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| 2 Hadiths

Hadith
549
It was narrated that Abu Umamah ibn Sahl said: We prayed Zuhr with ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, then we left and came to Anas ibn Malik, and we found him praying ‘Asr. I said: O uncle, what is this prayer that you were praying? He said: ‘Asr, and this is the prayer of the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that we used to offer with him..

Commentary : Prayer is the foundation of faith, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged the Muslims to pray and to offer the prayer at the beginning of its time. The Sahabah were keen to follow the commands and instructions of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but some of the rulers and governors after the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs delayed the prayers until the end of their times.
In this hadith, Abu Umamah ibn Sahl says: “We prayed Zuhr with ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, then we left and came to Anas ibn Malik, and we found him praying ‘Asr.” ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz had prayed Zuhr at the end of its time, and Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) used to pray ‘Asr at the beginning of its time, upholding the Sunnah. The beginning of the time for ‘Asr – as is stated in the reports – is when the sun is in the sky and the length of the shadow of a thing is double its height.
When Abu Umamah saw him praying ‘Asr just after they had prayed with ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, he asked him what prayer he had been praying. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) told him that he had been praying ‘Asr, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had enjoined, and as we used to pray it with him at this time.
It was said that ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz used to pray Zuhr sometimes at the end of its time. That was when he was a governor in Madinah. In this matter, he followed the example of those of Banu Umayyah who used to delay it, until ‘Urwah ibn az-Zubayr advised him, then he stopped doing that and began to offer the prayers at the beginning of their times.
This hadith highlights the keenness of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), no matter how much people changed it.
It also indicates that with the passage of time, people and rulers became less committed to following the Sunnah..

550
It was narrated that Anas ibn Malik said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was still high and bright, then someone would go to al-‘Awali and come to the people there when the sun was still high. Some of the areas of al-‘Awali were four miles or so from Madinah..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was very keen about the matter of prayer, and was very keen to teach his companions the beginning and end of the time for each of the five daily prayers.
In this hadith, the Sahabi Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) states that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was still high and bright, meaning that it was still clear, before it began to turn yellow or change colour. The beginning of the time for ‘Asr – as is stated in the reports – is when the sun is in the sky and the length of the shadow of a thing is double its height.
If a person went to al-‘Awali after having prayed ‘Asr with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he would come to the people there whilst the sun was still high, but not a high as it had been previously. al-‘Awali refers to villages and clusters of houses around Madinah in the direction of Najd, some of which were four miles or so – or approximately six kilometres – from Madinah. This is indicative of how early the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) prayed ‘Asr, as soon as the time for it began..

552
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “The one who misses ‘Asr, it is as if he lost his family and his wealth.”.

Commentary : ‘Asr prayer is of great importance, for it is the middle prayer. We have been enjoined to uphold all prayers, especially ‘Asr prayer.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the one who misses ‘Asr prayer and does not offer it on time, delaying it until the sun has set with no excuse, it is as if he lost his family and his wealth, and ended up bereft of family or wealth; when he sees the reward [that he missed out on], he will be filled with sorrow and regret like that of one who loses his family and his wealth.
This hadith is a warning against neglecting and missing ‘Asr prayer..

553
It was narrated that Abu’l-Malih said: We were on a campaign with Buraydah on a cloudy day, and he said: Pray ‘Asr early, for the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever misses ‘Asr prayer, his good deeds are rendered invalid.”.

Commentary : ‘Asr prayer is of great importance, for it is the middle prayer. We have been enjoined to uphold all prayers, especially ‘Asr prayer.
In this hadith, the Tabi‘i Abu’l-Malih ibn Usamah al-Hudhali narrated that they were on a campaign with Buraydah ibn al-Husayb al-Aslami, on a cloudy day. This indicates that the sun was not visible in the usual fashion, which would enable them to be certain that the time for prayer had begun. So he instructed them to hasten to pray ‘Asr at the beginning of its time. It was said that the reason why he mentioned in particular that it was a cloudy day was because that would be a cause of delaying the prayer, either because of one who was overly cautious and wanted to be sure that its time had begun, but would delay it so much that its time would end, or because of one who was preoccupied with something else, so he would think that there was still time, then he would get carried away in what he was preoccupied with until the time for the prayer ended.
Then Buraydah (may Allah be pleased with him) explained to them that the reason for urging them to pray ‘Asr at the beginning of its time was that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever misses ‘Asr prayer,” and deliberately delays it until its time has ended, with no excuse, “his good deeds are rendered invalid,” and the reward for them is lost, so he will have no reward at all.
This hadith indicates that it is better to be on the safe side and offer prayer at the beginning of its time when the weather changes and the sun is not visible as it usually is, for fear that the time for the prayer will end.
It is also a warning against neglecting ‘Asr prayer and missing it..

554
It was narrated that Jarir ibn ‘Abdillah said: We were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he looked at the moon one night – meaning when it was full – and said: “You will see your Lord as you see this moon; you will have no trouble looking at Him. If you can avoid being overwhelmed by something that prevents you from praying before the sun rises and before it sets, then do that.” Then he recited the verse: {and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting} [Qaf 50:39]. Isma‘il said: Do that, so that you will not miss it..

Commentary : Islam urges the Muslim to attend the prayers in congregation in general, and to attend ‘Asr and Fajr prayer in particular. The emphasis on these two prayers is because the angels gather at these two times, and take up people’s deeds.
In this hadith, Jarir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) tells us that they were with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he looked at the moon on the night when it is full, which is the night of the fourteenth of the Hijri month, and said: You – O believers – will see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection as you see this moon, in a real sense, with no doubt about that. The phrase “you will have no trouble” means: You will not crowd one another when you look at Him as you do when there is uncertainty as to whether what you are looking for is visible or not, as you do when looking for the new moon, and so on. In a variant reading of the same phrase, the meaning indicated is that there will be no unfairness with regard to seeing Him, and no toil involved, so it will not be the case that some of you see Him whilst others do not; rather you will all see Him. A third variant indicates that you will not push and shove one another, or dispute.
Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) urged them, saying, “If you can avoid being overwhelmed” that is, if you are able to avoid causes of being overwhelmed which make you unable to pray, such as sleeping or being busy with things that keep you from praying, then avoid them. So do not neglect to pray before the sun rises, namely Fajr, or before the sun sets, namely ‘Asr. “… then do that,” i.e., offer these two prayers at these two times. Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) recited the verse: {and exalt [Allah] with praise of your Lord before the rising of the sun and before its setting} [Qaf 50:39].
This hadith highlights the virtue of offering the two prayers of Fajr and ‘Asr..

555
It was narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Angels come to you in succession, angels by night and angels by day, and they meet at Fajr prayer and ‘Asr prayer. Then those who spent the night among you ascend [to heaven] and Allah asks them, although He knows best about them: ‘In what state did you leave My slaves?’ They say: ‘We left them when they were praying, and we came to them when they were praying.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to urge and encourage his companions to do any deeds that were good and beneficial for them, because of the increased virtue and reward that those actions brought.
In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) tells us that the angels take turns in guarding the people. One group guards them by night and another group guards them by day, then the angels of the day and the angels of the night meet at two times, the first of which is at Fajr prayer, when the angels of the day come down at the beginning of the prayer, and the angels of the night are still present, so they meet them. And the angels of the night meet the angels of the day at ‘Asr prayer which is the second time. Then the angels of the night ascend after Fajr prayer, and the Lord (may He be glorified and exalted) asks them – although He knows best about them – In what state did you leave My slaves? He has no need to ask them that, because He is all-knowing about them; rather He asks them about that among those on high by way of emphasizing the status of the sons of Adam and to highlight their virtue and boast about them before the angels. So they say: We left them when they were praying Fajr and we came to them when they were praying ‘Asr; they are always praying. Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) asks the angels of the day the same question, and they give the same answer as the angels of the night.
This hadith indicates that prayer is the most sublime act of worship, because the question and answer in this hadith have to do with it.
It also indicates that Fajr and ‘Asr are among the greatest of the prayers.
It indicates that Allah (may He be exalted) speaks with His angels as He wills, without likening that speech to human speech, or denying it, or interpreting it in a way other than the apparent meaning..

556
It was narrated that Abu Hurayrah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “If one of you catches up with a ‘sajdah’ of ‘Asr prayer before the sun sets, let him complete his prayer. And if he catches up with a ‘sajdah’ of Fajr prayer before the sun rises, let him complete his prayer.”.

Commentary : Prayer is an act of worship that is limited to the way it is prescribed in the religious texts. The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) defined its times, and explained the beginning and end of each time, and how one may catch up with the prayer before its time ends.
In this hadith, the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) described the minimum amount of the prayer that one may do (before the time for it ends) so that he may be regarded as having caught up with the prayer, and that the one who delays doing an obligatory prayer until its time has almost ended, but he manages to catch up with even one ‘sajdah’ before its time ends, is regarded as having caught up with the prayer within its time, even if he does the remaining rak‘ahs after the time for the prayer has ended. What is meant by ‘sajdah’ (lit. prostration) here is a complete rak‘ah, with its ruku‘ (bowing) and sujud (prostration). The prayer may be called sujud (lit. prostration), just as it may also be called ruku‘ (bowing).
It was also said that what is meant by sajdah in the phrase “If one of you catches up with a sajdah” is sajdah in the true sense (that is, prostration), and not an entire rak‘ah. If catching up with the prayer has to do with the ruling on the prayer, it is the same whether one catches up with a complete rak‘ah or less than that. It is sufficient to catch up with the opening takbir (takbirat al-ihram) [before the time for the prayer ends], because this is the issue of catching up with the prayer (and avoiding falling into sin by missing the prayer), therefore catching up with the rak‘ah is the same as catching up with the takbirat al-ihram.
These two prayers (Fajr and ‘Asr) are singled out for mention, to the exclusion of others – even though this ruling is not specific to them; rather it includes all the prayers – because they are done at the two ends of the day, and if the worshipper has offered part of the prayer, then the sun rises or sets, he will realize that the time for the prayer has ended. So if the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) did not explain this ruling, the worshipper would think that he had missed the prayer and his prayer had been rendered invalid because the time had ended. Moreover, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had forbidden praying at the time of sunrise and sunset. Therefore he (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) stated that the prayer of the one who catches up with a rak‘ah of these two prayers (before the time for them ends) is valid, lest the worshipper think that his prayer had been rendered invalid with the ending of these two times.
This applies to one who has a legitimate excuse for not having offered the obligatory prayer at the beginning of its time. He may pray at the end of that time, and catch up with the prayer before sunrise and before sunset; otherwise, the best of deeds is offering prayer on time.
It was said that what is meant in this hadith is that if a person is among those who are accountable and required to pray, and is able to catch up with as much as one rak‘ah of the prayer before the sun rises, then he is regarded as having caught up with it and fulfilled the obligation of praying Fajr. This applies only to those with legitimate excuses; if a menstruating woman becomes pure (and rushes to do ghusl), or an insane person recovers his sanity, or a Christian becomes Muslim, or a boy reaches puberty, if any of these people catches up with one rak‘ah then he or she has fulfilled the obligation of praying..

557
It was narrated from Salim ibn ‘Abdillah, from his father, that he told him that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “The duration of your stay, in comparison to the nations who came before you, is like the time between ‘Asr prayer and sunset. The people of the Torah were given the Torah, and they acted upon it until midday and became exhausted. They were given one qirat (carat; a measure of gold) each. Then the people of the Gospel were given the Gospel, and they acted upon it until the time of ‘Asr prayer, then they became exhausted. So they were given one qirat each. Then we were given the Qur’an, and we strove until sunset, and we were given two qirats each. The people of the (previous) two Books said: ‘O our Lord, You have given these people two qirats each, and You gave us one qirat each, although we did more work?’ Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) said: ‘Have I wronged you with regard to your reward?’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘That is My grace that I bestow upon whomever I will.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlighted the precedence given to this ummah over the nations who came before them, namely the Jews and Christians. That is because of their good response to the commands of Allah and His Messenger.
In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that he heard the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) say: “The duration of your stay, in comparison to the nations who came before you”, namely the followers of Musa and ‘Isa (peace be upon them), “is like the time between ‘Asr prayer and sunset.” This is indicative of how close the onset of the Hour is. This is a likeness that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) gave of the efforts of the three nations. The people of the Torah – namely the Jews – were given the Torah, which is the Book that Allah (may He be glorified) sent down to Musa (peace be upon him), and they acted in accordance with what it contained, until midday, whereupon they became exhausted and fell short, and were unable to complete the full day’s work. So Allah gave each of them his reward, one qirat each.
Then the people of the Gospel – namely the Christians – were given the Gospel, which is the Book that Allah (may He be glorified) sent down to ‘Isa (peace be upon him), and they acted in accordance with what it contained until the time of ‘Asr prayer, whereupon they became exhausted and stopped striving. They were given their reward, one qirat each.
Then we – namely the Muslim ummah – were given the Qur’an, and we strove until sunset, then Allah gave us our reward, two qirats each, which is double the reward given to the previous nations.
The people of the two Books – the Jews and the Christians – said: O our Lord, You have given these people two qirats each, and you gave us one qirat each, although we strove more! In other words, You have given them more than us, although they did less work than us. But Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) said: Have I wronged you and detracted anything from your reward? They said: No, You have not detracted anything from our reward. He said: Everything that I give of reward is by My grace, and I bestow it upon whomever I will.
This hadith indicates that this ummah is given precedence and a great reward, even though its efforts are less.
It also indicates that deeds are judged by the last of them..

