It is mustahabb to pray in congregation when making up missed prayers
Question Should missed prayers be made up individually or in congregation? We went out in the countryside one day and we did not wake up for Fajr prayer. After the sun had risen, we made up the prayer, praying individually, because the time for the prayer had ended. Is what we did correct?. Praise be…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
It is prescribed to pray in
congregation when making up missed prayers, because of the report narrated
by al-Bukhaari (595), Muslim (681) and al-Nasaa’i (846) from Abu Qataadah
who said: We were with the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) (on a journey) and some of the people said: Why don’t
you let us stop to rest (at the end of the night) O Messenger of Allaah? He
said: “I am afraid that you will sleep and miss the prayer.” Bilaal said: I
will keep watch for you. So they lay down and went to sleep, and Bilaal
leaned back against his mount. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) woke up and saw that the edge of the sun’s
disk had risen. He said: O Bilaal, what about what you said? He said: I have
never slept like that. The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah took your souls when He willed and He
returned them when He willed. Get up, O Bilaal, and call the people to
prayer.” So Bilaal got up and called the people to prayer, and they did
wudoo’, i.e., when the sun had gotten high, then he stood up and led them in
prayer.
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah
have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (1/356): It is mustahabb to make
up missed prayers in congregation. On the day of al-Khandaq, the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) missed four prayers, and he
made them up in congregation. And in the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah and
elsewhere it says that when the Prophet made up for Fajr prayer on the day
of al-Khandaq, he and his companions, he led them in offering the prayer in
congregation. End quote.
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may
Allaah have mercy on him) said: From the hadeeth of Abu Qataadah it may also
be understood that it is prescribed to offer made-up prayers in congregation
if there is a group, because making up is to be done as one would have
performed the prayer. If they would have offered the prayer in congregation
if they had prayed on time, then when they make it up they should offer it
in congregation. This is also mentioned in the Sunnah in the hadeeth of Abu
Hurayrah, when the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) told Bilaal to give the call to prayer, then he prayed two (Sunnah)
rak’ahs of Fajr, then he led them in praying Fajr prayer in congregation.
End quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (2/140).
Based on this, it would
have been better for you to give the call to prayer and offer the Sunnah
prayers individually, then recited the iqaamah and offered the prayer in
congregation, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did with his companions.
And Allaah knows best.
