The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led us in the dawn prayer one day and asked, "Is so-and-so present?"They replied, "No."He asked, "Is so-and-so present?"They replied, "No."He said, "These two prayers are the heaviest of prayers upon 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 the row of the angels, and if you knew its merit, you would race to 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. The greater the number, the more beloved it is to Allah Most High."
حدثنا حفص بن عمر حدثنا شعبة عن أبي إسحق عن عبد الله بن أبي بصير
صلى بنا رسول الله ﷺ يوما الصبح فقال أشاهد فلان قالوا لا قال أشاهد فلان قالوا لا قال إن هاتين الصلاتين أثقل الصلوات على المنافقين ولو تعلمون ما فيهما لأتيتموهما ولو حبوا على الركب وإن الصف الأول على مثل صف الملائكة ولو علمتم ما فضيلته لابتدرتموه وإن صلاة الرجل مع الرجل أزكى من صلاته وحده وصلاته مع الرجلين أزكى من صلاته مع الرجل وما كثر فهو أحب إلى الله تعالى
Graded sahih. Ahmad, 5/140, reported it from the hadith of Shubah with this chain, and Ibn Khuzayma graded it sahih, no. 1477, as did Ibn Hibban, no. 429. Ibn Majah, no. 790, and Nasai, no. 844, also reported it from the hadith of Abu Ishaq, from Abdullah bin Abu Basir, from his father, from Ubayy bin Kaab, with this chain, and Ibn Khuzayma graded it sahih, no. 1476, as did Ibn Hibban, no. 430. The hadith has many corroborating narrations.