4/37. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 467b — Congregational Prayer Ease
The Command To The Imam To Make The Prayer Brief But Complete
Hadith About Ease in Congregational Prayer
Sahih Muslim : 467b
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 467b
حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ، حَدَّثَنَا مَعْمَرٌ، عَنْ هَمَّامِ بْنِ مُنَبِّهٍ، قَالَ هَذَا مَا حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدٍ، رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَذَكَرَ أَحَادِيثَ مِنْهَا وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم " إِذَا مَا قَامَ أَحَدُكُمْ لِلنَّاسِ فَلْيُخَفِّفِ الصَّلاَةَ فَإِنَّ فِيهِمُ الْكَبِيرَ وَفِيهِمُ الضَّعِيفَ وَإِذَا قَامَ وَحْدَهُ فَلْيُطِلْ صَلاَتَهُ مَا شَاءَ " .
Hammam b. Munabbih Narrated from:
This is what Abu Huraira transmitted to us from Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ), and he narrated (some) ahadith out of (these narrations and one of them is this): The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: When any one of you stands to lead people In prayer, he should shorten it, for amongst them are the aged, and amongst them are the weak, but when he prays by himself, he may prolong his prayer as he likes.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 467bIn-book reference : Book 4, Hadith 209USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 943
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 467b
This hadith about ease in congregational prayer is narrated by Hammam b. Munabbih from Abu Huraira. The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said that when one stands to lead people in prayer, he should shorten it, because among them are the aged and the weak. But when he stands alone, he may lengthen his prayer as he wishes. The message is direct and easy to apply. Leading others is different from praying alone. The imam must consider those behind him, while private prayer allows more room for longer worship. For people searching for hadith about imam and congregation, this narration gives a clear balance between mercy in public prayer and personal devotion in private prayer.
What we learn from this hadith
- Prayer should be shortened when leading a congregation.
- The aged and weak must be considered by the imam.
- A person praying alone may lengthen prayer as he wishes.
- The hadith teaches a balance between public ease and private worship.
