Hadith 468

أَخْبَرَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ، قال : حَدَّثَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ شُمَيْلٍ ، قال : أَنْبَأَنَا حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ، عَنْ الْأَزْرَقِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ ، عَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ يَعْمَرَ ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ، قَالَ : " أَوَّلُ مَا يُحَاسَبُ بِهِ الْعَبْدُ صَلَاتُهُ ، فَإِنْ كَانَ أَكْمَلَهَا ، وَإِلَّا قَالَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ : انْظُرُوا لِعَبْدِي مِنْ تَطَوُّعٍ ، فَإِنْ وُجِدَ لَهُ تَطَوُّعٌ ، قَالَ : أَكْمِلُوا بِهِ الْفَرِيضَةَ " .
´It was narrated from Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:` "The first thing for which a person will be brought to account will be his Salah. If it is complete (all well and good), otherwise Allah will say: 'Look and see if My slave did any voluntary prayer.' If he is found to have done voluntary prayers, his obligatory prayers will be completed therewith."
Hadith Reference سنن نسائي / كتاب الصلاة / 468
Hadith Grading الألبانی: صحيح  |  زبیر علی زئی: إسناده صحيح
Hadith Takhrij «تفرد بہ النسائی، (تحفة الأشراف: 14818)، مسند احمد 4/103 (صحیح)»
Related hadith on this topic
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
466. Commentary:

➊ Abu ‘Awwam and Hammam are both students of Qatadah. Both differ in narrating the chain of transmission, as can be seen by comparing the chains of this hadith and the next one. In Hammam’s chain, Harith ibn Qabisah is the teacher of Hasan, whereas in Abu ‘Awwam’s chain, Abu Rafi‘ is the teacher of Hasan.

➋ It is evident that one should never be negligent in performing the supererogatory (nafl) and Sunnah prayers, so that one may attain the benefit of completing the obligatory (fard) acts and the elevation of ranks. Who is there who can claim to have perfectly fulfilled the obligatory acts?
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 466
Hafiz Muhammad Ameen
467. Commentary: In some narrations, it is mentioned that the first judgment will be regarding "murder." [صحیح البخاري ، الرقاق ، حدیث : 6533 ، وصحیح مسلم ، القسامة والمحاربین ، حدیث : 1687]
Here, prayer (salah) is mentioned. The reconciliation is that, among the rights of Allah (huquq Allah), the first account will be of prayer, and among the rights of the servants (huquq al-‘ibad), it will be of murder. Or, the questioning will first be about prayer, and the first judgment will be regarding murder.
Source: Sunan Nasa'i: Translation and Benefits by Shaykh Hafiz Muhammad Amin Hafizullah, Page: 467
Shaykh Dr. Abdur Rahman Freywai
1:
This deficiency can be a deficiency in humility (khushu‘), submissiveness (khudu‘), and moderation (‘itidal),
and it can also be a deficiency in number.
Because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, “The matter of all other deeds will also be the same,” so where is the matter of humility and submissiveness in zakat? There, the deficiency can only be in number.
Allah’s grace is vast.
Generally, if someone who habitually performs prayer misses a prayer, then Allah, by His grace, will deal with him in this manner,
insha’Allah.

2:
That is:
There is a difference regarding his name.
He has been called Qabeesah ibn Huraith,
and also Huraith ibn Qabeesah.
But the more well-known is Qabeesah ibn Huraith.
Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhi – Majlis ‘Ilmi Dar al-Da‘wah, New Delhi Edition, Page: 413
Maulana Ataullah Sajid
Benefits and Issues:
➊ The mentioned narration has been declared weak in its chain (isnad) by our esteemed researcher, whereas other scholars have considered it authentic (sahih). Furthermore, our Shaykh has also written in his research regarding this narration that some parts of the forthcoming hadith serve as corroboration (shahid) for it. In addition, this narration is also found in Sunan Abu Dawud. There, our Shaykh writes that this narration is also weak in its chain. However, the narration that follows it (866) suffices for it. Therefore, despite the mentioned narration being weak in its chain, it is still actionable and a valid proof. For details, see: (al-Mawsu‘ah al-Hadithiyyah, Musnad al-Imam Ahmad: 299-300/15).

➋ The importance of the obligatory (fard) prayer is mentioned in this hadith.

➌ Special attention should be given to the obligatory prayer (fard salah), obligatory fasting (fard sawm), obligatory pilgrimage (fard hajj), and obligatory almsgiving (fard zakat), so that there is no negligence in them to the best extent possible.

➍ The importance of supererogatory (nafl) prayers, supererogatory fasts, supererogatory pilgrimage, and supererogatory charity and alms is also very great.

➎ Among the supererogatory prayers, the most important are those prayers which are called emphasized Sunnah (sunnah mu’akkadah), and they are performed before or after the obligatory prayer. After these, the night prayer (tahajjud) is important.

➏ Giving appropriate advice to a departing student is very beneficial so that he may benefit from it in his future life.
Source: Commentary on Sunan Ibn Mājah by Mawlānā ‘Atā’ullāh Sājid, Page: 1425