Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم forbade us to do so and said: ‘You gain reward for every step.’ (Sahih Muslim, pp. 335, Hadees 6)

سُـبْحٰـنَ الـلّٰــه عَزَّوَجَلَّ! Blessed companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُم had great passion for offering Salah with Jama’at. Surely, walking one mile for every Salah is not an easy task, and their passion for obedience is such worth noticing that they did not buy homes near Masjid-un-Nabawi so that they could get more reward by virtue of going to the Masjid from a distance. On the other hand, Masajid are near our homes. If the Masjid is at a little distance and we feel lazy going there on foot, we can go there by car or on bike. Necessary facilities are also available in Masajid, but unfortunately we do not yet offer Salah with Jama’at. The people who do not offer Salah with Jama’at out of laziness should listen to the following blessed Hadees attentively and ponder over it again and again and make their mind to offer Salah regularly with Jama’at by getting rid of laziness and heedlessness through Madani pearls of admonition.

When the Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم found some people absent in some Salahs he صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم stated, ‘I want to order someone to lead the Salah, then I go towards the people who miss Salah [with Jama’at] and burn their homes on them.’ (Sahih Muslim, pp. 327, Hadees 251, 252)

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب              صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Dear Islamic brothers! Just ponder! Our Beloved Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰى عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم who would love his Ummah very much and would weep all the night long for the forgiveness and salvation of his Ummah said in annoyance: ‘The people who do not offer Salah with Jama’at, I wish to set their homes on fire’. Remember! From this parable no one should think that مَـعَـاذَ الـلّٰـه عَزَّوَجَلَّ blessed companions رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُم did not use to offer Salah with Jama’at.

Commenting on this, Mufti Ahmad Yar Khan رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْه has said: ‘Here ‘the people who miss Salah with Jama’at’ refers to hypocrites because no blessed companion رَضِىَ اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَـنْهُ would miss his Jama’at and attendance at the            Masjid without any reason. (Mirat-ul-Manajih, vol. 2, pp. 168) Blessed companions