in congregation, which is recommended for each man individually. As for establishing congregational prayers, this is obligatory for Friday prayer and a sunnah in every mosque.
Section
The prayer that constitutes a communal obligation is the funeral prayer. It has also been said that it is a sunnah; this is Asbagh’s view. The evidence that it is a communal obligation is that “the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, offered the funeral prayer in Medina for the Negus, since there was no one to pray over him where he had died.” All Muslims throughout the lands of Islam have unanimously upheld this practice. It thus became the way of the believers, which Allah has threatened to punish those who fail to follow, saying:
“Whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will leave him to what he has chosen and burn him in Hell—what an evil destination!” [al-Nisā’: 115]
Thus, if a people were to abandon the funeral prayer over their dead, the warning mentioned in this verse would apply to them. This is clear evidence of its obligatory status. Ibn Abd al-Hakam argued for this on the basis of Allah’s words, mighty and majestic is He:
“Never pray over any of them who dies.” [al-Tawbah: 84]
When asked about the funeral prayer, he replied, “It is obligatory,” and recited this verse. This, however, is not clear evidence: prohibiting prayer over the hypocrites does not constitute a command to pray over the believers, since the two are not opposites. A command can only be inferred here through the text’s implied contrast. Yet there is disagreement both over the validity of this form of inference and over whether a command entails obligation, which weakens this argument.
Section
As for sunnah prayers, there are five instituted by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: Witr, the eclipse prayer, the prayer for rain, and the two Eid prayers. It has also been said that the two Eid prayers are communal obligations established by the Sunnah. This was the view held by our teacher, the jurist Ibn Rizq—may Allah Most High have mercy on him. The first view, however, is the well-known, established position: both are sunnahs for each individual.
Section
There is disagreement concerning the two units of prayer before the dawn prayer, the two units when entering ihrām, and the two units following circumambulation. One view holds that each pair is a sunnah