Adapted from: Ṣalāh al-Muslim by Al-Fatḥ Ḥusayn
❖ The Divine Obligation of Salah on Believers
فَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ ۚ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ كَانَتْ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ كِتَابًا مَّوْقُوتًا
(Sūrah al-Nisāʾ: 103)
“So establish the prayer. Indeed, the prayer is upon the believers a duty at fixed times.”
✿ Salah is a time-bound obligation exclusively upon the believers.
✿ The specific timings of Salah were taught by the Prophet ﷺ.
✿ Polytheists derive no benefit from Salah as long as they remain outside the fold of faith.
❖ Neglecting Salah: A Path to Destruction
وَقَدْ كَانُوا يُدْعَوْنَ إِلَى السُّجُودِ وَهُمْ سَالِمُونَ
(Sūrah al-Qalam: 43)
“They were indeed called to prostrate when they were sound and healthy.”
➤ On the Day of Judgement, those who neglected Salah will attempt to prostrate but will be unable to, as they turned away from it in the world.
❖ The Hellish Consequence of Abandoning Salah
مَا سَلَكَكُمْ فِي سَقَرَ ﴿٤٢﴾ قَالُوا لَمْ نَكُ مِنَ الْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤٣﴾
(Sūrah al-Muddaththir: 42–43)
“What brought you into Hell?”
They will say: “We were not of those who used to pray.”
➤ The people of Hell confess that their abandonment of Salah was a primary cause of their doom.
❖ Ignoring the Command to Bow and Prostrate
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمُ ارْكَعُوا لَا يَرْكَعُونَ ﴿٤٨﴾ وَيْلٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ لِّلْمُكَذِّبِينَ ﴿٤٩﴾
(Sūrah al-Mursalāt: 48–49)
“When it is said to them: Bow down, they do not bow. Woe on that Day to the deniers!”
➤ Refusing the command of Salah leads to devastation in the Hereafter.
❖ Warnings for the Negligent Worshippers
فَوَيْلٌ لِّلْمُصَلِّينَ ﴿٤﴾ الَّذِينَ هُمْ عَن صَلَاتِهِمْ سَاهُونَ ﴿٥﴾
(Sūrah al-Māʿūn: 4–5)
“Woe to those who pray, but are heedless of their prayers.”
➤ This refers to:
- Delaying prayers beyond their prescribed times
- Rushing through rukūʿ and sujūd
- Lack of focus and humility
- Ignorance of the meanings recited during prayer
✿ Learning the meanings of Salah is an obligation so one may fully engage with the Divine dialogue.
❖ Command to Family and Children
وَأْمُرْ أَهْلَكَ بِالصَّلَاةِ وَاصْطَبِرْ عَلَيْهَا
(Sūrah Ṭā Hā: 132)
“Command your family to perform prayer, and be steadfast in observing it.”
➤ The Prophet ﷺ said:
“Instruct your children to pray at the age of seven, and discipline them at ten if they do not, and separate their beds.”
(Sunan Abū Dāwūd: 495)
❖ Avoiding Shirk by Establishing Salah
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَلَا تَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ
(Sūrah al-Rūm: 31)
“Establish the prayer and do not be among the polytheists.”
✿ Abandoning Salah and dividing the religion into sects are among the major sins.
❖ Losing Salah, Following Desires, and Their End
فَخَلَفَ مِن بَعْدِهِمْ خَلْفٌ أَضَاعُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَاتَّبَعُوا الشَّهَوَاتِ ۖ فَسَوْفَ يَلْقَوْنَ غَيًّا
(Sūrah Maryam: 59)
“Then came successors who neglected prayer and followed their desires; so they will face ruin.”
➤ “Ghayy” has been interpreted as a valley in Hell, indicating complete loss and destruction.
❖ Prophetic Statements on Abandoning Salah
➤ “Between a man and disbelief is the abandonment of Salah.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim)
➤ “The covenant that distinguishes us from them is Salah; whoever abandons it has disbelieved.”
(Sunan al-Tirmidhī)
➤ “Whoever misses Jumuʿah three times without excuse, Allah will seal his heart.”
(Abū Dāwūd, Tirmidhī, Nasā’ī)
➤ Ibn ʿAbbās: A man who fasts and prays at night but neglects congregational Salah—“He is in Hell.”
(Zarqānī on al-Muwaṭṭa’)
❖ Salah: The First Deed Accounted for on the Day of Judgement
➤ “Indeed, the first deed a servant will be held accountable for on the Day of Resurrection is his prayer. If it is sound, he will succeed. If it is deficient, he will be ruined.”
(Tirmidhī)
❖ View of the Companions and Scholars
➤ ʿAbdullāh ibn Shaqīq: The companions of the Prophet ﷺ did not consider any act of abandonment as disbelief—except Salah.
➤ Imām Tirmidhī: Whoever says that faith is only verbal declaration, he should be asked to repent—if not, he is to be executed.
➤ Abū al-Dardāʾ: Whoever leaves Salah has lost Allah’s protection.
(Ibn Mājah)
➤ Buraidah رضي الله عنه: “Whoever misses ʿAṣr prayer—his deeds are nullified.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
➤ ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنه: “Whoever misses ʿAṣr, it is as though he has lost his family and wealth.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī)
