Assalaamu alaykum. I have read a hadith that relates that the Prophet, sallallaahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said that the Fajr and ‘Ishaa’ prayers are difficult to perform in congregation for the hypocrite. Does this hadith make it obligatory to perform the Fajr and ‘Ishaa’ in congregation? Is it obligatory for the Muslim male ot perform all the prayers in congregation?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

The wording of the hadeeth that you mentioned, and which was reported by Al-Bukhari and Muslim is as follows: “Verily, the most burdensome of prayers upon the hypocrites are the Fajr and ‘Ishaa’ prayers. If they knew the blessings that are in them, they would come to them even if they had to crawl. I was about to order the prayer to be established and command a man to lead the people in prayer, then I would go with some men with firewood to the people who were absent from the prayer and burn their houses with fire.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Some scholars of Fiqh provided this hadeeth as evidence that performing the prayer in congregation in the mosque is Waajib (obligatory), and this is one view of the scholars, whereas some others are not of the view that it is obligatory to perform it in the mosque but that it is an obligation to perform it in congregation, be it in the mosque or at any other place. Some other scholars are of the view that the congregational prayer in the mosque is a confirmed Sunnah. Hence, the issue is an issue of difference of opinion, and each group has their own evidence, and the believers should accept them all.

Nonetheless, there is no difference of opinion that it is better to perform the prayer in congregation in the mosque due to the great reward that one gets, as this combines the reward of the prayer itself, the reward of praying it in congregation, the reward of going and coming back from the mosque, the reward of waiting for the prayer, and so forth; all which confirms that the prayer in the mosque is better and more rewarding than that performed elsewhere.

Ash-Shawkaani said in As-Sayl Al-Jarraar, after favoring the view that the prayer in the mosque is not Waajib, “But the deprived is the one who is deprived of the congregational prayer, as the reward of the prayer is 27 times (more than the prayer performed individually); so it is only an unsuccessful person who would resort to a prayer whose reward is only one portion of the 27 rewards, and if he were pleased in his worldly transactions with such deals, then he would deserve to be prevented from disposing of his wealth because of being so foolish, but it is only Allah Who gives success.”

For more benefit, please refer to fatwas 82264 and 88433.

Allah knows best.