342 – Ubayy ibn Kaʿb (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “A man’s prayer with another man is purer—i.e., brings more reward—than his prayer on his own; his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one; and the larger the congregation, the more beloved it is to Allah.” Reported by Abū Dāwūd and al-Nasāʾī, and authenticated by Ibn Ḥibbān⦗1⦘.

— Hadith status:
The hadith is ṣaḥīḥ (sound).
Al-Tal­khīṣ states: It was narrated by Aḥmad, Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, Ibn Mājah, and Ibn Ḥibbān through the narration of Ubayy ibn Kaʿb, and it was declared authentic by Ibn al-Sakan, al-ʿUqaylī, and al-Ḥākim.
Al-Nawawī said: Ibn al-Madīnī indicated its soundness.
In its chain is ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī Baṣīr. Some held that he is unknown, but al-Ḥākim transmitted it through al-ʿAyzār from him, which removes the anonymity of his person, and Ibn Ḥibbān declared him trustworthy.

— Vocabulary:
Az­kā (purer): the hamzah is pronounced, the zāʾ is silent, forming a defective noun. Zakāʾ may signify growth and increase, and that is the meaning intended here: a man’s prayer with the congregation earns greater reward than praying alone.
It can also carry the sense of purity, in which case the meaning is that the worshipper is kept safe from the filth of Satan and his whisperings.

— Points derived from the hadith:
1 – The hadith indicates that a congregational prayer is valid with two people—an imam and a follower—and that it is considered