A Dervish and Wali Forgoing Congregational Prayer for Mujahada

Question

What is the ruling on a sane, healthy elderly dervish and wali not praying in congregation in the mosque during the blessed month of Ramadan and not listening to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an in tarawih, but instead withdrawing into seclusion in the wilderness, that is, performing a chilla (a forty-day retreat)?

Answer

Regarding [the obligation of] congregational prayer, the hadiths contain strong emphasis. One who habitually abandons the congregation without a shar‘i excuse is a fasiq (transgressor) whose testimony is rejected; indeed, such a person resembles the hypocrites.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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