Encyclopedia of Prophetic Hadiths

"Complete the front row first, then the one following it. If there is any deficiency (in the rows), let it be in the last row."

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) led us in the Fajr prayer one day and said: "Is so-and-so present?" They replied: 'No.' He said: "Is so-and-so present?" They replied: 'No.' Thereupon, he said: "These two prayers are the most burdensome of all prayers for the hypocrites. If you knew what they contain, you would come to them, even if you had to crawl on your knees. The first row is like that of the angels, and if you knew the nature of its excellence, you would race to join it. A man's prayer with another man is purer than his prayer alone, and his prayer with two men is purer than his prayer with one man; the greater the number, the more pleasing it is to Allah Almighty."