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Text and translation
English translation
792. It was narrated that Ibn Umm Maktum said: “I said to the Prophet ﷺ: ‘I am an old man and blind; my house is far away, and I have no one to lead me. Is there any concession (for me not to have to attend the prayer in the mosque)?’ He said: ‘Can you hear the call?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Then I do not find any concession for you.’” (Da’if)
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Commentary
The Hadith underlines the importance of the prayer in congregation, so much so, that the Prophet ﷺ did not grant any sort of concession, even to Ibn Umm Maktum ﷺ although he was handicapped in several ways.
The Prophet ﷺ did not accept Ibn Umm Maktum’s request to allow him to stay away from the prayer in congregation, because he ﷺ wanted him to earn more and more reward in the Hereafter. His wish was to create an inducement in him for the congregational prayer although, as we know, a blind man who finds it difficult to attend the prayer in the mosque is allowed to perform it at home as it happened in the case of ‘Itbân bin Mâlik ﷺ (Sunan Ibn Mâjah: 754).