Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said:“The prayer performed in congregation is twenty-five times more virtuous than his prayer performed alone.”Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that these words belong to the category about which I have already explained in the Book of Faith, that when the Arabs mention a number regarding something that has parts and branches, their intention is not to negate the possibility of more than that number. Therefore, by the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) statement ‘twenty-five times’, his intention is not that the reward for congregational prayer cannot be more than this. The proof for our interpretation and explanation is the following hadith.

Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: "A man's prayer with the congregation is twenty-seven times more virtuous than his prayer alone."

With this statement of his, he has concealed the truth from some foolish people through his ignorance, by saying that when the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) addresses his Ummah with concise speech, it is as if he (peace be upon him) has addressed them without benefit. This is the assumption and thought of this person.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he (peace be upon him) said: "A man's performance of prayer with the congregation is more virtuous for him by more than twenty degrees than his praying alone." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the word "bidh‘" is ambiguous, because "bidh‘" applies to any number from three to ten. And the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stated in the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that congregational prayer is twenty-five times more virtuous. He (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say that it cannot be more than twenty-five times more virtuous. And he (peace and blessings be upon him) explained in the narration of Sayyiduna Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that congregational prayer is twenty-seven degrees more virtuous.

And the clarification that the Fajr prayer in congregation is superior to the Isha prayer in congregation, and that its virtue in congregation is twice the virtue of the Isha prayer in congregation.

Sayyiduna Uthman bin Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performs the ‘Isha prayer in congregation, it is as if he has performed tahajjud for half the night. And whoever performs the Fajr prayer in congregation, it is as if he has performed tahajjud for the entire night."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah and Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with them) narrate from the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) regarding Allah Almighty's statement «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ قُرْآنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُودًا» ‏‏‏‏ (Surah Al-Isra: 78) "Indeed, the dawn prayer is attended (by angels)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "At this prayer, the angels of the night and the angels of the day gather together." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I have recorded at the beginning of the Book of Prayer the narration regarding the gathering of the angels of the day and night at the Fajr and Asr prayers.

Even if a man is only able to attend these two prayers by crawling on his knees.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If people knew the reward and virtue of the ‘Isha and Fajr prayers, they would surely attend them even if they had to crawl on their knees."

Abu Basir narrates that when I came to Madinah Munawwarah, I met Sayyiduna Ubayy bin Ka'b (may Allah be pleased with him) and requested, "O Abu Mundhir, please narrate to me the most beloved hadith that you have heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." He replied, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer, then turned towards us and asked, 'Is such-and-such person present?' We replied, 'No,' and he had not attended the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, 'Is such-and-such person present?' We replied, 'No,' and he had not attended the prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, 'Indeed, the heaviest prayers upon the hypocrites are the 'Isha and Fajr prayers. And if they knew the reward and virtue of these two, they would surely attend them even if they had to crawl on their knees. Verily, the first row is like the row of angels (in virtue). And if you knew its virtue, you would race to attain it. Surely, your prayer with one companion is better than your prayer alone, and your prayer with two men is better than your prayer with one man. And the prayer in greater congregation is more beloved to Allah the Exalted.'"