Question:
Assalamualaikum Sahibus Samahah Mufti. I want to ask, what is the ruling of a person who walks to the mosque and purposely took the longer route with the excuse that he wants to receive greater rewards for his steps?
Hope for an explanation from Mufti. Thank you.
Answer:
Waalaikumussalam wrt wbt,
Alhamdulillah, praise and thanks to Allah for the countless blessings He has blessed us all with. Blessings and salutations to the Prophet Muhammad PBUH, his wives, his family, companions and all those that follow his teachings to the day of judgement.
Allah SWT praises those who are concern about their prayers and promised them a place in the highest Paradise of Firdaus. Allah SWT states in the Quran:
وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ عَلَىٰ صَلَوَاتِهِمْ يُحَافِظُونَ ﴿٩﴾ أُولَـٰئِكَ هُمُ الْوَارِثُونَ ﴿١٠﴾ الَّذِينَ يَرِثُونَ الْفِرْدَوْسَ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ
“And they who carefully maintain their prayers - Those are the inheritors. Who will inherit al-Firdaus. They will abide therein eternally.”
Surah al-Mukminun (9-11)
Congregational prayer is the prioritized and afdhal way in performing prayer. Furthermore, the Prophet PBUH stated the advantages of walking to perform the congregational prayer in a mosque. Among them is the words of the Prophet PBUH that every step of a person to the mosque is a charity, in a long hadith of the Prophet PBUH it is stated:
وكلُّ خطوَةٍ تخطوها إلى الصلاةِ صدَقَةٌ
“And every step taken on one's way to offer the compulsory prayer (in the mosque) is also Sadaqa,”
Sahih al-Bukhari (2891) and Sahih Muslim (1009)
The same is stated by the Prophet PBUH when a person walks to the mosque to perform prayer, then his position is raised and his sin is removed. The Prophet PBUH said:
صَلاةُ أحَدِكُمْ في جَماعَةٍ، تَزِيدُ على صَلاتِهِ في سُوقِهِ وبَيْتِهِ بضْعًا وعِشْرِينَ دَرَجَةً، وذلكَ بأنَّهُ إذا تَوَضَّأَ فأحْسَنَ الوُضُوءَ، ثُمَّ أتى المَسْجِدَ لا يُرِيدُ إلّا الصَّلاةَ، لا يَنْهَزُهُ إلّا الصَّلاةُ، لَمْ يَخْطُ خَطْوَةً إلّا رُفِعَ بها دَرَجَةً، أوْ حُطَّتْ عنْه بها خَطِيئَةٌ، والمَلائِكَةُ تُصَلِّي على أحَدِكُمْ ما دامَ في مُصَلّاهُ الذي يُصَلِّي فِيهِ
"The congregational prayer of anyone amongst you is more than twenty (five or twenty seven) times in reward than his prayer in the market or in his house, for if he performs ablution completely and then goes to the mosque with the sole intention of performing the prayer, and nothing urges him to proceed to the mosque except the prayer, then, on every step which he takes towards the mosque, he will be raised one degree or one of his sins will be forgiven. The angels will keep on asking Allah's forgiveness and blessings for every one of you so long as he keeps sitting at his praying place.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (2219) and Sahih Muslim (649)
The Prophet PBUH also stated the advantages of a person who walks to the mosque to perform the congregational prayer will be forgiven and rewarded. The Prophet PBUH said:
ألا أدلُّكُم على ما يُكَفِّرُ اللَّهُ بِهِ الخَطايا، ويزيدُ بِهِ في الحسَناتِ؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسولَ اللَّهِ قالَ: إِسباغُ الوضوءِ عِندَ المَكارِهِ، وَكَثرةُ الخُطى إلى المساجِدِ، وانتظارُ الصَّلاةِ بعدَ الصَّلاةِ
'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.'
Sunan Ibn Majah (776)
أَعْظَمُ النّاسِ أجْرًا في الصَّلاةِ أبْعَدُهُمْ، فأبْعَدُهُمْ مَمْشًى والذي يَنْتَظِرُ الصَّلاةَ حتّى يُصَلِّيَها مع الإمامِ أعْظَمُ أجْرًا مِنَ الذي يُصَلِّي، ثُمَّ يَنامُ
“The most eminent among human beings (as a recipient of) reward (is one) who lives farthest away, and who has to walk the farthest distance, and he who waits for the prayer to observe it along with the Imam, his reward is greater than one who prays (alone) and then goes to sleep.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (651) and Sahih Muslim (662)
According to the above hadiths, they showed the prioritized and afdhal way to go to the mosque is by walking compared to riding their vehicles. We have discussed this issue in-depth, please refer to Al-Kafi #1223: Which Is Prioritized Between Walking or Riding Vehicles to the Mosque?
