Title: Moving to Another Place for Economic Considerations Only Question: We moved from one place to another to be in group practice, to work less spend more time in Allah's way. Here one gets the opportunity to pray in jama`ah at the Masjid . You realize that the person one came to work with is not working, income only a quarter of what you made. Can one move back knowing that you will not be able to pray jama`ah sala'h at Masjid , also not every Jum`ah due to work/distance/weather? Answer: If a person lives at a place from where it is possible to offer congregational prayers in a mosque five times a day, he must offer his obligatory prayers in a congregation in a mosque. This does not mean that it is obligatory for a person to find a place for his residence, which would allow him to pray in a congregation. It would most definitely be desirable and whatever loss, a person suffers - financial or otherwise - because of his opting to live at a place, which allows him to pray five times a day in a congregation, shall insha'Allah be compensated for many a times by the Almighty, at the time when the person would be in need of such compensation the most - the Day of Judgment. Nevertheless, the directive of Islam is only to join the congregation and offer the obligatory prayers with a congregation, if one lives in an area where the five daily prayers are offered in a congregation in a mosque. Opting an area of residence, which has a mosque close by is definitely desirable and shall insha'Allah entail huge rewards in the hereafter, but it can by no means be termed as obligatory. 2 nd October 1998