Virtue of Prayer

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked: Which deed is dearest to Allah? He said: Offering the obligatory prayer at its appointed time prescribed by the Legislator. Then, being dutiful to one's parents by being kind to them, fulfilling their rights, and refraining from being undutiful to them. Then, making Jihad in the cause of Allah with one's life and wealth to make Allah's word supreme, defend the religion of Islam and its people, and spread its rituals. Ibn Mas‘ūd (may Allah be pleased with him) said: He informed me of these deeds, and if I had said to him: Then, what comes next? he would have informed me of more.

1. Deeds vary in their merit according to how dear they are to Allah.
2. Urging Muslims to be keen on performing deeds according to their degree of superiority.
3. The Prophet's replies concerning the best of deeds vary according to the various questioners, their conditions, and what is more beneficial to each of them.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 112) (527). صحيح مسلم (1/ 90) (85). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 70). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص84). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 108).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) tells about the hypocrites and their laziness when it comes to attending the prayer, especially the 'Ishā' and Fajr prayers, and that if they were to know the amount of reward for attending them along with the Muslim congregation, they would come to it even if they had to crawl like infants upon their hands and knees. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) thought of ordering the prayer to be commenced and appointing someone to lead the people in prayer instead of him. Then he would go, along with people carrying firewood, to men who were not attending the congregational prayer and burn their houses with fire, given the gravity of their sin in doing so. Yet, he did not do that because the houses contained women, innocent children, and others with valid excuses for not attending the prayer - for they committed no sin.

1. The graveness of the failure to attend the congregational prayer in the mosque.
2. The hypocrites would seek nothing out of their worship but show-off and reputation, for they would only attend prayers when people could see them.
3. The reward for offering the ‘Ishā’ and Fajr prayers in the congregation is great, and they are worthy of being attended even if people have to crawl.
4. Regularly attending the ‘Ishā’ and Fajr prayers protects from hypocrisy, and the failure to participate in them is one of the traits of the hypocrites.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 451) (651). صحيح البخاري (1/ 132) (657). الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، لإسماعيل الأنصاري (1/ 88). تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، للبسام (ص107). تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، لابن عثيمين (1/ 136).

The Companion Jarīr ibn' Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he was committed and made a covenant with the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) to adopt Tawhīd (monotheism), perform the five obligatory prayers every day and night, fulfilling their conditions, pillars, obligatory and Sunnah acts; observe the prescribed Zakah, which is an obligatory financial act of worship taken from the rich and given to those who deserve it from the poor and others; obey the rulers; and giving sincere advice every Muslim by being keen on bringing benefit and goodness to him and warding evil off him through words and acts.

1. The importance of prayer and Zakah and the fact that they are from the pillars of Islam.
2. The importance of counsel and mutual advice between Muslims to the extent that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) took a pledge from his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) on that.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 111) (524)، (3/ 72) (2157). صحيح مسلم (1/ 75) (56). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 272). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص145). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 398). نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 206).

The polytheists kept the Messenger (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions too preoccupied to offer the ‘Asr prayer till sunset, as they were garrisoned to protect Madīnah against them. Consequently, the Messenger (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon) invoked Allah, the Almighty, against them, asking Him to fill their stomachs, houses, and graves with fire as a punishment for hurting him and his Companions and distracting them from offering the ‘Asr, which is the best prayer.