558
It was narrated from Abu Musa, from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him): “The likeness of the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians is that of a man who hired some people to do work for him until nightfall, so they worked until midday, then they said: We have no need of your wages. So he hired some other people, and said: Work for the rest of the day, and you will have what I promised [to the people before you]. So they worked until the time of ‘Asr prayer, then they said: Whatever we have done is for you. Then he hired another group of people, and they worked for the rest of the day, until the sun set, and they received in full the wages of the two previous groups..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) highlighted the precedence given to this ummah over the nations who came before them, namely the Jews and Christians. That is because of their good response to the commands of Allah and His Messenger.
In this hadith, Abu Musa al-Ash‘ari (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated from the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he said: The likeness of the Muslims, the Jews and the Christians – that is, with their Prophets – is that of a man who hired some people to do some work for him until nightfall, so they worked until midday, but they did not complete their work, and they said: We have no need of your wages, and we will not ask you for anything. What is meant by these people is the Jews.
Then the man hired some other people, and said: Complete the work that they began, and I will give you what I had promised them of wages. So they worked until the time for ‘Asr prayer came, then they said: What we have done is not valid, and we have no need of the wages that you promised us. What is meant by these people is the Christians.
Then the man hired some other people, and they worked for the rest of that day, until the sun set. And they received in full the wages of the two earlier groups. What is meant by these people is the Muslim ummah.
This is the likeness of the Muslims who accepted the guidance brought by the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and the likeness of the Jews and Christians, who disbelieved and rejected the Messenger (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
In this hadith, we see that precedence is given to this ummah, and they are granted their reward in full, despite the fact that their effort was less.
It also indicates that deeds are judged by the last of them.
And it indicates that likenesses may be given for the purpose of teaching and explaining..

559
It was narrated that Rafi‘ ibn Khadij said: We would pray Maghrib with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), then one of us would leave and still be able to see as far as his arrows would fall..

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was very concerned about the matter of prayer, which included his being concerned to teach his companions the beginning and end of the time for each of the five daily prayers.
In this hadith, Abu Rafi‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that they would pray Maghrib with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and they would finish the prayer and leave the mosque, and one of them would still be able to see as far as his arrows would fall when shot from a bow. What is meant is that there was still enough light after sunset for them to be able to see where their arrows would land, even though that was so far away. This is a metaphor to indicate that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Maghrib at the beginning of its time, as soon as the sun set. The time for Maghrib begins when the sun disappears.
This hadith indicates that we should hasten to pray Maghrib and keep it brief..

560
It was narrated that Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali said: al-Hajjaj came and we asked Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah, and he said: The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Zuhr when it was very hot, ‘Asr when the sun was still bright, Maghrib when the sun dropped below the horizon, and ‘Isha’ at different times; if he saw that the people had gathered, he would hasten to pray, and if he saw that they were slow to come, he would delay it. And they, or the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), would pray Fajr when the light of dawn began to appear..

Commentary : Allah (may He be exalted) has commanded us to establish prayer, and the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) has taught us how to establish it; he instructed us to do its essential parts and sunnahs properly, observe the etiquette of prayer, and do it on time.
In this hadith, the Tabi‘i Muhammad ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali narrated that al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi came to Madinah as its governor during the caliphate of ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan, following the killing of Ibn al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with him) in 73 AH. The people asked Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) about delaying the prayer, and how they should pray, and when? That was because al-Hajjaj used to delay the prayer. So Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) told them that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Zuhr when it was very hot [bi’l-hajirah]; he would pray immediately after the sun passed the meridian, at the time when it was extremely hot. The word hajirah refers to extreme heat, but comes from a root that refers to stopping or refraining, because the people stop their dealings and their comings and goings at this time, due to the extreme heat, and they take a nap.
He used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was still clear, pure in colour and bright, and he would pray Maghrib when the sun disappeared and its disk dropped below the horizon. He would pray ‘Isha’ at different times; if he saw that the Sahabah had gathered, he would hasten to pray ‘Isha’, but if they were slow, he would delay the prayer. And the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would pray Fajr at the beginning of its time, when the first light of dawn began to mix with the darkness of night.
Jabir answered the people’s questions by specifying these times to indicate that they should adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and that they should offer each prayer at the beginning of its time. A report narrated by Abu Dawud from Ibn Mas‘ud indicates that when he asked the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) what he should do if he lived to see governors delaying the prayers, he told him: “Offer the prayer on time, and make your prayer with them supererogatory (nafil).” This was prophetic advice to the Muslims at such times, telling them that they should offer the prayer at the beginning of its time amongst themselves, or in their houses, and not to do that openly, then they should pray with the governors at the later time when they offered the prayer in congregation, or they issued instructions that the prayer was to be offered at that time, so as not to cause division in the Muslim community by openly opposing those in authority and not praying with them, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) instructed the Muslims to obey those in authority so long as they establish the prayer – as is stated in other reports. But there is a report which prohibits offering the same prayer twice in one day, if there is no reason to do so. However, in this case, there is a valid reason for repeating it, which is obeying those in authority and not causing division in the community. So the first prayer is regarded as obligatory, and the second prayer is regarded as supererogatory.
This hadith indicates that Zuhr prayer should be offered at the beginning of its time, after the sun passes the meridian.
It indicates that it is prescribed to delay ‘Isha’ prayer according to when the worshippers prefer to gather.
It highlights the virtue of praying at the beginning of the time for the prayer, and warns against delaying it; and it tells us that we should continue to attend the prayers with the leaders of the Muslims, even if they are wrongdoers..

561
It was narrated that Salamah said: We used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when the sun disappeared below the horizon..

Commentary : Allah has ordained specific times for the obligatory prayers during which they must be done, as He (may He be exalted) says: {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times} [an-Nisa’ 4:103]. This hadith describes the time for Maghrib prayer, as Salamah ibn al-Akwa‘ (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We used to pray Maghrib with the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) when the sun was concealed and disappeared below the horizon, and the horizon was like a screen or curtain that prevented us from seeing it. The time for praying Maghrib lasts until the dusk or red afterglow disappears, as it is narrated in Sahih Muslim from ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “… and the time for Maghrib prayer lasts so long as the dusk has not disappeared…”
This hadith indicates that we should hasten to pray Maghrib when the sun sets.
It also describes the beginning of the time for Maghrib prayer..

563
It was narrated from ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not be influenced by the Bedouin with regard to the name of your Maghrib prayer.” The Bedouins used to call it ‘Isha’..

