560 — Muhammad ibn Isa narrated to us, Abu Mu'awiyah narrated to us, from Hilal ibn Maymun, from Ata ibn Yazid, from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers. But if one prays it in an open desert, completing its bowings and prostrations properly, it reaches fifty prayers." (1)

Abu Dawud said: Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad said regarding this hadith: "A man's prayer in the open desert is multiplied over his prayer in congregation," and he related the hadith. (2)

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It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (7430) and "Sahih Ibn Hibban" (2043). It was also narrated in abbreviated form regarding the virtue of congregational prayer over individual prayer by Muslim (649) (245) and (246), al-Tirmidhi (214), al-Nasa'i in "al-Kubra" (914), and Ibn Majah (787) via the chain of Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab; and by Muslim (649) (247) via Salman al-Agharr, and (248) via Nafi' ibn Jubayr — all three of them from Abu Hurayrah.

See also what preceded under numbers (469), (470), and (471).

(1) Its chain is strong. Hilal ibn Maymun — he is al-Juhani, and it is also said: al-Hudhali — was declared trustworthy by Ibn Ma'in. Al-Nasa'i said: There is no harm in him. Abu Hatim said: He is not strong. Ibn Hibban mentioned him in "al-Thiqat." The rest of its narrators are trustworthy. Abu Mu'awiyah: he is Muhammad ibn Khazim al-Darir.

It was also narrated by Ibn Abi Shaybah 2/479-480, Abd ibn Humayd (976), Abu Ya'la (1011), Ibn Hibban (1749) and (2055), al-Hakim 1/208, and al-Baghawi in "Sharh al-Sunnah" (788) via the chain of Abu Mu'awiyah, with this isnad.

It was also narrated in abbreviated form with only its first part by Ibn Majah (788) via Abu Mu'awiyah, from him.

It was also narrated in abbreviated form by al-Bukhari (646) via Abd Allah ibn Khabbab, from Abu Sa'id.

It is also in "Musnad Ahmad" (11521).

(2) Al-Hafiz Ibn Hajar said in "Fath al-Bari" 2/135, commenting on the narration of Abd al-Wahid ibn Ziyad: It is as if he took it from the general wording of his statement "if one prays it," since it encompasses both congregation and individual prayer. However, interpreting it as referring to congregation is more appropriate, and that is what appears from the context.