Merits of Congregational (Jamat) Prayer

Here is a blog post by IslamicSalvation, which can be found here:

باب فضل الصلاة في الجماعة

Chapter on the merit of praying in congregation

علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن عمر بن اذينة، عن زرارة قال: قلت لابي عبدالله (عليه السلام): ما يروي الناس أن الصلاة في جماعة أفضل من صلاة الرجل وحده بخمس وعشرين صلاة؟ فقال: صدقوا، فقلت: الرجلان يكونان جماعة؟ فقال: نعم ويقوم الرجل عن يمين الامام (حسن)

1. Ali bin Ibrahim from his father (Ibrahim bin Hashim) from Ibn Abi Umayr from Umar bin Udhayna from Zurara (bin A’yan) who said : I said to Abi Abdillah (a.s) : what the people narrate – saying  that, a (one) prayer performed in congregation has (the equivalent of) the merit of twenty five prayers of a man prayed alone (is it true)? He (a.s) said : They have spoken the truth, I (Zurara) said : do two people make up a congregation? so He (a.s) said : yes and the other man stands to the right of the imam (in one line and not behind him). (Hasan due to Ibrahim bin Hashim)

علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، ومحمد بن إسماعيل، عن الفضل بن شاذان جميعا، عن حماد بن عيسى، عن حريز، عن زرارة قال: كنت جالسا عند أبي جعفر (عليه السلام) ذات يوم إذ جاء ه رجل فدخل عليه فقال له: جعلت فداك إني رجل جار مسجد لقومي فإذا أنا لم اصل معهم وقعوا في وقالوا: هو هكذا وهكذا، فقال: أما لئن قلت ذاك لقد قال أمير المؤمنين صلوات الله عليه: من سمع النداء فلم يجبه من غير علة فلا صلاة له، فخرج الرجل فقال له: لا تدع الصلاة معهم وخلف كل إمام فلما خرج قلت له: جعلت فداك كبر علي قولك لهذا الرجل حين استفتاك فإن لم يكونوا مؤمنين؟ قال: فضحك (عليه السلام) ثم قال: ما أراك بعد إلا ههنا يازرارة فأية علة تريد أعظم من أنه لا يأتم به ثم قال: يازرارة أما تراني قلت: صلوا في مساجدكم وصلوا مع أئمتكم (حسن كالصحيح)

2. Ali bin Ibrahim from his father (Ibrahim bin Hashim) AND Muhammad bin Ismail from Fadhl bin Shadhan all togethor from Hammad bin Isa from Hariz (bin Abdillah) from Zurara (bin A’yan) who said : I was sitting with Abi Ja’far (a.s) (at his place) one day, when a man came for him and entered inside to meet  him, and said : may I be ransomed for you, I am a man who lives nearby to a Masjid belonging to my people, so when I do not pray with them (in their Masjid) they speak about me (backbiting me) saying he is such and such-like, so He (a.s) said to him : if this is (all) what you say (about your situation) then know that Amir-ul-Mumineen peace be upon him had said (about it) : whoever listens to the call (calling for prayer from a Masjid) and does not respond to it, without there being (an explainable) reason (preventing him from answering the call - and so acting as an excuse), (then) he has no prayer, so when the man was about to leave, He (a.s) said : Do not leave off praying with them, nor should you leave off praying behind every imam, so when the man had left (Zurara who had witnessed this conversation) said : may I be ransomed for you, it has become great for me (I am surprised at) your words (in answer) to this man when he asked you, so what if they (those with whom and behind whom he will go on to pray after this) are not Mu’minun?, (Zurara) says, so He (a.s) laughed and said : I will not see you anywhere after this but here O Zurara, for what more of a reason (to be used as an excuse) do you need that is greater than the fact that – he is not to be followed in prayer (the non Mu’min), O Zurara, do you not see that what I have just said is : pray in your Masajid  and behind your imams. (Hasan like Sahih)         

علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، ومحمد بن إسماعيل، عن الفضل بن شاذان جميعا، عن حماد، عن حريز، عن زرارة، والفضيل قالا: قلنا له الصلوات في جماعة فريضة هي؟ فقال: الصلوات فريضة وليس الاجتماع بمفروض في الصلاة كلها ولكنها سنة ومن تركها رغبة عنها وعن جماعة المؤمنين من غير علة فلا صلاة له (حسن كالصحيح)

3. Ali bin Ibrahim from his father (Ibrahim bin Hashim) AND Muhammad bin Ismail from Fadhl bin Shadhan all togethor from Hammad (bin Isa) from Hariz (bin Abdillah) from Zurara (bin A’yan) AND Fudhayl (bin Yasar) who said (both of them) : we said to Him (a.s), praying in congregation - is it obligatory? so He (a.s) said : the prayer (itself) is an obligation, and not the act of congregating togethor for all the prayers (which is not an obligation), but it (congregational prayer) is a Sunnah, and whoever leaves it - because of his dislike for it (the act of congregating) and also (his dislike for) the gathering of the believers (who make up this congregation) (and that too) without) having any reasonable argument (to explain and thereby excuse himself with), then there is no prayer for him (his prayer alone is not accepted or incomplete). (Hasan like Sahih)