Commentary : One aspect of proper etiquette towards Allah and His Messenger is to keep the names of things as Allah (may He be glorified in exalted) and His Messenger named them, especially the names of the prayers. In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn Mughaffal al-Muzani (may Allah be pleased with him) tells us that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not be influenced by the Bedouin” meaning the Bedouin of the Jaahiliyyah, “with regard to the name of your Maghrib prayer.” The Bedouin are the desert-dwelling Arabs who do not reside in towns, and only enter the towns when necessary. Al-‘Arab (the Arabs) was the general name for the people of Arabia at that time, regardless of whether they lived in the desert or in cities and towns. What is meant is: do not be influenced by their habits, for they call Maghrib ‘Isha’; do not use the word ‘Isha’ to refer to Maghrib as they do, because they used to change the names, and they would call ‘Isha’ al-‘atamah (lit. darkness), because they used to delay milking the she-camels until the time when it was extremely dark. Then Islam came to correct this mistake, and taught them the proper name for each prayer.
This hadith criticizes calling Maghrib ‘Isha’.
It indicates that if the names given to things by Islam differ from their customary names, we should give precedence to the Islamic names over the customary names.
It indicates that the Muslim should not imitate the practices of the Jahiliyyah even with regard to names; rather he should follow Islamic teachings in all his affairs, because there is divine wisdom in the selection of names and other things, so it is not appropriate to choose something different..

564
It was narrated that ‘Abdullah said: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him led us in ‘Isha’ prayer one night – which is what the people call al-‘atamah (lit. darkness) prayer – then when he finished, he turned to us and said: “Do you see this night of yours? In one hundred years from this night, there will be no one left of those who are on the face of the earth tonight.”.

Commentary : The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) taught his ummah and informed them of everything that was in their best interests, which includes telling them of some future events of which Allah (may He be exalted) had granted him knowledge. In this hadith, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) says: The Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) led us in praying ‘Isha’ one night; this is the prayer that the people call al-‘atamah. The fact that he mentioned here that ‘Isha’ was called al-‘atamah indicates that the use of this name had become very common, even though the name for this prayer as ‘Isha’ is mentioned in the Book of Allah, in the verse in which Allah (may He be exalted) says: {and after the night prayer [salat al-‘Isha’]} [al-Nur 24:58]. There were also reports which forbid calling ‘Isha’ al-‘atamah, as in the hadith narrated by Muslim from Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), according to which the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: “Do not be influenced by the Bedouin with regard to the name of your prayer; indeed it is ‘Isha’, but they delay milking the camels until it is very dark [yu‘timuna].” Those who were aware of the prohibition on that needed to mention it in order to make people aware of the matter. However, it is narrated from the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he called it ‘atamah, as in the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that is narrated in al-Sahihayn: “If they knew what there is in al-‘atamah (i.e., ‘Isha’ prayer) and al-subh (i.e., Fajr prayer), they would come to them, even if they had to crawl.” It was said that the mention of this prayer as al-‘atamah was addressed to those who only knew of ‘Isha’ by this name, so he mentioned it by the name with which they were familiar, or he mentioned that to explain that there is nothing wrong with mentioning it by that name, even though it is different from what is more appropriate.
Ibn ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Then the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) finished his prayer and turned to face those present, and told them that after one hundred years, none of those on the face of the earth would remain. This does not mean that no one who was alive then would not live past the age of one hundred years; rather it meant that everyone on the face of the earth that night would not live longer than one hundred years from that night, whether he was young or old at that time. This is an example of knowledge of the unseen that Allah (may He be glorified and exalted) granted to him; it is one of the proofs of the truthfulness of his prophethood (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)..

565
It was narrated that Muhammad ibn ‘Amr, who was the son of al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali, said: We asked Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah about the prayer of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and he said: He used to pray Zuhr when it was very hot, ‘Asr when the sun was bright, and Maghrib when the sun dropped below the horizon. With regard to ‘Isha’, if a large number of people had gathered he would hasten to pray, but if they were few he would delay it. And he would pray Fajr when the first light of dawn began to mix with the darkness of night..

Commentary : Allah has ordained specific times for the obligatory prayers during which they must be done, as He (may He be exalted) says: {Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times} [an-Nisa’ 4:103].. By His mercy towards His slaves, Allah has allocated plenty of time (for each prayer), out of consideration for their circumstances and situations. This hadith highlights the best time at which the Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) offered each prayer. Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray Zuhr at the time when it is very hot, which is the middle of the day when heat is most intense. This time is called hajirah in Arabic, which comes from a root that refers to stopping or refraining, because the people stop their dealings and their comings and goings at this time, due to the extreme heat, and they take a nap..
The Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) used to pray ‘Asr when the sun was still bright, before it had become yellow or changed. He would pray Maghrib when the sun disappeared, meaning that the disc of the sun dropped below the horizon. In the case of ‘Isha’ prayer, if a large number of people had gathered he would hasten to pray it, but if their numbers were few, he would delay it. In other words, the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) paid attention to the situation of the worshippers. If they were present at the beginning of the time for the prayer, which is when the red afterglow disappears, they would pray, but if they had not yet come, he would delay it until almost half of the night had passed, for that is the best time for it, if it does not cause hardship. Then he would pray Fajr when the first light of dawn began to mix with the darkness of night.
This hadith highlights the best times for offering the five daily prayers..

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Anas ibn Malek narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "I will be the first intercessor in Paradise. Not a prophet among prophets has followers like me. There is a prophet who was believed by only one man from his nation.".

Commentary : The Prophet's merits are abundant and supreme. He was sent to all people including Jews and Christians so all must believe and follow him. This hadith mentions some of his merits such as he will be the first to enter Paradise after Allah accepts his intercession to open it, as in Imam Muslim's narration. Later his intercession will be accepted for two types of people: (1) The disobedient to be admitted to Paradise, and (2) Those who entered Paradise but got lower ranks. Imam Ahmad narrated that the Prophet said, “I will be the first to enter Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and I am not boasting. When I come to the gate of Paradise and take its ring, they will ask, 'Who is this?' I will answer, 'Muhammad.' They will open it for me. I will enter and see the Mighty facing me. I will prostrate to Him and He will say, 'O Muhammad, raise your head, speak so you will be responded, say so your requests will be accepted, and intercede so your intercession will be granted.' I will raise my head and say, 'O God, my nation, my nation.' He will say, 'Go to your nation. Whoever you find in his heart a weight of barley grain of faith, admit him to Paradise.' So I will accept. Whoever I find that in his heart, I will admit him to Paradise.” In addition, he will have the most followers on that day in comparison with other prophets. It indicates that having more followers means having a supreme followed one. Allah dignifies this nation for dignifying his Prophet. No nation will be like his nation on the Day of Resurrection, for it will form half of Paradise's people as in the two Sahihs' narration or even two-thirds as Imam Ahmad, Tirmedhy, and Ibn Maja reported. Moreover, he confirmed that there was a prophet who was only believed by one man from his nation. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the Divine dignity of the Prophet, and (2) It proves the Prophet's intercession on the Day of Judgement..

