Answer: Your situation is totally different from the one
depicted in the Hadīth. It says that when a person is going to offer
congregational prayers in a mosque, he should walk in a composed fashion. Abū
Hurayrah reports that he heard the Prophet saying:
When the congregational prayer is about to commence, do
not rush to join it; walk towards it. It is imperative that you maintain your
calm [in this matter]. Pray whatever [number of Rak‘ats] you are able to catch
and then complete the rest. If any one of you has made up his mind to pray, then
he has in fact started to pray. (Muslim, Kitābu’l-Masājid)
It is evident from this narrative that worship rituals
should be observed with full composure. It is a matter of etiquette. Moreover,
rushing into the prayer not only affects the person’s concentration but also
disturbs the other participants. Also, the last part of the narrative gives the
glad tidings that a person who is planning to pray is in fact praying. So why
should he rush at all if he is in fact getting the reward of praying.
In my opinion, jogging to the mosque to get exercise does
not contradict this Hadīth. It is quite obvious that you are not jogging to the
mosque for fear of getting late. Moreover, once you reach the mosque gate, you
should walk calmly to the actual prayer place so that you do not cause any undue
noise.
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