Salaah with Jamaat

When we perform Salaah in Jamaat, our Salaah is purer and the bigger the Jamaat, the more pleased will Allah be. A Hadith states…

وَإِنَّ صَلاَةَ الرَّجُلِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ وَصَلاَتُهُ مَعَ الرَّجُلَيْنِ أَزْكَى مِنْ صَلاَتِهِ مَعَ الرَّجُلِ وَمَا كَثُرَ فَهُوَ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ تَعَالَ
A man’s prayer said along with another is purer than his prayer said alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one, but if there are more it is more pleasing to Allah, the Almighty, the Majestic. [Abu Dawud]

Aameen of the angels
There is an incident of a pious person who once missed Salaah with Jamaat. As he knew that Salaat with Jamaat is twenty-five times superior to Salaah performed individually, he repeated the Salaah twenty-five times to compensate for the loss. He says…

When I went to sleep, I had a dream in which I heard someone saying to me, “You have repeated your Salaah twenty-five times (in the hope of compensating for the loss), but what about the Aameen of the angels?”

Shaikhul Hadith, Moulana Muhammad Zakariyya R.A., after mentioning this incident in Fazaai’l-e-Aa’maal, says:

It is reported in many Ahaadith that when the Imaam says “Aameen” after Surah Faatihah, the angels also say Aameen, and all the past sins of a person whose Aameen coincides with that of the angels are forgiven. Acquiring this virtue is only possible through performing Salaah with Jamaat. Hence, when quoting this incident, Moulana Abdul Hayy R.A. wrote:

“Even if a person continues to repeat his Salaah (individually) a thousand times, he cannot get the collective blessing of performing Salaah with Jamaat.” This is obvious, as one not only loses the Aameen with the angels, but also the blessings of the congregation, the Duas of the angels after the Salaah, and many other spiritual benefits.

Habits of the pious
It was the habit of Moulana Qaasim Nanotwi R.A. that he would commence preparing for Salaah one hour in advance. Similarly, when Shah Wasiyyullah R.A. used to travel to any place, he would not enquire regarding the time of the Jamaat in the Masjid, rather he would enquire about the time of Azaan (so that he could prepare for Salaah well in advance and arrive in the Masjid at the time of the Azaan or before the Azaan). These habits were developed so that Salaah with Jamaat should never be missed.