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Anas ibn Malek narrated, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “I will be the first to intercede in (allowing people to enter) Paradise and have the most followers in comparison with other prophets.”.

Commentary : The Prophet's merits are great and supreme. He was sent to all people including Jews and Christians so all people must believe and follow him. In this hadith, he mentioned some of his virtues such as he will be the first one to enter Paradise and intercede for people to be admitted to Paradise as in Muslim's narration. Afterward, he will be granted the right to intercede for those who committed sins to enter Paradise or those who entered lower ranks to raise their ranks. In Ahmad's narration, he said, “I will be the first to enter Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and it is no boast. When I come to the gate of Paradise and take its ring, they will ask, 'Who is this?' I will answer, 'Muhammad.' They will open it for me. I will enter and see the Mighty facing me. I will prostrate to Him and He will say, 'O Muhammad, raise your head, speak so you will be responded, say so your requests will be accepted, and intercede so your intercession will be granted.' I will raise my head and say, 'O God, my nation, my nation.' He will say, 'Go to your nation. Whoever you find in his heart a weight of barley grain of faith, admit him to Paradise.' So I will accept. Whoever I find that in his heart, I will admit him to Paradise.” In addition, he will have the most followers on that day in comparison with other prophets. It means that having more followers means having a supreme followed one. Allah dignifies this nation for dignifying his Prophet. No nation will be like his nation on the Day of Resurrection, for it will form half of Paradise's people as in the two Sahihs. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the divine dignity of the Prophet Muhammad, (2) It proves his right of intercession, and (3) It confirms the virtue of having many followers to the straight path, for the one being followed is given his followers' rewards..

197
Anas ibn Malek narrated, “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘I will come to the gate of Paradise on the Day of Resurrection and ask to open it. The keeper will ask, ‘Who are you?’ I will say, ‘Muhammad.’ He will say, ‘It is just you for whom I have been ordered to open before anyone else.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet (ﷺ) has great virtues. He is the master of Prophet Adam’s sons. Allah has sent him to all people, including Jews and Christians. It is obligatory for anyone to believe his prophethood and message. In this hadith, he mentioned that he would knock at Paradise’s gate on the day of Judgement and ask to get in. The keeper asked him about his identity. The Prophet (ﷺ) answered, “Muhammad.” He answers with his proper name that people and angels know. The keeper would say when hearing the Prophet’s name (ﷺ), “It is just you for whom I have been ordered to open before anyone else.” Thus, the Prophet informed us that he would be the first one to enter Paradise. This is a divine honor to our Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) by giving him the priority of entering Paradise and even its highest levels..

202
Abdullah ibn Amr ibn Al-'As ﷺ narrated that the Prophet ﷺ recited Prophet Ibrahim's saying in the Quran, "O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he, verily, is of me." (Ibrahim: 36) and Prophet Jesus' saying in the Quran, "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You, are the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise." (Al-Ma'idah: 118) then raised his hands, wept, and said, "O Allah, my nation, my nation!" Allah, the Almighty, said, "O Gabriel, go to Muhammad (and Allah knows best) and ask him, 'What makes you weep?'" Gabriel came and asked him, so the Messenger of Allah ﷺ informed him about what he asked Allah (and Allah knows best). Thus, Allah said, "O Gabriel, go to Muhammad and say to him, 'Verily, We will please you with regard to your nation and not displease you.'".

Commentary : The Prophet (ﷺ) was compassionate and merciful, so he used to frequently and deeply supplicate Allah not to perish his nation as the previous nations, as in this report. In this hadith, he recited Prophet Ibrahim's supplication to his nation in the Quran, "O my Lord! They have indeed led astray many among mankind. But whoso follows me, he, verily, is of me." (Ibrahim: 36) Prophet Ibrahim means that whoever follows me and abandons worshipping idols, he is one of my followers who deserves forgiveness and mercy. Whoever disobeys and continues worshipping idols, it is up to Allah. If He Wills, He guides him and if He Wills, He goes him astray. Allah does not forgive those dying while being polytheists as He said, "Verily, Allah does not forgive that partners should be set up with Him (in worship), but He forgives, except that, anything else to whom He wills; and whoever sets up partners with Allah (in worship), he has indeed invented a tremendous sin." (An-Nisa’: 48) Then, he recited Prophet Jesus' saying in the Quran, "If You punish them, they are Your slaves, and if You forgive them, verily You, only You, are the All‑Mighty, the All‑Wise." (Al-Ma'idah: 118) Afterward, the Prophet (ﷺ) wept and supplicated Him, "O Allah, my nation, my nation!" Due to his deep love for his nation, he asked Allah's mercy, kindness, and goodness to them. Although Allah knows all that the breasts conceal, he sent Gabriel to ask the Prophet (ﷺ) about the reason for his weeping. It was said that this was to show the Prophet's prestige and honor. Gabriel asked the Prophet (ﷺ) who informed him about what he asked Allah. Thus, Allah asked Gabriel to inform the Prophet (ﷺ) that He would please and grant him what he asked and not displease him with regard to his nation, as Allah said, "And verily, your Lord will give you (all good) so that you shall be well‑pleased." (Ad-Duha: 5) This is one of the best glad tidings to Muslim nation. On the other hand, this hadith explains the Quranic verse, "Verily, there has come to you a Messenger from amongst yourselves. It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty. He is anxious over you; for the believers full of pity, kind, and merciful." (At-Tawbah: 128). Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the Prophet's kindness and supplication to his nation, (2) It shows the Prophet’s supreme prestige with Allah Who promised to please him with regard to his nation, and (4) It includes a great glad tiding to the Muslim nation..

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Anas narrated that a man asked, “O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, where is my father?” The Prophet ﷺ answered, “In Hell.” When the man turned away, the Prophet ﷺ called him and said, “Verily, my father and your father are in Hell.”.

Commentary : It is established in Islam that if a person dies while being a disbeliever, he will enter Hell. Some people frequently asked the Prophet useless questions until he fed up. As a result, he used to rebuke them and others to help them stop this kind of question. In this hadith, Anas ibn Malik narrated that a man asked, "O Messenger of Allah, where is my father?” He asked whether his father was in Paradise or Hell. The Prophet replied, "In Hell.” This is because the man’s father died while being a disbeliever. When the man turned away, the Prophet called him and said, "Verily, my father and your father are in Hell.” It is due to the Prophet's good behavior and treatment of his companions. When he noticed the man’s sadness, he wanted to console him to find contentment, for if there had been a son who wanted to benefit his disbelieved father, the Prophet would have been the first one to do so. It was the revelation that informed the Prophet of his own father's destiny. This is because whoever died before the Prophet's message of Islam and followed the Arabs’ practice of worshiping idols was one of the people of Hell. As a matter of fact, the people of that period received the call of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and other prophets. In addition, some of them followed his message and lived with Jews and Christians, so they knew about prophets and the necessity of faith, but the majority intentionally disobeyed and associated others in worshipping Allah. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) If a person dies while being a disbeliever, he will enter Hell, and his close relatives will not benefit him, and (2) It clarifies the Prophet’s good treatment and honorable character..

