Can I Lead My Family at Home Instead of Going to the Mosque?

18 May, 2017
Q As-Salamu `alaykum. Please I want to know if I can pray and lead my family (consisting of my wife and daughter) at home in prayers rather than going to the mosque.

Answer

Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

It is important for you to attend the prayer in congregation at the mosque – if you can do so without difficulty.


Answering your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

It is important for you to attend the prayer in congregation at the mosque – if you can do so without difficulty.

However, you are allowed to lead your family in the same prayer before or after praying at the mosque.

We learn from the traditions that Mu`adh ibn Jabal, one of the eminent companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) used to pray with the Prophet in the congregation and then head towards Quba to lead the people in prayer for the 00 prayer.

Allah Almighty knows best.