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Fatwa CenterPraying in congregation near end of prayer time
Question
Assalaamu alaykum. I like to pray on time. My husband has the habit of always delaying it. He always tells me to wait for him so that we can pray in congregation. Sometimes, it means that I have to wait until the end of the prayer time approaches. It causes issues between us because I want to pray on time and he does not let me do that. His argument is that praying in congregation is far better than praying alone, even if at end of the prayer time. Please tell me whether there is any truth in this? May Allaah reward you.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ʻalayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
You should know that performing the prayer in any part of its prescribed time is considered performing the prayer on time. Your husband should attend the congregational prayer in the masjid if he can as underlined in fataawa 82264 and 92317; otherwise, he should perform the congregational prayer with you at the beginning of its time, as this is better than delaying it until the end of its time.
As for you, we advise you to obey your husband and delay the prayer when he asks you to do that so that you perform the congregational prayer with him if he insists on delaying the prayer until the end of its time. Your reward for delaying the prayer to perform it in congregation is greater than the reward for performing it individually at the beginning of its time. Praying in congregation, even if it is near the end of the time for that prayer, is better than praying it individually at the beginning of its time.
Shaykhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah 
wrote, “If the person delays the prayer for a valid reason, such as the individual who delays the prayer to the end of its time in order to pray in congregation, or he prays while standing up at the end of the prayer time while at the beginning of its time he can only pray while sitting down, and the like of that which entails more reward than praying at the beginning of its time, then delaying the prayer is better in this case.” [Excerpted with slight omission]
Ibn ʻUthaymeen said:
“Another reason is if it will be possible to pray in congregation at the end of the time but not at the beginning, in which case delaying it is preferable. For example, if a man is outside the city when the time for prayer comes, and he knows that he will reach the city and be able to pray in congregation at the end of the time for prayer, then is it better for him to pray when the time for prayer comes or to delay the prayer until he reaches the congregation? We say that it is better for him to delay the prayer until he prays in congregation. We may even say that it is obligatory on him to delay in this case so that he can pray in congregation.”
Thus, you come to know that you bear no sin for delaying the prayer in this case, and you earn the reward of the congregational prayer and help your husband avoid an area in which there is a scholarly difference of opinion, as some scholars held that it is obligatory on the Muslim man to pray in congregation. It also nurtures affection and love between the two of you and wards off quarreling and marital problems.
Allaah knows best.
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