Tahdhīb al-Aḥkām

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ اِبْنِ أَبِي عُمَيْرٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ أُذَيْنَةَ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ مَا يَرْوِي اَلنَّاسُ أَنَّ اَلصَّلاَةَ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ اَلرَّجُلِ وَحْدَهُ بِخَمْسٍ وَ عِشْرِينَ صَلاَةً فَقَالَ« صَدَقُوا» فَقُلْتُ اَلرَّجُلاَنِ يَكُونَانِ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَقَالَ« نَعَمْ وَ يَقُومُ اَلرَّجُلُ عَنْ يَمِينِ اَلْإِمَامِ»

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Umar ibn Udhaynah from Zurarah, he said: I said to Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him: “What do the people narrate, that prayer in congregation is better than a man’s individual prayer by twenty-five prayers?” Imam (a.s) said: “They have spoken the truth.” I asked: “Two men, are they considered a congregation?” Imam (a.s) said: “Yes, and the man stands to the right of the Imam.”

حَمَّادٌ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ وَ اَلْفُضَيْلِ قَالاَ: قُلْنَا لَهُ اَلصَّلاَةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ فَرِيضَةٌ هِيَ فَقَالَ« اَلصَّلَوَاتُ فَرِيضَةٌ وَ لَيْسَ اَلاِجْتِمَاعُ بِمَفْرُوضٍ فِي اَلصَّلَوَاتِ كُلِّهَا وَ لَكِنَّهَا سُنَّةٌ مَنْ تَرَكَهَا رَغْبَةً عَنْهَا وَ عَنْ جَمَاعَةِ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ فَلاَ صَلاَةَ لَهُ»

Hammad from Hariz from Zurarah and al-Fudayl, they said: We said to him: “Is prayer in congregation an obligation?” He said: “The prayers are obligatory, but gathering (for them) is not made obligatory in all the prayers. Rather, it is a sunnah whoever abandons it out of aversion to it and to the congregation of the believers, without a valid excuse, then he has no prayer.”

مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ اَلْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ جَمِيعاً عَنْ حَمَّادِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ قَالَ: كُنْتُ جَالِساً عِنْدَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ ذَاتَ يَوْمٍ إِذْ جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ إِنِّي رَجُلٌ جَارُ مَسْجِدٍ لِقَوْمِي فَإِذَا أَنَا لَمْ أُصَلِّ مَعَهُمْ وَقَعُوا فِيَّ وَ قَالُوا هُوَ كَذَا وَ كَذَا فَقَالَ «أَمَا لَئِنْ قُلْتَ ذَلِكَ لَقَدْ قَالَ أَمِيرُ اَلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ« مَنْ سَمِعَ اَلنِّدَاءَ فَلَمْ يُجِبْهُ مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ فَلاَ صَلاَةَ لَهُ»» فَخَرَجَ اَلرَّجُلُ فَقَالَ لَهُ« لاَ تَدَعِ اَلصَّلاَةَ مَعَهُمْ وَ خَلْفَ كُلِّ إِمَامٍ» فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ قُلْتُ لَهُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ كَبُرَ عَلَيَّ قَوْلُكَ لِهَذَا اَلرَّجُلِ حِينَ اِسْتَفْتَاكَ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ قَالَ فَضَحِكَ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ فَقَالَ« مَا أَرَاكَ بَعْدُ إِلاَّ هَاهُنَا يَا زُرَارَةُ فَأَيَّ عِلَّةٍ تُرِيدُ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ أَنَّهُ لاَ يُؤْتَمُّ بِهِ» ثُمَّ قَالَ« يَا زُرَارَةُ مَا تَرَانِي» قُلْتُ صَلُّوا فِي مَسَاجِدِكُمْ وَ صَلُّوا مَعَ أَئِمَّتِكُمْ

Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub from Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father, and from Muhammad ibn Isma’il from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, both from Hammad ibn Isa from Hariz from Zurarah, he said: Zurarah was sitting one day with Abu Ja’far (a.s), peace be upon him, when a man came to him and entered upon Imam (a.s). He said to Imam (a.s): “May I be your ransom, I am a man who lives next to the mosque of my people. So when I do not pray with them, they speak ill of me and say such-and-such about me.” Imam (a.s), peace be upon him, said: “If what you say is true, then indeed the Commander of the Faithful (a.s), peace be upon him, said: ‘Whoever hears the call (to prayer) and does not respond to it without a valid excuse, then he has no prayer’.” So the man left, and Imam Abu Ja’far (a.s), peace be upon him, said to him: “Do not abandon the prayer with them, and (pray) behind every imam (of prayer).” When the man left, I said to Imam (a.s): “May I be your ransom, your words to this man when he asked you a legal question weighed heavily upon me. What if they are not believers?” Imam (a.s), peace be upon him, laughed and said: “It seems, O’ Zurarah, that you are still here (meaning, still thinking at a surface level). What reason do you seek greater than the fact that he is not to be followed in prayer?” Then Imam (a.s) said: “O’ Zurarah, what do you think I meant?” I said: “(That you meant) Pray in your mosques and pray with your imams.” (meaning the faithful should establish their own communities of prayer led by legitimate, believing prayer leaders from among them)

اَلْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ عَنِ اَلنَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ:« اَلصَّلاَةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ تَفْضُلُ عَلَى كُلِّ صَلاَةِ اَلْفَرْدِ بِأَرْبَعٍ وَ عِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً تَكُونُ خَمْساً وَ عِشْرِينَ صَلاَةً»

Al-Husayn ibn Sa’id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Abdullah ibn Sinan from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, he said: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s) said: “The prayer in congregation surpasses every individual prayer by twenty-four degrees making it twenty-five prayers.”

وَ عَنْهُ عَنِ اَلنَّضْرِ عَنْ عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ بْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ:« صَلَّى رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ اَلْفَجْرَ فَأَقْبَلَ بِوَجْهِهِ عَلَى أَصْحَابِهِ فَسَأَلَ عَنْ أُنَاسٍ يُسَمِّيهِمْ بِأَسْمَائِهِمْ فَقَالَ« هَلْ حَضَرُوا اَلصَّلاَةَ» فَقَالُوا لاَ يَارَسُولَ اَللَّهِ فَقَالَ« أَغُيَّبٌ هُمْ» فَقَالُوا لاَ فَقَالَ« أَمَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ صَلاَةٍ أَشَدَّ عَلَى اَلْمُنَافِقِينَ مِنْ هَذِهِ اَلصَّلاَةِ وَ اَلْعِشَاءِ وَ لَوْ عَلِمُوا أَيُّ فَضْلٍ فِيهِمَا لَأَتَوْهُمَا وَ لَوْ حَبْواً»»

And from him, from al-Nadr, from Abdullah ibn Sinan, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, he said: I heard Imam (a.s) say: “The Messenger of Allah (swt), may Allah (swt) bless him and his family, prayed the dawn prayer. Then, He (saws) turned his face to his companions and asked about some people, mentioning them by their names. Prophet (saws) said: ‘Did they attend the prayer?’ They (companions) said: ‘No, O’ Messenger of Allah (swt).’ Prophet (saws) said: ‘Are they absent?’ They said: ‘No.’ Prophet (saws) said: ‘Indeed, there is no prayer more burdensome upon the hypocrites than this (Fajr) prayer and the evening prayer. And if they knew what virtue is in them, they would come to them even if crawling.’”

وَعَنْهُ عَنِ اَلنَّضْرِ عَنِ اِبْنِ سِنَانٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اَللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ:« إِنَّ أُنَاساً كَانُوا عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ أَبْطَئُوا عَنِ اَلصَّلاَةِ فِي اَلْمَسْجِدِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ صَلَّى اَللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَ آلِهِ« لَيُوشِكُ قَوْمٌ يَدَعُونَ اَلصَّلاَةَ فِي اَلْمَسْجِدِ أَنْ نَأْمُرَ بِحَطَبٍ فَيُوضَعَ عَلَى أَبْوَابِهِمْ فَتُوقَدَ عَلَيْهِمْ نَارٌ فَتُحْرَقَ عَلَيْهِمْ بُيُوتُهُمْ»»

And from him, from al-Nadr, from Ibn Sinan, from Abu Abdillah (a.s), peace be upon him, he said: I heard Imam (a.s) say: “Indeed, there were people during the time of the Messenger of Allah (swt), may Allah (swt) bless him and his family, who were slow in attending the prayer in the mosque. So the Messenger of Allah (swt), may Allah (swt) bless him and his family, said: ‘A time will soon come when people will abandon the prayer in the mosque, and we may command that wood be gathered and placed at their doors, then a fire would be kindled upon them, and their houses would be burned over them.’”

سَعْدٌ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَنِ اَلْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ مَعْرُوفٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اَلْحَمِيدِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عُمَارَةَ قَالَ: أَرْسَلْتُ إِلَى أَبِي اَلْحَسَنِ اَلرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ اَلسَّلاَمُ أَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ اَلرَّجُلِ يُصَلِّي اَلْمَكْتُوبَةَ وَحْدَهُ فِي مَسْجِدِ اَلْكُوفَةِ أَفْضَلُ أَوْ صَلاَتُهُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أَفْضَلُ فَقَالَ« اَلصَّلاَةُ فِي جَمَاعَةٍ أَفْضَلُ»

Sa’ad from Abu Ja’far from al-Abbas ibn Ma‘ruf from Ali ibn Mahziyar from Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hamid from Muhammad ibn Umarah, he said: I sent to Abu al-Hasan al-Ridha (a.s), peace be upon him, asking Imam (a.s) about a man who performs the obligatory prayer alone in the Mosque of Kufah is that better, or is his prayer in congregation better? Imam (a.s) said: “Prayer in congregation is better.”