The great standing of prayer

It is narrated from Ibn A'idh (may Allah have mercy on him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) went out for the funeral of a man from the Ansar. Then he narrated the whole hadith, in which there are also these (words): the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Umar, you will certainly not be questioned about the (general) deeds of people, but you will all be questioned (particularly) about the prayer."
Imam Ahmad bin Mani' narrated this hadith in his Musnad. All the narrators of its chain are thiqat (trustworthy); however, Ibn A'idh is a Successor (Tabi'i), so this narration is mursal.

It is narrated from Abu Atiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) that he said: "Indeed, a man died in the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)." Then the narrator mentioned the whole hadith in detail.
And if Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, wills, this narration will come in detail shortly in the Book of Funerals (the rulings on funerals).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The first thing for which the servant will be held to account (on the Day of Resurrection) is his prayer. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, will say to the angels: Look at the prayer of My servant. If the angels find it complete, it will be recorded for him as complete; and if something is found lacking in his prayer, Allah Almighty will say: Look, does My servant have any voluntary prayers? So his (obligatory) prayer will be completed by means of his voluntary prayers. Then the other deeds will also be examined in the same proportion." Imam al-Harith narrated this hadith with these or similar words.
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith with the same chain in more detail, and at its beginning are these words: "Indeed, the first thing that Allah Almighty made obligatory on people from the matters of their religion is the prayer, and the last thing that will remain (of the religion) is also the prayer, and the first thing for which they will be held to account is also the prayer. Allah Almighty will say: Look at the prayer of My servant." Then the narrator mentioned the whole hadith until he said: "So if he has voluntary prayers, the obligatory prayer will be completed by those voluntary prayers." Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Look, is his zakah complete? If his zakah is found complete, it will be recorded as complete; and if it turns out deficient, Allah Almighty will say: Look, does he have any voluntary charity? If he has charity, his zakah will be completed by that voluntary charity."

Ibn Abi Marwan al-Aslami narrates from his father, from his (Ibn Abi Marwan's) grandfather, that he said: We were six people, the sixth of whom was from the tribe of Juhaynah, while the rest of us belonged to the tribe of Aslam. When we came to Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him), we found him with his travel provisions packed, leaving Madinah. On seeing us he said: "Welcome to you! What has brought you here?" We said: We have come to greet you with salam and to gain knowledge from you. Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Yes! I heard Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) say: 'The five prayers: whoever meets Allah Almighty in the state that he has not fallen short in any of their rights even slightly, Allah Almighty will forgive all his sins, even if they are as vast as the earth.'" At this we asked: Then what about the sins that were committed in the time of Jahiliyyah (pre-Islamic ignorance)? He gave this answer twice: "The fear of Allah and piety (taqwa) wipe it out."
At this that man from Juhaynah asked: Did you really hear this yourself from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) said (in astonishment): "Subhan Allah (Glory be to Allah, free of every imperfection)! Is it permissible for anyone to attribute a lie to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?!"

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "O Anas, if you are able to remain always in (the state of) prayer, then do so; for as long as you remain engaged in praying, the angels will keep sending mercy and supplications upon you."
The chain of this narration contains the narrator Kathir bin Abdullah al-Ubulli, whom the hadith scholars have declared da'if (weak) and matruk (abandoned); therefore this narration is unreliable and extremely weak in terms of its chain.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Remain steadfast (on the path of the religion), and you will never be able to fully encompass (its rewards and fruits); and know that the best of all your deeds is the prayer, and no one persists (always) in ablution (wudu) except a (complete) believer."
I (Ibn Hajar) say: At this point the narrator's name in the chain has been switched (this is maqlub), and the narration that is preserved (mahfuz) through Salim bin Abi al-Ja'd is narrated from Sayyiduna Thawban (may Allah be pleased with him). And the hadith narrated from Sayyidah Maymunah (may Allah be pleased with her): "My servant does not draw near to Me through anything like the performance of the acts of worship I have made obligatory (as much as he does through the obligations)," will come, if Allah Almighty wills, in the section on voluntary prayer.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibril (peace be upon him) said to me: (O Messenger of Allah,) the prayer has been made beloved to you, so take from it as much as you wish (in the form of voluntary prayers and lengthening them)."
The chain of this hadith contains a narrator named Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an, who is da'if (weak) according to the majority of hadith scholars; however, the virtue of the prayer and the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) fondness for it are established by other sahih narrations.

It is narrated from Imam al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him), attributing it to the Prophet (marfu'), that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The five obligatory prayers, and (the worship) from one Friday prayer to the next Friday prayer, become an expiation and a means of making amends for the sins committed in the intervals between them, provided that the major sins are avoided."
Imam al-Harith bin Abi Usamah recorded this narration in his Musnad. Although this narration of al-Hasan al-Basri (may Allah have mercy on him) is mursal, its meaning is found in the authentic hadith of Sahih Muslim, which fully supports its sense and meaning.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The example of the five prayers is like that of a sweet, flowing river, or (he (peace and blessings be upon him) said) like abundant, deep water, at the door of one of you, and he bathes in it five times every day: would (that frequent bathing) leave any of the dirt of his body remaining?"
Imam Abu Ya'la narrated this hadith in his Musnad. Its chain has weakness due to the presence of Dawud bin al-Zibriqan and Ali bin Zayd bin Jud'an; however, this parable of the prayers is narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from other eminent Companions with sahih and reliable chains.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever performed the morning (Fajr) prayer, and then his covenant of protection was harmed (through some wrongdoing), then indeed the sanctuary (sanctity and limits) set aside by Allah Almighty has been treated as lawful to violate, and his right of protection has been betrayed; so I myself am the one who will demand (as claimant) his covenant of protection."
The chain of this hadith contains Yazid bin Aban al-Raqashi, a da'if (weak) narrator; however, its meaning is strengthened by the narration in Sahih Muslim which states that whoever prays the morning prayer is under the protection of Allah.

It is narrated from Sayyidah Umm Anas (may Allah be pleased with her) that she saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and said to him: "Ja'alaka Allahu fi al-rafiq al-a'la min al-jannah wa ana ma'ak (May Allah Almighty grant you a place in the highest station of Paradise, al-Rafiq al-A'la, and grant me your company too (in Paradise))." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to her supplication): "Amin." Then she requested: O Messenger of Allah, teach me a righteous deed that I may do. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Establish the prayer, for it is the best jihad; abandon sins completely, for that is the best hijrah (emigration); and remember Allah Almighty much, for the deed most beloved to Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is that you meet Him while doing this deed (that is, remembering Allah)."
Imam al-Tabarani narrated this hadith in al-Mu'jam al-Kabir, as did other imams. Although there is criticism of the memory of some narrators in its chain, the virtue of the deeds mentioned in it is established by other sahih hadith.