Obligation of Prayer and Ruling on Its Abandoner

It was mentioned before the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) about a man who slept until morning and sunrise and did not get up to perform the obligatory prayer. Thereupon, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: He is a man in whose ear the devil urinated.

1. Abandoning the night prayer is disliked and the devil is the cause behind that.
2. Be cautious of the devil who lies in wait for man on every route to prevent him from obeying Allah Almighty.
3. Ibn Hajar said: His statement: (And did not get up to perform the prayer) refers either to prayer in general or to the covenant, and it means the night prayer or the obligatory prayer.
4. At-Tībi said: He specifically mentioned the ears, even though the eyes would have been more appropriate in the context of sleep, to indicate the heaviness of sleep. Ears are more associated with attention. He also mentioned urine because it goes easily and quickly into cavities and veins, thereby afflicting the whole body with laziness.

صحيح البخاري (4/ 122) (3270). صحيح مسلم (1/ 537) (774). بهجة الناظرين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 328). نزهة المتقين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (2/ 834). فتح الباري شرح صحيح البخاري، لأحمد العسقلاني (3/ 28). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 193). المنهاج شرح صحيح مسلم بن الحجاج، النووي (6/ 64).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) clarified that the father should command his children - boys and girls - to pray when they are seven years old, and he should teach them what they need to establish prayer. On reaching ten, he should add the beating if they show negligence in observing the prayer. Moreover, he should separate them in beds.

1. Teaching young children before reaching the age of puberty matters of religion, the most important of which is prayer.
2. Beating should be for the sake of discipline, not torture, so he should beat in a way that suits the child's circumstance.
3. The Shariah cares about protecting people's honor and blocks all means that may lead to corruption.

سنن أبي داود (1/ 367) (495، 496). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، مجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 299). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 382).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against deliberately delaying the ‘Asr prayer beyond its appointed time and that whoever does so, his deeds will become invalid and will be rendered worthless.

1. The Hadīth urges us to always perform the ‘Asr prayer at its early time and hasten to do so.
2. It gives a stern warning to anyone who abandons the ‘Asr prayer. Indeed, delaying the ‘Asr prayer beyond its time is greater than delaying other prayers. The middle prayer referred to in the command occurring in the verse reads: {Be mindful of the prayers, especially the middle prayer; and stand before Allah in complete devotion.} [Surat al-Baqarah: 238]

صحيح البخاري (1/ 115) (553). مسند أحمد (38/ 152) (23045). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (5/ 56). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى الخِن وغيره (2/ 777). فيض القدير شرح الجامع الصغير (3/ 206). بهجة الناظرين، لسليم الهلالي (2/ 260). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص614).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) likened Islam to a well-built structure based on five pillars that carry it and the rest of its characteristics complement the structure. First pillar: The two testimonies of faith; testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. These two testimonies constitute one pillar as they are both inseparable. The slave utters the two testimonies of faith acknowledging the oneness of Allah and His exclusive worthiness of worship apart from others, acting upon their requirements, believing in the message of Muhammad (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and following him. Second pillar: Establishing the prayer, which refers to the five obligatory prayers that are to be observed every day and night and they are: Fajr (morning), Zhuhr (noon), ‘Asr (afternoon), Maghrib (sunset), and ‘Ishā’ (night), along with observing their conditions, pillars, and obligatory acts. Third pillar: Giving the obligatory Zakah, which is an obligatory financial act of worship due on every type of property that has reached the limit prescribed by Shariah and it is to be given to those entitled to it. Fourth pillar: Performing Hajj, which is travelling to Makkah to perform the rituals as a means of worshipping Allah Almighty. Fifth pillar: Fasting Ramadān, which is abstaining from food, drink, and other invalidators from the break of dawn until sunset with the intention of worshipping Allah.

1. The two testimonies of faith are inseparable, i.e., none of them is valid without the other; hence, he considered them one pillar.
2. The two testimonies of faith are the core of the religion; hence, they are essential for the validity of any saying or deed.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 11) (8)، صحيح مسلم (1/ 45) (16)، و(1/ 88) (82)، فتح الباري لابن رجب (1/ 22)، جامع العلوم والحكم (1/147)، شرح الأربعين لابن العطّار (ص 62)، شرح الأربعين النووية لعبد الكريم الخضير (ص 87)، فتح القوي المتين في شرح الأربعين للعباد (ص 29)، شرح الأربعين النووية لصالح آل الشيخ (ص 91 - 95)، التحفة الربانية لإسماعيل الأنصاري (ص 12).