الإلمام بشرح عمدة الأحكام، إسماعيل بن محمد الأنصاري، دار الفكر، دمشق، الطبعة: الأولى 1381هـ. تيسير العلام شرح عمدة الأحكام، عبد الله بن عبد الرحمن البسام، تحقيق: محمد صبحي حلاق، مكتبة الصحابة، الأمارات، مكتبة التابعين، القاهرة، الطبعة: العاشرة 1426هـ. تنبيه الأفهام شرح عمدة الأحكام، محمد بن صالح العثيمين، مكتبة الصحابة، الإمارات، الطبعة: الأولى 1426هـ، 2005م. عمدة الأحكام من كلام خير الأنام -صلى الله عليه وسلم- لعبد الغني المقدسي، دراسة وتحقيق: محمود الأرناؤوط، مراجعة وتقديم: عبد القادر الأرناؤوط، دار الثقافة العربية، دمشق، بيروت، مؤسسة قرطبة، الطبعة: الثانية 1408هـ، 1988م. صحيح البخاري، محمد بن إسماعيل البخاري الجعفي، تحقيق: محمد زهير الناصر، دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى 1422هـ. صحيح مسلم، مسلم بن الحجاج القشيري النيسابوري، تحقيق محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار إحياء التراث العربي، بيروت، الطبعة: 1423هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked what actions in the prayer were the best. They asked this for their eagerness to achieve the most amount of rewards. They meant which part of prayer e.g, bowing or prostration is the best? He answered that it was the long standing in the prayer.

رياض الصالحين من كلام سيد المرسلين؛ للإمام أبي زكريا النووي، تحقيق د. ماهر الفحل، دار ابن كثير-دمشق، الطبعة الأولى، 1428ه . - نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف د. مصطفى الخِن وغيره، مؤسسة الرسالة-بيروت، الطبعة الرابعة عشر، 1407هـ. - صحيح مسلم؛ للإمام مسلم بن الحجاج، حققه ورقمه محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، دار عالم الكتب-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1417هـ. - تطريز رياض الصالحين؛ تأليف فيصل آل مبارك، تحقيق د. عبد العزيز آل حمد، دار العاصمة-الرياض، الطبعة الأولى، 1423هـ.

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informs us that the five prayers prescribed to be performed during the day and night, the Friday prayer every week, and the fasting of the month of Ramadan every year expiate minor sins committed between them, provided that major sins are avoided. As for major sins like adultery and alcoholic drinking, these can only be expiated by repentance.

1. Some sins are minor and some are major.
2. The expiation of minor sins is contingent upon the avoidance of major ones.
3. Major sins are sins for which a legal punishment is prescribed in this world, a warning is issued with regard to the Hereafter by punishment or Allah's wrath, or their perpetrators are cursed, such as adultery and drinking alcohol.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 209) (233). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 183). نزهة المتقين بشرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى سعيد الخن (1/ 158). تطريز رياض الصالحين، لفيصل آل مبارك (ص108). بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم بن عيد الهلالي (1/ 209).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about the deed that leads to Paradise or about the deeds that Allah loves most. He (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to the questioner: Adhere to prostration frequently during the prayer, for you do not make a single prostration to Allah except that Allah raises you one degree therewith and forgives one of your sins therewith.

1. Encouraging Muslims to pay good attention to prayer, both obligatory and voluntary, as it includes prostration.
2. It demonstrates the Companions' good understanding of the religion and their awareness of the fact that Paradise cannot be attained except through Allah's mercy first, then through good deeds.
3. Prostration during the prayer is among the greatest means of raising ranks and forgiving sins.

صحيح مسلم (1/ 353) (488). كنوز رياض الصالحين، لمجموعة من الباحثين. بهجة الناظرين، لسليم الهلالي (1/ 188). نزهة المتقين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 137). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 105). شرح النووي على مسلم، (4/ 205).

The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) encourages the observance of the Bardayn, namely the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers. He gave glad tidings for whoever observes them in their due manner in terms of time, congregation, etc, that they would be a means of admitting him to Paradise.

1. The merit of observing the Fajr and ‘Asr prayers; is that the Fajr occurs at the time of deep sleep and ‘Asr occurs when one is occupied with his work. Therefore, whoever observes them will observe the rest of the prayers with greater reason.
2. The Fajr and ‘Asr prayers were called "Bardayn" because of the cold night breeze at the time of the Fajr prayer and the cold daytime breeze at the time of the ‘Asr prayer, even though it is hot at that time yet it is less hot than the time that precedes it; or they were called by way of dominance, as the sun and moon are called: the two moons.

صحيح البخاري (1/ 119) (574). صحيح مسلم (1/ 440) (635). نزهة المتقين، لمجموعة من الباحثين (1/ 159). شرح رياض الصالحين، لابن عثيمين (2/ 187).