Not Attending Congregational Prayer (2/2)

5. Eating something that has a foul smell: The obligation of attending the congregational prayer is lifted from the one who has eaten radish, onion, leek, garlic, or meat that has a foul smell which one is unable to remove. This is because the smell that comes out of the mouth due to having eaten these foods harms the people that the person is talking to and makes them averse to being close to him.

Muslim reports in his Saheeh from Jaabir that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, "Whoever eats garlic or onion should stay away from us or let him stay away from our mosque and instead sit in his home."[1]

The same applies to a butcher who has a foul smell and anyone else who has a foul smell because the underlying reasoning has been given to be the harming of other Muslims. The one who has leprosy or any other contagious disease that causes harmhas the same rule apply to him by analogy.[2]

6. The Imaam lengthening the prayer to the point that it becomes hard upon the followers: This is based on the report from ibn Mas'ud reports that a man said, "By Allah, O Messenger of Allah, indeed I remain away from the morning prayer due to such and such a person who lengthens it." I have not seen the Prophet (peace be upon him) giving an exhortation in which he displayed more anger than on that day. He said, "Indeed, there are among you those who cause the people to become averse to attending the congregational prayer. When any of you prays with the people be brief, for there are among them the weak, the old and those who have a pressing need.[3]"

7. Being overcome with sleep:
This is based on the hadeeth from Abu Qataadah that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "There is no negligence in sleep. Negligence exists only in the state of wakefulness. Therefore, if one of you forgets to pray, let him pray as soon as he remembers and let him pray the prayers of the next day at their correct times...[4]"

8. Being naked and destitute, having no clothes to wear[5].

9. Being on a journey and fearing that one's travelling party will leave him behind.[6]

10. Attending to the dead person and preparing him for burial.

11. A grave concern that prevents one having khushoo' in prayer.

Abu ad-Dardaa' said, "From the understanding of a person is that he fulfills his need so that he can devote his attention to prayer, as his heart would then be free of his concern.[7]"

Examples of this are: craving for something that one has not yet attained, searching for something lost that one has hope of finding, striving to regain a belonging that has been forcibly taken, extreme depression, the existence of one who would harm the person on the road to the mosque or in it, and the fear of falling into fitnah or causing fitnah[8].

As-Suyutee wrote in al-Ashbaahu wa al-Nadhaair, "The excuses that allow one to leave the congregational prayer number about forty.[9]"

Ibn al-Qayyim also mentions one of the reasons that would allow one to leave the congregational prayer, saying, "The Muslims boycotting a person excuses that person from attending the congregational prayer. Meaning their boycotting him for a legitimate reason, this is because Hilaal bin Umayyah and Maraarah bin ar-Rabee' remained in their homes, praying in their homes and they did not attend the congregational prayer.[10]"

An-Nawawee said in ar-Rawdab after mentioning the excuses for not attending Jumu'ah and the congregational prayer, "...from the conditions of the prayer is that one knows and understands what he is doing. The excuses mentioned prevent one from actualizing this. When these excuses disappear, one then performs the prayer having complete khushoo'. Performing the prayer with khushoo' after missing the congregational prayer is better than praying in congregation with no khushoo'.[11]”