation is made between one congregation and another.

But this argument was refuted by the following.

Waliy al-Deen al-‘Iraaqi said:

The hadeeth does not offer any evidence for those who take it to mean that all congregations are equal, because we say that the least that you will gain is the multiple reward mentioned; that does not mean that the reward may not also be multiplied further for another reason such as the size of the congregation, the honoured status of the mosque, travelling a long way to the mosque and so on.

Tarh al-Tathreeb, 2/301, 302.

This means that if the congregation consists of two or more, the multiple reward mentioned in the hadeeth (twenty-seven times) will be attained. That does not mean that the reward may not be increased for other reasons as well, such as the size of the congregation.

And Allaah knows best.

The reward for the muezzin and the one who gives the iqaamah

The reward for the muezzin and the one who gives the iqaamah

Praise be to Allaah.

In the Sunnah there are reports that indicate that the muezzin has a status the like of which no one else will have. For example:

1 – It was narrated from ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Sa’sa’ah al-Ansaari, that his father told him that Abu Sa’eed al-Khudri (may Allaah be pleased with him) said to him: I see that you love sheep and the countryside. When you are with your sheep or in your countryside and the time for prayer comes, then raise your voice with the call to prayer, for no jinn, human or anything else hears the voice of the muezzin as far as it reaches, but he (or it) will testify for him on the Day of Resurrection. Abu Sa’eed said: I heard that from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 584.

2 – It was narrated that Mu’aawiyah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: The muezzins will have the longest necks of the people on the Day of Resurrection.” Narrated by Muslim, 387.

Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

It was said that this means that they will be the people who most expect the mercy of Allaah, because the one who is expecting something cranes his neck to see what he is longing for. Or it may refer to the abundance of what they will see of reward. Al-Nadr ibn Shameel said: When the sweat comes up to people’s faces on the Day of Resurrection, they will crane their necks lest that torment and sweat reach them. And it was said that it means that they will be masters and leaders, as the Arabs describe leaders as having long necks. And it was said that it means they will have more followers. Ibn al-A’raabi said: it means the people who have the most good deeds to their credit. Al-Qaadi ‘Iyaad and others said: some of them narrated it as i’naaqan (instead of a’naaqan, meaning necks), meaning that they will be the swiftest to enter Paradise. End quote.

Sharh Muslim, 4/91, 92

3 – It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “If the people knew what there is in the call to prayer and the first row, and they had no other way but drawing lots, then they would draw lots.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 590; Muslim, 437.

The meaning of this hadeeth is that if the people knew what there is of great and abundant reward in the call to prayer and the first row, and they could not find any way to do the adhaan and determine who would stand in the front row except by drawing lots, then they would do that; they would draw lots in order to attain its virtue.

4 – It was narrated from al-Bara’ ibn ‘Aazib (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Prophet of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah and His angels send blessings upon the front row, and the muezzin is forgiven as far as his voice reaches, and whatever hears him, animate or inanimate, confirms what he says, and he will have a reward like that of those who pray with him.” Narrated by al-Nasaa’i, 646; classed as saheeh by al-Mundhiri and al-Albaani, as it says in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 235.

With regard to the reward for the iqaamah, this is included in the ahaadeeth quoted above concerning the virtue of the adhaan, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) called the iqaamah an “adhaan”, as in the hadeeth: “Between every two calls there should be a prayer.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 598; Muslim, 838.

Al-Haafiz said: The words “every two calls” mean the adhaan and iqaamah. End quote.

There is also a hadeeth which speaks specifically of the virtue of the iqaamah:

It was narrated from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever gives the call to prayer for twelve years will be guaranteed Paradise, and for each day sixty hasanaat will be recorded for him by virtue of his adhaan, and thirty hasanaat by virtue of his iqaamah.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 728; classed as saheeh by al-Mundhiri and al-Albaani, as stated in Saheeh al-Targheeb, 248.

And Allaah knows best.