Sunan Ibn Majah

The Messenger of Allah said: "When the Iqamah is called for the prayer, do not come running. Come walking with tranquility. Whatever you catch up with, pray, and whatever you miss, complete it."

He heard the Messenger of Allah say: 'Shall I not tell you of something by means of which Allah expiates for sins and increases good deeds?' They said: 'Yes, O Messenger of Allah.' He said: 'Performing ablution properly despite difficulties, increasing the number of steps one takes towards the mosque and waiting for the next prayer after prayer.'

"Whoever would like to meet Allah tomorrow (i.e. on the Day of Judgment) as a Muslim, let him preserve these five (daily) prayer when the call for them is given, for they are part of the ways of guidance, and Allah prescribed the ways of guidance to your Prophet. By Allah, if each of you prays in his house, you will have abandoned the Sunnah of your Prophet, and if you abandon the Sunnah of your Prophet you will go astray. I remember when no one stayed behind from the prayer except a hypocrite who was known for his hypocrisy. I have a man coming supported by two others, until he joined the row (of worshippers). There is no man who purifies himself and does it well, and comes to the mosque and prays there, but for every step that he takes, Allah raises him in status one degree thereby, and takes away one of his sins."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Whoever leaves his house for the prayer and says: 'Allahumma inni asa'luka bi-haqqis-sa'ilina 'alaika, wa as'aluka bi-haqqi mamshaya hadha, fa inni lam akhruj asharan wa la batran, wa la riya'an, wa la sum'atan, wa kharajtu-ttiqa'a sukhtika wabtigha'a mardatika, fa as'aluka an tu'idhani minan-nari wa an taghfira li dhunubi, Innahu la yaghfirudh-dhunuba illa Anta. (O Allah, I ask You by the right that those who ask of You have over You, and I ask by virtue of this walking of mine, for I am not going out because of pride or vanity, or to show off or make a reputation, rather I am going out because I fear Your wrath and seek Your pleasure. So I ask You to protect me from the Fire and to forgive me my sins, for no one can forgive sins except You),' Allah will turn His Face towards him and seventy thousand angels will pray for his forgiveness."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Those who walk to the mosque in the dark are those who are diving into the mercy of Allah.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Give glad tidings, to those who walk to the mosques in the dark, of perfect light on the Day of Resurrection.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'Give glad tidings to those who walk to the mosques in the dark, of perfect light on the Day of Resurrection.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The greater the distance from the mosque, the greater the reward.'"

"There was a man among the Ansar whose house was the furthest house in Al-Madinah, yet he never missed prayer with the Messenger of Allah. I felt sorry for him and said: 'O so-and-so, why do you not buy a donkey to spare yourself the heat of the scorching sand, to carry over the stony ground, and to keep you away from the vermin on the ground?' He said: 'By Allah! I do not want to live so close to Muhammed.' This troubled me until I came to the house of the Prophet and mentioned that to him. He called (the man) and asked him, and he said something similar, and said that he was hoping for the reward for his steps. The Messenger of Allah said, 'You will have that (reward) that you sought.'"

"Banu Salimah wanted to move from their homes to somewhere near the mosque, but the Prophet did not want the outskirts of Al-madinah to be left vacant, so he said: 'O Banu Salimah, do you not hope for the reward of your footsteps?' So they stayed (where they were)."

"The houses of the Ansar were far from the mosque and they wanted to move closer. Then the following Verse was revealed: 'We record that which they send before (them), and their traces.'" He said: So they remained (where they were)."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'A man's prayer in congregation is twenty-some levels higher than his prayer in his house or in the marketplace.'"

The Messenger of Allah said: "The prayer in congregation is twenty-five times more virtuous than the prayer of anyone of you on his own."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'the prayer of a man in congregation is twenty-five levels higher than his prayer in his home.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The prayer of a man in congregation is twenty-seven levels more virtuous than a man's prayer on his own.'"

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'The prayer of a man in congregation is higher than his prayer on his own by twenty-four or twenty-five levels."

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'I was thinking of commanding that the call to prayer be given, then I would tell a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would go out with some other men carrying bundles of wood, and go to people who do not attend the prayer, and burn their houses down around them.'"

"I said to the Prophet: 'I am an old man and blind; my house is far away, and I have no one to lead me. Is there any concession (for me not to have to attend the prayer in the mosque)?' He said: 'Can you hear the call?' I said: 'Yes.' He said: 'Then I do not find any concession for you.'"

The Prophet said: "Whoever hears the call and does not come, his prayer is not valid, except for those who have an excuse."

They heard the Prophet say on his pulpit: "People should desist from failing to attend the congregations, otherwise Allah will seal their hearts, and they will be among the negligent."