Imam Ridha (‘a) said: Certainly the congregational prayer has been decreed in order that the pure Faith in Unity, in Islam, and in worshipping Allah be openly revealed and (publicly) manifested, because, thereby and with its apparency the reason of Allah, Almighty and Glorious, will be completed for the totality of people in the East and West (of the world). (Thus, the reality of Islam will be manifested and known and infidelity and paganism before Islam will be like darkness before light which cannot resist and vanishes at last.) Another reason (for decreeing the congregational prayer) is that those who are far from the truth, the hypocrite, and those who take it light but claim Islam, then they may, willy or nilly, treat accordingly and show Islam from them and try to protect (its laws in the society). Again, the congregational prayer causes people to know each other which makes it allowed and possible that some of them bear witness for some others about their Islam, wherein there is the means of facility and association for righteous deeds and godly actions which prevents too much disobedience against Allah, Almighty and Glorious. Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 88, p. 12
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 04:20:00 +0000