Understanding The Prophet's Life
From Issue: 841 [Read full issue]
Prayers in Congregation
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Prayer in congregation is twenty seven times better than prayer prayed individually.” [Bukhari, Muslim]
It would seem that this is only for the congregational prayer with the appointed imam. It is clear from the Sunnah that this distinction is only for the group who pray with the appointed imam in the mosque and not for any other congregation. This is because the hadith is an encouragement to attend the congregational prayer at the mosque with the appointed imam.
If someone prays with a group of people other than the congregation in the mosque with the appointed imam then he will receive the reward of praying with a group but not the reward of the proper congregational prayer at the mosque. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The prayer of a man with another man is better than his praying alone, and the prayer of a man with two other men is better than his praying alone or with only one other man, and the more people there are, the more beloved it is to Allah.” [Nasai, Abu Dawud]
Compiled From:
"Islamtoday.net" - Khalid al-Mushaykih