Mu` meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah`s Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Dear Brother

Please find a question for your consideration and reply at your earliest convenience.

Question:My wife told me yesterday that her father said that nowhere is it written that if some people coming in the masjid have missed the jamaat can they start another jamaat to do their fard. He insisted that once you have missed that first jamaat, you just have to do your fard salaat on your own no matter how many people are around who have missed the jamaat. Please comment.

Thank you

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Answer:

Can one start new congregation if missed prayers

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His  forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Al-Muwatta Hadith 8.1

Abdullah ibn Umar related that the Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Prayer in congregation is better than the prayer of a man by himself by twenty-seven degrees."

Abu Sa' id narrates that a man entered the Mosque, and the Prophet (saws) and his companions had already prayed. The Prophet (saws) said: "Who will give charity to him by praying with him (again)?" So, a man from the people stood and prayed with him. This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, and at-Tirmidhi

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said in an authentic narration that the prayer in congregation is 27 times (and in some narrations, 25 times) better than an individual prayer. And in light of the above narration by Hadrat Abu Said (r.a.) related by Ahmad, Abu Dawood and Tirmidi, the Messenger of Allah (saws) himself asked if any of the companions who had already prayed his obligatory prayer in congregation would pray another prayer in congregation with the one who had missed the original congregation. The Messenger of Allah (saws) allowed the man who had missed the congregation to form another congregation. That proves that if one, for some reason, misses the congregation there is absolutely no harm if he starts another congregation.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your Brother in Islam,

Burhan