heard the call but did not respond, his prayer is invalid unless he has a valid excuse.” The author cited this report under the chapter on the Friday prayer, and I have annotated it there with what suffices.
Indeed, he even conceded in “The Chapters on the Adhān” that the hadith is proof for the obligation of the adhān and the iqāmah, saying: “Because omitting them—a form of Satan’s domination—must be avoided.”
I say: Abū Dāwūd’s recension shows that the phrase “no prayer is established among them” means no congregational prayer is held. Al-Shawkānī reached the conclusion we quoted from him because Aḥmad transmits the wording: “No three people fail to give the call and fail to establish the prayer…” To my mind, the hadith can refer only to the congregation. Even if we were to concede that what is intended is merely announcing the prayer with “Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar…” and so on, we would still say to al-Shawkānī:
If you admit that the hadith proves the obligation of the adhān and the iqāmah, then it proves the obligation of the congregational prayer all the more, for the adhān and the iqāmah in relation to the congregation are like the means in relation to the end; when the means becomes obligatory, the end is, a fortiori, obligatory—so reflect.
Another proof of the obligation is the Almighty’s statement: “When you are among them and lead them in prayer, let a group of them stand with you…” (Q 4:102). This teaches obligation from two angles:
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He ordered them to pray in congregation with him during a time of danger, which proves it is obligatory in fear and, by stronger reasoning, obligatory in safety.
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He legislated the prayer of fear in congregation and there permitted actions that are otherwise impermissible without necessity, such as turning one’s back to the qiblah and making many movements—matters that are unanimously forbidden without excuse—as well as leaving the imam before the salām according to the majority, and delaying one’s following of the imam, as when the rear rank bows only after the imam while facing the enemy. All these acts would invalidate the prayer if done without excuse; so if the congregational prayer were merely recommended and not obligatory, he would have