Anas ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) relates: As the Companions were sitting with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in the mosque, a man riding a camel entered, and he made the camel kneel and tied it. Then, he asked them: Who amongst you is Muhammad? Meanwhile, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was reclining among the people. So, we replied: This white man who is reclining. The man said to him: O son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib! The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: I have heard you; ask, and I will answer you. The man said to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him): I will ask you about something and will be hard in questioning. So do not get upset with me. In other words, do not get angry at me or feel annoyed. He replied: Ask whatever you want. He said: I ask you by your Lord and the Lord of those who came before you. Has Allah sent you as a messenger to mankind? He replied: "By Allah, yes," affirming his truthfulness. The man further said: I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you that we must offer the five prayers in a day and night? They are the obligatory prayers. He replied: By Allah, yes. The man further said: I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to observe fasts during this month of the year? That's the month of Ramadan. He replied: By Allah, yes. The man said: I ask you by Allah. Has Allah ordered you to take this charity from our rich people and distribute it amongst our poor people?" This is Zakah. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) replied: By Allah, yes. Thereupon, Dimām embraced Islam and informed the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) that he would call his people to Islam, and he introduced himself as Dimām ibn Tha‘labah, from Banu Sa‘d ibn Bakr.

1. The Hadīth shows the Prophet's modesty, as the man could not distinguish between him and his Companions.
2. It highlights the Prophet's good character and gentleness in replying to the questioner. It also indicates that providing good responses is one of the reasons behind accepting the call to Islam.
3. It is permissible to identify a person by a certain trait, like being white, reddish, tall, short, and any other trait that is not intended as a defect, unless the person dislikes it.
4. It is permissible for a disbeliever to enter the mosque for some need.
5. He did not mention Hajj in the Hadīth because it had probably not been prescribed yet when this man came.
6. The Companions were keen on inviting people to Islam. Once this man embraced Islam, he was determined to call his people to it.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 23) (63)، صحيح مسلم (1/ 41) (12)، شرح ابن بطال (1/145)، عمدة القاري شرح صحيح البخاري (2/ 22).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that whoever forgets to perform any obligatory prayer until its time has elapsed should hasten to make up for it when he remembers it. The sin of abandoning it cannot be eliminated and covered except by the Muslim's performance upon remembering it. In his noble Book, Allah says: {and establish prayer to remember me.} [Surat Tā-ha: 14], i.e., perform the forgotten prayer when you remember it.

1. It shows the significance of prayer and urges us not to be negligent in performing and making up for it.
2. It is not permissible to delay a prayer beyond its time intentionally and without an excuse.
3. It is obligatory for a person who oversleeps a prayer to perform it when he wakes up and for a person who forgets a prayer to perform it when he remembers it.
4. It is obligatory to make up for missed prayers right away, albeit at times when praying is prohibited.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 122) (597)، صحيح مسلم (1/ 477) (684)، فتح الباري لابن حجر (2/ 71)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (14/ 612).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) warned against abandoning the obligatory prayers and informed us that what stands between a man and falling into Shirk (polytheism) and disbelief is the abandonment of prayer. Prayer is the second pillar of Islam and is of great significance in this religion. Whoever abandons it out of denial of its obligation has become a disbeliever by consensus among the Muslims, and whoever abandons it altogether out of negligence or lethargy is a disbeliever, a ruling the Companions are reported to have agreed upon unanimously. But if a person abandons it sometimes and performs it at other times, he is subject to this stern warning.

1. The Hadīth stresses the significance of prayer and its observance, for it is the distinguishing feature between disbelief and belief.
2. It gives a severe warning against abandoning and neglecting the prayers.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 88) (82)، المفهم لما أشكل من تلخيص كتاب مسلم (1/ 271)، البحر المحيط الثجاج في شرح صحيح الإمام مسلم بن الحجاج (2/ 622).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) pointed out that the covenant and pledge between the Muslims and the disbelievers and hypocrites is prayer. So, whoever abandons it has become a disbeliever.

1. The Hadīth shows the great status of the prayers and that they are the distinguishing feature between the believer and the disbeliever.
2. The rulings of Islam are established based on the outward circumstances of people, regardless of their inward circumstances.

سنن النسائي (1/ 231) (463)، سنن الترمذي (4/ 365) (2621)، سنن ابن ماجه (2/ 181) (1079)، مسند أحمد (38/ 20) (22937)، فيض القدير (4/ 395)، ذخيرة العقبى في شرح المجتبى (6/ 192) (6/ 193).