THE SONS OF ADAM DO NOT LIVE EXCEPT IN SOCIETIES

Every living thing must, of necessity, entail intentions and wants within itself with which it determines its own actions, and with which it determines the actions of others whenever that is made possible for it. Verily, man is a living thing, he moves with his will and intention, and human beings do not live except by coming together in groups and living with one another.

Whenever two or more come together, there must of necessity be between them mutual enjoining of some things, and mutual forbidding of other things. For this reason, the smallest congregation in prayer is two people, and it has been said: two people or more constitutes a “congregation” (jama’a), and since their coming together is strictly for prayer, that is accomplished with only two, whereby one is the leader (imam), and the other is the led (ma’moom). As the Prophet (sas) said to Al-Malik ibn Al-Huwairith and his companion:

“When the time of prayer comes, make the adhan and the iqama, and then let the older of you lead the prayer.” (They were similar in ability to read the Qur’an.)

As for ordinary affairs (other than prayer), it is narrated in the books of hadith that the Prophet said:

“It is not allowed for three who go on a trip to fail to appoint one of them as amir” (leader)