Is there any advantage to praying in a masjid?

Question

It is known that prayers are accepted wherever you perform them — washrooms and graveyards notwithstanding — and that it is not required to go to an actual masjid building to pray. As the prophet said,

The whole earth is a mosque for you, so pray wherever you are when the time for prayer comes.

However, I was wondering if there is any solid evidence that praying in the masjid itself has any benefit. I am aware of numerous hadiths which indicate that praying in congregation is much more blessed than praying alone (which is easier to arrange when you're at a masjid,) and also of hadiths which emphasize the importance of responding to the adhan (which is usually called from a masjid), and even many which explicitly mention the masjid itself (but clearly in the context of either the congregation or the adhan as above, rather than the actual building), but I don't know of any clear evidences that even this congregational prayer is more valuable inside an actual masjid compared to being prayed just anywhere.

Does praying in a masjid give extra reward than praying outside of one?

Answer 1

There is additional sawaab when you pray in a masjid and even more more sawaab if you pray in the row just behind the Imam.
There is a hadith about importance of praying in a mosque (Ther might be more than one but this is the one i know)

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, "The prayer offered in congregation is twenty five times more superior (in reward) to the prayer offered alone in one's house or in a business center, because if one performs ablution and does it perfectly, and then proceeds to the mosque with the sole intention of praying, then for each step which he takes towards the mosque, Allah upgrades him a degree in reward and (forgives) crosses out one sin till he enters the mosque. When he enters the mosque he is considered in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer and the angels keep on asking for Allah's forgiveness for him and they keep on saying: 'O Allah! Be Merciful to him, O Allah! Forgive him, as long as he keeps on sitting at his praying place and does not pass wind.
Bukhari Book 1 Volume 8 Hadith 466

Some say the reward is 27 times not 25.

Answer 2

Praying in masjid is a reclamation. If none do this masjid would be abandoned. Thus praying in masjid is better than other places as Quran says At-Tawbah:9/18:

إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ فَعَسَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ ﴿التوبة: ١٨﴾

Only he shall inhabit masjids of Allah who believes in Allah and the Last Day, and performs the prayer, and pays the alms, and fears none but Allah alone; it may be that those will be among the guided.

Answer 3

Bismillah Hir Rahmaan Nir Raheem

As Salaamu 3laykum,

I hope you are doing well.

Below is the ranking of what we as Muslim men would be obliged to follow if we are in a close enough proximity to the mosque. For more clarification please see here: https://islamqa.info/en/answers/38881/is-it-obligatory-to-pray-jamaaah-in-a-mosque-that-is-far-from-the-house

Ranking Due to Obligation (Provided he is close to enough to the mosque and he is a Muslim male)

#1: Congregation Prayer is Required

Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): “Whoever hears the call to prayer and does not respond, his prayer is not valid, except the one who has an excuse.”

Narrated by Ibn Maajah, 793; also narrated by al-Daaraqutni and al-Haakim, who classed it as saheeh. It was also classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Ibn Maajah.

&

The Prophet (SAW) said, "No doubt, I intended to order somebody to pronounce the Iqama of the (compulsory congregational) prayer and then I would go to the houses of those who do not attend the prayer and burn their houses over them." (Bukhari)

#2: Congregation at home / work place / etc.

ALLAH Messenger (ﷺ) said, "The prayer in congregation is twenty seven times superior to the prayer offered by person alone." (Bukhari)

#3: Praying at home / workplace by yourself

“Indeed, those who believe and do righteous deeds and establish prayer and give Zakah will have their reward with their LORD, and there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve.” (Quran, Chapter 2 verse 277)

Now after saying the above there is a narration I found but I don't know the level of authenticity. However, here is the narration:

Narrated AbuSa'id al-Khudri: Prayer in congregation is equivalent to twenty-five prayers (offered alone). If he prays in a jungle, and performs its bowing and prostrations perfectly, it becomes equivalent to fifty prayers (in respect of reward).

Abu Dawud said: 'Abd al-Walid b. Ziyad narrated in his version of this tradition: "Prayer said by a single person in a jungle is more excellent by multiplied degrees than prayer said in congregation." (Abi Dawud)

Have a nice day!

Answer 4

narrated by Abu Hurairah (R.A), Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said; a man praying with the congregation is twenty-seven times better than a man praying alone. (Tirmidhi)