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Abu Saeed Al-Khudry narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “Verily, the least tormented one of the people of Hell is who will wear two shoes of fire so his brain will boil due to the heat of his shoes.”.

Commentary : The severe punishment of Allah is inconceivable. The torment of the sinners mentioned in the Quran and Prophetic tradition just illustrates a picture of this severity and requires every human being to fear it on the Day of Resurrection. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed that the least tormented one in Hell is the one who would wear two shoes of fire. Allah said, "... will have cut out for them garments of fire." (Al-Hajj: 19) Although he is the least tormented one in Hell, his brain will boil due to just the heat of his shoes. Some said that all of his body is tormented while others said it is just his feet, out of kindness. It was said that it is the Prophet's uncle Abu Taleb, for the Prophet's saying, when his uncle was mentioned, as in the two Sahihs, “My intercession may benefit him on the Day of Resurrection so that he may be placed in a shallow part of fire reaching only up to his ankles and causing his brain to boil.” The hadith included him and other ones who would be punished likewise. The hadith refers that the people of Hell are those abiding in it forever such as the disbelievers. This does not include the believers who committed major sins, as in the hadith reported in Bukhari and Muslim that Allah will say to the least tormented one in Hell, “I asked you a much easier thing than this, that is, not to worship others besides Me, but you refused and insisted to worship others besides Me.” Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows the severity of Hell's torment to the extent that the least torment one will wear two shows causing his brain to boil and (2) It warns us against Hell and urges us to do what keeps us away from it..

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Aisha narrated, "I said, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Ibn Jud'an used to establish ties of relationship and fed the poor. Will it benefit him?'" He answered, "It will not benefit him, for he did not ever say, 'O my God, forgive my sins on the Day of Recompense.’”.

Commentary : Believing in Allah is a prerequisite to getting His pleasing, entering Paradise, and being saved from Hell. Therefore, Allah, the Almighty, has sent people His messengers to call them to believe in Him and abandon all forms of disbelief and polytheism. In this hadith, Aisha narrated that she asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about one of her relatives, Abdullah ibn Jud'an. He was a Qureish leader from the tribe of Banu Tamim ibn Murrah during the pre-Islamic ignorant times before the Prophet's mission. It was called so, for it was full of ignorant practices. At that time, Ibn Jud'an used to establish ties of relationship, feed the poor, and follow lots of manners that Islam would encourage later. She was wondering if these righteous acts would benefit him in the hereafter and save him from Allah's punishment of the polytheists due to his disbelief. The Prophet (ﷺ) told her that all of his works would not benefit him, for he never believed in neither Allah nor the Last Day. A disbeliever will not get a reward in the hereafter for his righteous acts, for he nullified them by his disbelief. This is an indication that if he had embraced Islam, these acts would have benefitted him. As for his acts’ reward in this worldly life, Imam Muslim reported that Anas ibn Malek narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Allah does not unjustly prevent a believer from even a good deed’s reward. He is rewarded in this world and in the Hereafter. As for the disbeliever, he is given a reward for the good deeds he did for the sake of Allah in the world and when he comes to Hereafter, there is no rewards for him.” Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the virtue of faith, the prerequisite for accepting righteous deeds, (2) It shows the terrible results of disbelief which nullifies the reward of the righteous deeds..

223
Abu Malek Al-Hareth ibn ‘Asem Al-Ash'ary narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Purity is half of faith, al-hamdulillah fills the scale, and subhanallah and al-hamdulillah fill what is between the heavens and Earth. Prayer is a light, charity is proof, and patience is illumination. The Quran is proof for or against you. All people go out early in the morning and sell themselves, either setting themselves free or ruining themselves.".

Commentary : This is a great hadith and one of the Islamic foundations in which the Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned all that concerns a Muslim in his life and the afterlife. The Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed that purification is half of faith. It means one of the two following meanings: (1) All Islamic aspects aim to purify a Muslim inwardly from evil attributes and outwardly from impurities as in purification, or (2) The word faith means prayer as in Allah's saying, "And Allah would never make your faith be lost." (Al-Baqarah: 143) So, the hadith means that purification is half of prayer which is not accepted without it. Moreover, the Prophet (ﷺ) added that the saying of al-hamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah) will fill one's scale on the Day of Resurrection with reward when Allah weighs all people's deeds. It is a real scale to weigh their deeds, which does not resemble the worldly scales. It is one of the matters of the unseen world that we all must believe in. Al-hamdulillah means to acknowledge that Allah, alone, deserves all types of gratitude. The Prophet (ﷺ) added that subhanallah (glory be to Allah) meant to describe Allah with the complete perfection he deserves and negate all that contradict this perfection. These two sentences fill what is between heaven and Earth, for they contain praising Allah, negating all that contradicts His perfection, and showing the servant's need for his Creator. Moreover, the Prophet (ﷺ) added that prayer is a light. This means one of the following possibilities: (1) It is a light on a Muslim's face in this life and in his way in the afterlife, unlike those who do not pray, (2) It guides a servant to the straight path and makes him away from sins, immorality, and indecency, or (3) It means all the above-mentioned possibilities, for it is a light in his heart, face, grave, and hereafter. Moreover, the Prophet (ﷺ) added that charity is proof of a Muslim's truthful faith, unlike a hypocrite who does not give charity, for he does not believe. Then, the Prophet (ﷺ) added that patience is a shining light. It is a light with heat and burning power like the sun, unlike the moon. He mentioned this similarity, for patience was a difficult attribute that required struggling oneself in preventing prohibited desires and whims. The recommended patience is during three cases: (1) Patience in obeying Allah, (2) Patience in avoiding disobeying Him, and (3) Patience during calamities and hardships. Thus, patience will be a light for us throughout the straight way. Then, the Prophet (ﷺ) showed one's stand with the Quran in the hereafter. He confirmed that it would be proof for a person if he kept reciting and acting upon it in this life. On the other hand, it would be proof against him when he left reciting or acting upon it. The Prophet (ﷺ) mentioned that all people went out early in the morning and sold themselves, either setting themselves free from Hell by obeying Allah or ruining themselves in Hell by obeying their whims and the devil. Thus, hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows the virtue of purification and its reward, (2) It mentions some sayings and deeds of faith that set the believers free from Hell, (3) It clarifies that a person will be held accountable for his actions, so he is free to choose the way he wants to himself..

224
Mus'ab ibn Sa'd narrated, "Abdullah ibn Omar visited Ibn 'Amer when he was sick. Ibn 'Amer said to him, 'O Ibn Omar, will you not supplicate Allah to me?' Ibn Omar replied, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'No prayer is accepted without ablution and no charity is accepted due to ghulul (taking spoils before authorized distribution). You were the governor of Al-Basrah.'".

Commentary : The Prophet's companions used to advise people on religious and worldly matters in accordance with people’s cases and abilities. The caliph Uthman ibn Affan appointed Abdullah ibn Amer ibn Kuraiz a ruler over Basra after Abu Musa Al-Ash’ary in 29 H. Later, Uthamn appointed him over Basra and Fares after Othman ibn Abi Al-'As. Later, the caliph Mu'aweya ibn Abi Sufyan appointed him a ruler over Basra and then dismissed him after three years. Afterward, Abdullah lived in Medina until he died in 57 or 58 H. In this hadith, Abdullah ibn Omar visited Ibn 'Amer when he was sick. Ibn 'Amer asked him to supplicate Allah to him, for the Prophet's companion Abdullah ibn Omar was one of the righteous persons at that time. So, Ibn 'Amer was keen to ask for his supplication during this hardship. Abu Nu'aim narrated in his Mustakhraj, "When Abdullah ibn Omar visited Ibn 'Amer during his illness, people were praising Ibn 'Amer but Ibn Omar kept silent. Ibn Amer said to him, ‘O Abu Abdderrhman, what does prevent you from saying (alike)?’ Ibn Omar wisely answered, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say, 'No prayer is accepted without ablution and no charity is accepted due to ghulul (taking spoils before authorized distribution).’” Ablution is a prerequisite to make prayer accepted and charity is not accepted if it is taken from spoils before authorized distribution. Generally, this hadith includes taking illegal money. Ibn Omar meant that Allah did not accept charity from illegal sources and Ibn 'Amer used to illegally take people's properties during his rule over some cities. Ibn Omar wanted to scold him for his old sins and urge him to repent to Allah although Ibn ‘Amer was dismissed in 29 H. and died in 57 or 58 H. Ibn Omar wanted to urge other rulers to perform righteous deeds and fear Allah. He also wanted to warn them against oppression and negligence. Ibn Omar scolded him although the Prophet (ﷺ), his companions, and the righteous ones after them used to supplicate Allah for people of sins. In the Two Sahihs, Abu Hurairah narrated, "Tufail ibn Amr Ad-Daousy and his companions came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said, 'O Messenger of Allah, the tribe of Daous disobeyed and refused so supplicate Allah against them.' Someone said, 'Daous will be destroyed.' The Prophet (ﷺ) said, 'O Allah, guide the tribe of Daous and let them come.’” Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It urges Muslims to visit the patient, (2) It confirms the scholars' advice to rulers with wisdom and good words, (3) It contains the virtue of ablution, (4) It contains the virtue of giving charity from legal properties, (5) It shows the legitimacy of asking righteous people for supplication to Allah, (6) It clarifies Ibn Omar's deep keenness in enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong, without flattery, and (7) It indicates that having illegal properties prevents accepting one's supplication..

227
Humran, the servant of Uthman, narrated, "I heard Uthman - when he was in the courtyard of the mosque and asked for water to perform ablution after the caller to prayer came to him - said, 'By Allah, I am narrating to you a hadith. If there had not been a verse in the Book of Allah, I would have never narrated it to you. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'If a Muslim properly performs ablution and offers prayer, Allah will forgive him the sins committed to the next prayer.'" In another narration, "If a Muslim properly performs ablution and offers obligatory prayer ...".

Commentary : The Prophet's Companions used to teach and convey Prophetic clear guidance to people. In this hadith, Human, the servant of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, narrated, “I heard Uthman - when he was in the courtyard of the mosque and asked for water to perform ablution after the caller to (afternoon) prayer came to him - said, 'By Allah, I am narrating to you a hadith. If there had not been a verse in the Book of Allah, I would have never narrated it to you.’” The verse he meant was Allah’s saying, "Verily, those who conceal the clear proofs and the guidance, which We have sent down, after We have made it clear for the people in the Book, they are the ones cursed by Allah and cursed by the cursers." (Al-Baqarah: 159) It means that Allah will expel them from His mercy and people ask Him to expel them from His mercy as well. It was only this verse that encouraged Uthman to narrate this Prophetic hadith although he preferred not to narrate it temporarily, for he was afraid that people may have been deceived by their little obedience to Allah. In the end, he decided to narrate it and confirmed that he heard the Prophet saying, “If a Muslim properly performs ablution and offers prayer, Allah will forgive him the sins committed to the next prayer." The prayer mentioned here is the obligatory one and the sins mentioned here are the minor, for repentance is a prerequisite to forgive the major sins. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) Caliph Uthman was keen to teach people goodness, (2) It warns against concealing Islamic knowledge, (3) It urges people to learn and properly abide by ablution's etiquette and conditions, (4) It stressed on the virtue of properly performing ablution, and (5) The legitimacy of swearing without being asked to swear..

228
Amr ibn Saeed ibn Al-'As said, "I was with Uthman who asked for ablution water and said, 'I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'When the time for a prescribed prayer is due and a Muslim properly performs its ablution, submissiveness, and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins as long as he did not commit a major sin. This applies for all times.’”.

Commentary : The Prophet (ﷺ) used to encourage people to perform acts of worship by mentioning their reward, for it is Allah's grace that he makes performing these acts, with caring about their conditions, a reason for forgiveness. In this hadith, Amr ibn Saeed ibn Al-'As narrated that when he was with Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, Uthman asked for ablution water and told him that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "When the time for a prescribed prayer is due and a Muslim properly performs its ablution, submissiveness, and bowing, it will be an expiation for his past sins as long as he did not commit a major sin. This applies for all times." Submissiveness in prayer means that all Muslim's limbs are facing Allah and recalling His greatness. Also, the above-mentioned sins are the minor ones, for forgiving the major sins necessitate repentance. The major sins are those sins that are called in the Quran, the authentic Sunnah, or consensus major sins, necessitate severe punishment, or its doer was cursed or highly reprehensible. This favor from Allah is general and applied to all times, not confined to a specific time. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies the virtue of frequently persevering the acts of worship, which is a reason for forgiving minor sins, and (2) It confirms the virtue of ablution and submissiveness in prayer..

