individual in the mosque. For if we were to say that it is a collective obligation, then each person could remain in his home and say, “Perhaps there are those in the mosque who are establishing the congregational prayer.”

As for those who cite the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him, “The earth has been made for me a mosque and a means of purification” (1), there is no evidence in it at all. It merely establishes that the entire earth is a place of prayer, and this is among the distinctive qualities of this Ummah, unlike the previous communities, who would pray only in churches, hermitages, and synagogues. This Ummah, however, has been granted the entire earth as a place of prayer. The point is not that congregational prayer is valid in every place; rather, it is that prayer itself is valid in every place, and there is no dispute concerning this.

Then, even assuming that it is general in meaning, it is qualified by the evidences establishing the obligation of congregational prayer in the mosques.

Issue: Government offices in which there is a large congregation and which have their own prayer area where they pray, while mosques are nearby: should we tell them, “All of you should leave this office and pray in the mosque,” or should we say, “Pray where you are, and there is no blame upon you”?

Answer: In our view, if the mosque is nearby and their leaving for the mosque will not disrupt the work, then they must pray in the mosque. But if it is far away, or there is concern that the work will be disrupted—such as when the office has work to attend to and many visitors, or there is fear of people slipping away—