gossiping. The state of those working in offices, carts, taxis, buses, is that Azan takes place, the time of Salah passes and the time for the next prayer comes, but alas! These foolish people do not move from their place. Alongside this, there are some who express laziness and do not offer Salah with congregation or then offer their Salah at home. Keep in mind! It is Wajib upon every sane, mature, free, one who has the ability (along with meeting other conditions), to offer Salah with congregation, without a valid Shar’i reason to miss it once will result in being sinful and worthy of punishment, and one who misses it many times is a transgressor (Faasiq), one whose testimony is rejected and one who is to be severely punished. (Bahr-e-Shari’at, part 3, vol. 1, p. 582)

It is reported on the authority of Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ that the Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم has stated:

‘The weightiest prayers upon the hyprocite, are ‘Isha and Fajr, and if they knew what is within them? They would come crawling. Furthermore, without doubt, I have made a volition (intended to) to give an order of establishing the prayer and appoint a person to lead the people in prayer, whilst I and some people who possess wooden logs, go to those who do not become present in the congregational Salah and burn their homes. (Muslim, p. 256, Hadith 1482)

If it were said to anyone of us, if you sell your goods here it will be multiplied ten-fold whereas if you go to another city it will multiply 27-fold, then certainly everyone of us would try his utmost to sell his goods in that other city. Really think for a moment! To attain temporary worldly benefit, our mind is made up to travel distance places, But alas! Our mind is not made up to travel a few steps to the masjid to offer Salah with Jama’at to attain 27-fold more reward. Yes! It is 27 times more superior to offer Salah with congregation than