Narrated by Ubayy ibn Ka'b
A man's prayer with another man is purer than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one; the more there are, the more beloved it is to Allah.
Sunan Abi Dawud 554, Sunan an-Nasa'i 843
What this hadith teaches
The reward of a congregation grows with its size, which is one reason to pray in the main masjid when possible.
Reference and grade
- Grade
- Hasan (al-Albani)
- Narrator
- Ubayy ibn Ka'b
- Chapter
- Congregation and rows
The hadith in Arabic نص الحديث
إِنَّ هَاتَيْنِ الصَّلاَتَيْنِ أَثْقَلُ الصَّلَوَاتِ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ وَلَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ مَا فِيهِمَا لأَتَيْتُمُوهُمَا وَلَوْ حَبْوًا عَلَى الرُّكَبِ وَإِنَّ الصَّفَّ الأَوَّلَ عَلَى مِثْلِ صَفِّ الْمَلاَئِكَةِ وَلَوْ عَلِمْتُمْ مَا فَضِيلَتُهُ لاَبْتَدَرْتُمُوهُ وَإِنَّ صَلاَةَ الرَّجُلِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ وَصَلاَتُهُ مَعَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ وَمَا كَثُرَ فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَى
Arabic text of Sunan Abi Dawud 554, as given on sunnah.com.