AS for purposely taking a longer route to go to the mosque so that he will increase the rewards he received by increasing his steps for his journey is an inaccurate way of understanding the hadith. The reason is the Islamic legal maxim stated that:
الثَوَابُ عَلَى تَحَمُّلِ المَشَاقِّ لَا عَلَي عَين المَشَاقِّ
“One is rewarded for the patience he has in facing the challenges and not for the challenge itself.” (Refer Qawa’id al-Ahkam Fi Masalih al-Anam, 36)
This means that a person is greatly rewarded compared to others is when he is patient when he is faced with a trial when performing worship. For example, a person who is performing ablution in cold weather will be greatly rewarded compared to a person performing ablution in normal weather.
Thus, when a person purposely making it difficult for himself, then this is not encouraged by the Prophet PBUH. Hence, he is not rewarded for his actions of purposely making it hard for him to perform worship.
Furthermore, in this issue of a person purposely taking the longer route will tire himself and lead to less khusyuk in prayer, which is a contradiction with the greater and main thing in the prayer which is to have khusyuk. The same for if by walking it would make it harder for the person and in turn he arrives late at the mosque, then it is prioritized for him to ride a vehicle. This is stated in the book Tuhfat ak-Muhtaj Syarh al-Minhaj:
ويشبه أن يكون الركوب أفضل لمن يجهده المشي لهرم أو ضعف أو بعد منزله بحيث يمنعه ما يناله من التعب الخشوع والحضور في الصلاة عاجلاً
“And maybe by riding a vehicle is prioritized for a person who experiences hardship when he walks due to old age, sickness, weakness of the mosque is far from his house. The reason is the tiredness that he would feel will prevent him from having khusyuk in prayer and arriving early at the mosque.” (Refer Tuhfat al-Muhtaj Syarh al-Minhaj, 2:471)
Regarding this matter, Ibn Taimiyyah explained:
مما ينبغي أن يعرف أن الله ليس رضاه أو محبته في مجرد عذاب النفس وحملها على المشاق حتى يكون العمل كل ما كان أشق كان أفضل كما يحسب كثير من الجهال أن الأجر على قدر المشقة في كل شيء، لا! ولكن الأجر على قدر منفعة العمل ومصلحته وفائدته
“What should be understood is that the blessing and love of Allah SWT are not by burdening and purposely making it difficult for yourself, that a person will feel that it is harder to perform worship, then it is prioritized, as assumed by the ignorant. Absolutely not! However, rewards are given according to the benefit, advantage and profit from the worship itself.” (Refer Majmu’ al-Fatawa Lil Ibn Taimiyyah, 15:127)
Conclusion
According to the above discussion, we concluded that the act of purposely taking the longer route to perform congregational prayer that it burdens himself is not a commandment in religion. The reason is it may lead to tiredness which will prevent him from having khusyuk in prayer while having khusyuk in prayer is prioritized.
However, if the action does not burden him such as because his house is near the mosque, the weather is not too hot or cold, then it is prioritized for him to walk to the mosque according to the above stated hadiths. Indeed, Allah SWT revealed His commandments to ease the Muslim ummah and not to burden us. Allah SWT states:
يُرِيدُ اللَّـهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ
“Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship,”
Surah al-Baqarah (185)
The same is stated in another hadith narrated by Saidatina Aisyah R.Anha, where she said:
ما خُيِّرَ رَسولُ اللهِ ﷺ بيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ، أَحَدُهُما أَيْسَرُ مِنَ الآخَرِ، إلّا اخْتارَ أَيْسَرَهُما، ما لَمْ يَكُنْ إثْمًا، فإنْ كانَ إثْمًا، كانَ أَبْعَدَ النّاسِ منه
“Never did Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) make a choice between two things but adopting the easier one as compared to the difficult one, but his choice for the easier one was only in case it did not involve any sin, but if it involved sin he was the one who was the farthest from it amongst the people.”
Sahih al-Bukhari (3560) and Sahih Muslim (2327)
May Allah SWT give us the right understanding in His commandments and grant us guidance to perform sincere worship only for Him. Amin.
Wallahua’lam.