Is there a Hadith that gives preference to a bigger congregation than a smaller one?
Answer
Yes, indeed.
Sayyiduna Ubayy ibn Ka’b (radiyallahu ’anhu) reports that Nabi (sallallahu’alayhi wasallam) said:
’…indeed two people offering Salah in congregation is more pure than a man offering Salah alone. A man offering Salah with two other congregants is purer than with just one. The more [the number of congregants] the more beloved it is to Allah.’
(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith: 555 and Sunan Nasai, Hadith: 843)
Declared authentic by Imams: Ibn Ma’in, Dhuhli, Ibn Khuzaymah and Ibn Hibban (rahimahumullah).
(Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Hadith: 1476, Sahih Ibn Hibban; Al-Ihsan, Hadith: 2056. Refer: Targhib, Hadith: 584 and Fathul Bari, Hadith: 647)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows best,
Answered by: Moulana Muhammad Abasoomar