Collective Prayer for Healing: Islamic Rulings on Group Supplications After Salah

Understanding the Rulings on Collective Prayer for the Sick in Islam

Question: What is the ruling on making an announcement and performing collective prayers for the recovery of a specific individual after the five daily prayers or Friday prayers, based on a request?

Answer: The question is about whether it is permissible to make an announcement and perform collective prayers for the recovery of a specific individual after the five daily prayers or Friday prayers upon request. The response is that there is evidence from Sunnah that we can request prayers for someone, and similarly, we can visit and pray for a sick person. Visiting the sick and praying for them is confirmed, and this is an individual matter. However, making an announcement and performing collective prayers in the mosque based on someone’s request is not supported by the Quran and Hadith. These practices are not considered to be part of Shariah. If collective prayers cannot be conducted in the mosque after the obligatory prayers, then it should not be done for a sick person either. For collective prayers, there must be concrete evidence. However, if someone requests prayers and people pray individually, or if the imam informs the congregation about a sick person and they pray individually, there is no harm in that.

But making an official announcement from the mosque for collective prayers is not correct. Similarly, collective prayers for the sick, whether done in the mosque or elsewhere, are not allowed. It is best to pray individually, whether inside or outside the mosque, or when visiting the sick person. The fundamental principle from the Quran and Sunnah is that if we are aware of someone’s illness, we should visit them, as Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) once asked, “Who among you has visited a sick person today?” Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, “I have.” This indicates that Abu Bakr did not request an announcement or collective prayers from the Prophet (peace be upon him) but went to visit the sick person himself, which is one of the rights of a Muslim. Therefore, making an announcement in the mosque for the sick seems to contradict this Hadith.

In conclusion, collective prayers in the mosque cannot be conducted. However, if someone mentions that a certain person is sick and people pray individually, or if the imam prays and the congregation also prays individually, there is no harm in that. The imam might have been informed earlier and notified some people to include the sick person in their prayers. There is no Shariah issue with this as long as it is done individually. Collective prayers are not permissible.

✍ Sheikh Maqbool Ahmed Salafi حفظه الله
Jeddah Dawah Center – Al-Salamah – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia