The Benefits of Performing Prayers (1/2)

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said,

“Whoever keeps on performing the prescribed Prayer, Allah will grant him five honorable rewards: he will lead a happy life, avoid the torment in the grave, receive his record by his right hand, cross Sirat (the bridge on Fire) as swift as lightening and enter Paradise without being reckoned. But who is remiss in performing the Prayer, Allah will make him suffer fifteen kinds of punishments, five in this world, three when dying, three in the grave, and three when being resurrected.”

The worldly punishments are: he loses the glamour (the blessing) of his life span, the righteous appearance diminishes from his face, he works in vain, he will not have his supplications answered and he will not make use of the righteous people's supplications.

When dying: he dies humiliated, hungry and thirsty even if he drinks all the rivers of the world.

In the grave: he will be compressed so tightly that his ribs permute, blazing in fire day and night and will face a baldheaded poisonous male serpent with two black spots over its eyes which are created of Fire and the fingernails of iron; each fingernail is equal to the distance covered in a day. It will address the deceased in a very roaring sound like thunder saying, "I am the baldheaded poisonous male serpent, My Lord commanded me to beat you for missing the Fajr Prayer until sunrise, the Dhuhr until Asr, Asr Prayer until Maghrib, Maghrib Prayer until 'Isha' and Ish until Fajr."

Whoever he strikes him, he sinks in the earth for seventy arms deep and he will keep sinking therein until the Day of Judgment. Eventually, when being resurrected from his grave, he will be risen up with three lines written on his face:

1) You neglect Allah's right 2) You got Allah's wrath 3) As you have neglected Allah's right in the world, you should despair His Mercy on this Day.”[1]

Ibn 'Abbas said, "On the Day of Judgment, a man is brought before Allah. Then Allah issues a command to cast him into Fire. The man asks Allah, "O My Lord, why? Allah, then, replies, "Because you neglected to perform the Prayer in its time and you swear falsely by Me."

"One day the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said before his Companions:

"O Allah let not any of us wretched or deprived." Then, he said, "Do you know who the wretched and deprived is? “They said, "Who is that, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "The one who neglects the Prayer.”[2]

The Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said,

"The first faces that will turn dark on the Day of Judgment are the faces of those who neglect the Prayer. In the Hellfire...there is a valley called AI-Malham that contains serpents. Each serpent is as fat as a camel's neck and its length is equal to the distance covered in a day. Then, it stings the one who neglects the Prayer, the poison boils in his body for seventy years then the flesh is torn out.”[3]

Once, an Israelite woman came to Musa (Peace be upon him) and said, "O Messenger of Allah, I committed a grievous sin but I repented to Allah. So may you invoke Allah to forgive me and accept my repentance?"

Musa said, "What was your sin?" She replied, "I committed adultery and then gave birth to a child whom I killed." Musa (Peace be upon him) said, "Go away corrupt woman lest the fire strike from the sky and burn us." Accordingly, the woman went out with a broken heart.

Then, Jibreel (Gabreal) lauded and said, "O Musa, Allah the Almighty asked you, why you rejected the penitent woman. Have not you found anyone worst than her?" Musa asked, "Who is that Jibreel?" He replied, "The one who intentionally neglects the Prayer."

Mas'ud AI-Badri related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"A Prayer is not valid if one's back is not upright after bowing and prostration.”[4]

Thus, he who prays should remain motionless for a moment while bowing, prostrating, standing etc.

It was related that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said,

"The worst thief is he who steals from his Prayer.” Someone asked, "How?" He answered, "When he does not bow, prostrate or recite therein perfectly.”[5]

The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"Allah does not look to a man who does not raise his back upright and prostration.”[6]

"This the Prayer of a hypocrite who watches the sun until he finds it about to set, then he stands and performs it as quick as a bird picking the seeds and he hardly remembers Allah in it.”[7]

Abdullah AI-Ash'ari related, One day the Prophet (Peace be upon him)led the companions in the Prayer. After finishing the Prayer, someone came in to pray. He started to pray so fast that he could hardly remain motionless for a moment while bowing or prostrating. Meanwhile, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, "Behold, if this man dies, he dies believing in a religion other than Muhammad's."

'Umar Ibn AI-Khattab related that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"Whoever prays is surrounded by two angels on right and left. If he performed it properly, they take it and ascend to Allah, the Almighty. Otherwise, they struck his face with it.”[8]

'Ubadah Ibn As-Aumit related, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"Whoever makes ablution properly and performs properly the integrals of Prayer: bowing, prostration and recitation therein, the Prayer says, "May Allah preserve you as you preserve me.” Then the Prayer is risen up skyward enveloped with light. When approaching the heaven's gates, it will find it opened. So it keeps on rising up until it reaches Allah. There, it intercedes for the one who performed it. But if he does not perform (its integral) properly: bowing, prostration or recitation therein, the Prayer says, "May Allah neglect you as you neglected me…” Then, the Prayer is risen up skyward enveloped with darkness. Approaching the gates of heaven, it will find it closed. Then, it will be folded as an old cloth and kicked back to the doer's face.”[9]

Salman AI-Farisi narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

“The Prayer is a measure. Whoever gives a just measure, he will be rewarded in full. Whoever stints, you know what Allah says about the stinters. "

Allah, the Almighty says, “Woe to the stinters.” (Surat AI-Mutafifeen: 1)

The stinter is he who stints when weighing or measuring out goods or Prayers. Allah promises to punish them with Wail. A valley in the Hell-Fire from its heat the Hell itself seeks refuge. We seek Allah's refuge from it.

Ibn ' Abbas narrated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"Whoever prostrates should place his forehead, nose and hands on the floor, as Allah has revealed upon me to prostrate on five organs: Forehead, nose, the palms of hands, the knees and feet. I have also not to prostrate on hair nor cloths. Thus, whoever prostrates improperly, the organ that fails to touch the floor will curse him until he completes the Prayer.”[10]

AI-Bukhari reported on the authority of Huzayfa Ibn AI- Yamman (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that he once noticed a man praying but he bowed and prostrated improperly. He said to him: "You did not pray. If you die, you will die believing in a religion other than Muhammad's (Peace be upon him).”[11]

In Abu Dawud's narration, the above hadith is reported as following, "How long have you prayed in this manner?" He said, "Forty years ago;" He said, "You did not pray forty years ago and if you died you would die believing in a religion other than Muhammad's (Peace be upon him)."

AI-Hassan AI-Basri used to say, "O son of Adam what is dearer to you of your religion than Prayers. It is the first thing that you will be called to account for on the Day of Judgment. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said,

"The first of people works that they should be called to account for on the Day of Judgment is the Prayer. Our Lord, Holly and Exalted will say to His angels, while knowing better than they, "Look at the Prayer of My servant. Did he perform it in full, or fall short of it?" If it is in order, then he will have prospered and succeeded; if it is wanting, then he will have failed and lost. While if anything is missing from it, He will say, "Look to see if My servant has any supererogatory worship.” And if he has, Allah will say, "Complete My servant's obligatory Prayers for him from his supererogatory ones. “And he will be dealt with likewise in his other works.”[12]

(Continued)