Congregational prayer in the mosque is not obligatory if Athaan is not heard without aid

13-5-2015 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalam o Alaikum. I am a student of knowledge alhamdullilah My question is that the mosque is approx a km from my home actually it is an islamic center and i go to study there but my parents don't allow me to live there and so i miss the fajar prayer in congregation? Note that they have sent my smaller brother to another city to study engineering and they say he's safe and i am not also i have so much to study that 10 pm is the normal time with which i end the day?

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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.

Firstly, you should know that many of the scholars who maintained that attending the congregational prayer is obligatory do not maintain that it must be held at the mosque; rather, it may be held anywhere. Also, based on the scholarly view suggesting the obligation of attending the congregational prayer at the mosque, we have underlined in Fatwa 89364 that it is only obligatory on the person who hears the Athaan without the aid of loud speakers, and that it is not obligatory on someone who is so far from the mosque that he cannot hear the Athaan.

Even if you could hear the Athaan, the fact that you are not safe when going to the mosque is itself a valid excuse not to attend the congregational prayer at the mosque. Scholars held that fear for one's safety is a valid excuse for not attending the Friday prayer and congregational prayers.

Hence, if the situation is as described, then there is no harm if you perform Fajr prayer at home. You are advised to perform it in congregation with the members of your household in order to attain the reward of praying in congregation.

Allaah Knows best.