5/42. Chapter:
Sahih Muslim 650a — Twenty-Seven Degrees for Jamaat Prayer
The virtue of prayer in congregation, and clarifying the stern warning against staying away from it, and that it is fard kifayah
Hadith About Congregational Prayer Being Twenty-Seven Degrees Better
Sahih Muslim : 650a
Sahih MuslimHadith Number 650a
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ قَرَأْتُ عَلَى مَالِكٍ عَنْ نَافِعٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ " صَلاَةُ الْجَمَاعَةِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ صَلاَةِ الْفَذِّ بِسَبْعٍ وَعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً " .
Ibn Umar reported Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) assaying: Prayer said in a congregation is twenty-seven degrees more excellent than prayer said by a single person.
Reference : Sahih Muslim 650aIn-book reference : Book 5, Hadith 310USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 4, Hadith 1365
Summary of Sahih Muslim Hadith 650a
This hadith about congregational prayer gives the well-known wording that prayer in congregation is twenty-seven degrees better than prayer offered alone. The meaning is easy to follow. A Muslim may pray alone and fulfill the prayer, but praying with the congregation carries a greater level of excellence. The hadith does not go into the reasons in this wording. It gives the result in a short, memorable way. For searches like twenty-seven degrees prayer hadith, salah in jamaat reward, and congregational prayer hadith, this narration is one of the main texts people look for. It reminds the believer that joining others in worship is a meaningful act, not just a habit.
What we learn from this hadith
- Prayer in congregation has a higher rank than prayer alone.
- The figure twenty-seven degrees is stated clearly in the hadith.
- The narration encourages Muslims to seek the congregation when they can.