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Humran ibn Aban narrated, “I used to fetch water of ablution for Uthman. There was not a day that he did not take a bath with a small quantity of water. Uthman said, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ told us after completing this prayer, (one of the narrators called Mes'ar said, ‘I think it afternoon prayer.’) ‘I do not know whether I should tell you something or keep quiet.’ We said, ‘O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, if it is good, tell us about it, and if it is otherwise, Allah and His Prophet ﷺ know best.’ So, he said, ‘If a Muslim purifies in a complete way as enjoined upon him by Allah and offers these five prayers, they will expiate what (sins) committed between them.’”.

Commentary : Due to Allah’s grace, He makes performing acts of worship a reason for forgiveness. Thus, the Prophet ﷺ used to encourage people to perform them, by mentioning its reward. In this hadith, Humran ibn Aban, the servant of Othman ibn Affan, narrated that he used to fetch water of ablution for Othman. There was not a day that Othman did not take a bath with a small quantity of water. He was keen to purify himself, out of cleanliness and seeking great rewards mentioned in this hadith. Then, Othman narrated that one day the Prophet ﷺ finished the afternoon prayer and gave his companions the choice between speaking to them or keeping silent to draw their attention for knowledge. They replied, “If it is good, tell us about it, and if it is otherwise, Allah and His Prophet ﷺ know best.” Their response indicates their high good manners with the Prophet ﷺ. He told them that if a Muslim completely performs ablution and offers the five prayers at their appointed times - as in other narrations -, they will expiate what (sins) committed between them. In another narration in Sahih Muslim, he said, “Unless the major sins are committed.” Thus, the above-mentioned forgiveness is applied to the minor, not the major sins which Allah may forgive or punish its doer. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows the virtue of ablution, (2) It clarifies the virtue of regularly offering the acts of worship, which is a reason for forgiveness, and (3) It confirms the legitimacy of a ruler’s preaching to people, for Othman was then the caliph..

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Uthman ibn Affan narrated, "I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'Whoever properly performs ablution for prayer, walks to (attend) the obligatory prayer, and prays with the people, with the congregation, or in the mosque, Allah will forgive him his sins.'".

Commentary : Prayer is the pillar of Islam that has a great reward. As a result, mere walking to perform prayer in a mosque is a reason for forgiving one’s sins and raising his ranks in Paradise. Similarly, Allah makes ablution and prayer reasons for purifying people from the effects of their sins. Also, he promises that performing acts of worship based on their conditions is a reason for forgiveness. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) said that whoever properly and perfectly performs ablution then walks to perform an obligatory prayer with people, with the congregation, or in the mosque, Allah will forgive his sins. The repeated "or" may be due to a narrator's doubt so the hadith means that a Muslim performs an obligatory prayer with people in a mosque and if they finished it, he would perform it alone in the mosque. Also, it may mean that a Muslim performs an obligatory prayer with people whether in a mosque or somewhere else, so the hadith focusses on performing it with people. As a result, Allah will forgive all of his sins. On the other hand, it was proven in the Quranic and Prophetic texts that it is the minor, not the major sins that will be forgiven, for forgiving major sins necessitates repentance, decisive intention not to commit them again along with some other prerequisites. Finally, the hadith contains the following benefits: (1) Encouragement to properly and perfectly perform ablution, and (2) The virtue of congregational prayer and its great reward..

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Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The five (daily) prayers, the periods from one Friday prayer to the (next) Friday prayer, and from Ramadan to Ramadan expiate the (sins) committed in between provided that one shuns the major sins.".

Commentary : People are created weak, overcome by themselves and devils through committing sins. Allah grants them things that expiate their sins on condition that they avoid major sins, such as performing acts of worship with their prerequisites. In this hadith, the Prophet (ﷺ) confirmed that performing the five daily prayers, performing Friday's prayer to the next one, and fasting Ramadan month to the next one expiate the sins committed in between provided that one shuns the major sins. Repentance is a prerequisite to expiate them. The major sin is the sin that the Quran, the Sunnah, or the scholars' consensus: (1) Stipulated as a major sin, (2) Mentioned a severe punishment or a specific penalty of its doer, and (3) Deeply dispraised or cursed its doer. Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It shows Allah's comprehensive mercy, his grace of forgiveness, and his great reward for small acts of worship, and (2) It confirms the virtue of prayer and fasting in expiating sins..

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Uqbah ibn Amer narrated, "We were entrusted with the task of caring about camels. On my turn, I took them back in the evening after grazing them in the pastures, I found the Messenger of Allah ﷺ standing and addressing people. I heard him saying, "If any Muslim performs ablution properly, then performs two rak'ahs with his face and heart (inwardly and outwardly), Paradise will be guaranteed for him." I said, "What a fine thing is this!" Someone in front of me said, "The words before them were better." When I cast a glance, I saw that it was 'Umar who said, "I have seen that you have just come." He narrated, "If anyone amongst you performs ablution properly, then says, 'I testify that there is no god worthy of worship, but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah, the eight gates of Paradise will be opened for him, so he can enter by whichever of them he wishes." In another narration, "Whoever performs ablution and says, 'I testify that there is no god worthy of worship, but Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.".

Commentary : Allah’s mercy and reward may be for the simplest acts of worship. Thus, simple acts like ablution, prayer, fasting, charity, and others are means to purify people and forgive their sins on the condition that they avoid the major sins. In this hadith, Uqbah ibn Amer narrated that the companions were alternatively responsible for grazing camels outside Medina, for they did not have servants for this task. After finishing his tiring task, Uqbah went to the Prophetic Mosque and found the Prophet (ﷺ) standing and addressing people, "If any Muslim performs ablution properly, then performs two rak'ahs with his face and heart (outwardly and inwardly), Paradise will be guaranteed for him." His words, "... with his face and heart ..." meant to be sincere and submissive and avoid turning face or making heart busy with thoughts other than prayer details. As a result, the reward is Paradise. Uqbah was astonished by this simple act of worship with the glad tiding and supreme reward. Uqbah lately came to the speech, so he did not hear the speech from the beginning. Omar commented on Uqbah’s opinion, "The words before them were better." Omar told him what he (Uqbah) missed of the Prophetic words, "If anyone amongst you performs ablution properly, then says, 'I testify that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the servant and messenger of Allah, the eight gates of Paradise will be opened for him, so he can enter by whichever of them he wishes." Finally, this hadith contains the following benefits: (1) It clarifies Allah’s great reward. He limitlessly rewards his servants for their simple acts of worship, (2) The virtue of ablution and supplications said afterward, (3) It clarifies the virtue of the two rak'ahs after ablution and urges people to perform them as described in the hadith, (4) It illustrates the companions' keenness to learn and spread the Prophetic knowledge, (5) It stresses that sincerity, devotion to worship, and avoiding worldly concerns are the spirit of worship, (6) It shows the virtue of the two testimonies of monotheism, (7) It describes supreme attributes of the Companions like humility, serving themselves, grazing their camels in spite of their prestige with Allah, (8) It shows the legitimacy of cooperation in the matters of living..