Question Summary:
In my village a new group has been formed(jammat). Everyone is pleased with that. For the ramadhaan every member wants to do the taraweeh prayers with the new jamaat. My question is that is it permissible to make others suffer to gain something?

Question Detail:

In my village a new group has been formed(jammat). Everyone is pleased with that. For the ramadhaan every member wants to do the taraweeh prayers with the new jamaat. My question is that is it permissible to make others suffer to gain something?

Because in the group a member wants the taraweeh prayers to be done at his home but the family members is opposing that because the space to accomodate the people is very limited. the furniture in the house has to be removed which the family memebers are not agreeing with. Is this permissible in islam? Are we gaining sawaab by doing that? Is the person that is making all the efforts to do salaat gaining something ny making his family members suffer despite that there is a masjid in the locality?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
The month of Ramadan is a month of blessings and mercy.  It is a month wherein Allah has given his slaves the opportunity to strive to get closer to Him and to abstain from sins.  He has made it easy for the Muslims to do good deeds, which were difficult in the remaining eleven months.  In this month, fasting has been made compulsory and the taraweeh prayers have been made sunnah.  To perform tarweeh prayers in the masjid is Sunnah ala al-Kifya.  Therefore, a group of people should perform it in the masjid.  If the whole locality leaves out performing taraweeh prayers with congregation in the masjid, even though they perform it in congregation at a house, they will all be sinners.
If a group of people are performing it in the masjid, and few perform it at the house, then it is permissible for them but they will be deprived of the blessing of the masjid congregation.
Since it is permissible to conduct the tarweeh prayers at home on condition there is group of people performing it the masjid, it will be incorrect to cause difficulty and inconvenience for a permissible act to the family if they do not agree upon it.  If one really has the desire to conduct the prayers at his house, he should try to convince his family and get their support.  Even though he might be the owner of the house, he should still consider the fact that the cleaning of the house is done usually by the womenfolk and moving the furniture may cause inconveniency for the family.  Therefore the matter should be consulted with the family members and then decided.  Keep in mind this an auspicious month and one should refrain from acts which might cause a quarrel within the family or disunity.
(Rad al-Mukhtar 2:45) H.M. Saeed Company
(قوله والجماعة فيها سنة على الكفاية إلخ) أفاد أن أصل التراويح سنة عين، فلو تركها واحد كره، بخلاف صلاتها بالجماعة فإنها سنة كفاية، فلو تركها الكل أساءوا؛ أما لو تخلف عنها رجل من أفراد الناس وصلى في بيته فقد ترك الفضيلة، وإن صلى أحد في البيت بالجماعة لم ينالوا فضل جماعة المسجد وهكذا في المكتوبات كما في المنية وهل المراد أنها سنة كفاية لأهل كل مسجد من البلدة أو مسجد واحد منها أو من المحلة ؟ ظاهر كلام الشارح الأول . واستظهر ط الثاني . ويظهر لي الثالث ، لقول المنية : حتى لو ترك أهل محلة كلهم الجماعة فقد تركوا السنة وأساءوا . ا هـ . وظاهر كلامهم هنا أن المسنون كفاية إقامتها بالجماعة في المسجد ، حتى لو أقاموها جماعة في بيوتهم ولم تقم في المسجد أثم الكل ، وما قدمناه عن المنية فهو في حق البعض المختلف عنها . وقيل إن الجماعة فيها سنة عين فمن صلاها وحده أساء وإن صليت في المساجد وبه كان يفتي ظهير الدين . وقيل تستحب في البيت إلا لفقيه عظيم يقتدى به ، فيكون في حضوره ترغيب غيره . والصحيح قول الجمهور إنها سنة كفاية ، وتمامه في البحر (رد المحتار)
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Ehzaz Ajmeri,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah