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Hadith 8
اُردوEn
قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " الْمَلائِكَةُ يَتَعَاقَبُونَ فِيكُمْ، مَلائِكَةٌ بِاللَّيْلِ وَمَلائِكَةٌ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَيَجْتَمِعُونَ فِي صَلاةِ الْفَجْرِ وَصَلاةِ الْعَصْرِ، ثُمَّ يَعْرُجُ إِلَيْهِ الَّذِينَ بَاتُوا فِيكُمْ فَيَسْأَلُهُمْ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِهِمْ : كَيْفَ تَرَكْتُمْ عِبَادِي ؟ قَالُوا : تَرَكْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ، وَأَتَيْنَاهُمْ وَهُمْ يُصَلُّونَ "
And the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “The angels take turns among you by night and by day, and they gather at the prayers of Fajr and Asr. Then those angels who have stayed with you ascend, and Allah, though He knows best about His servants, asks them: ‘In what state did you leave My servants?’ They reply: ‘We left them while they were praying (Fajr), and when we came to them, they were praying (Asr).’”
Explanation & Benefits
Hafiz Abdullah Shameem
Explanation of the Hadith:
The following issues can be derived from the mentioned hadith:
➊ Prayer (salah) is the most superior act of worship among all acts of worship; this is why it is the subject of questioning and answering.
➋ This hadith establishes the special virtue of the Fajr (dawn) and Asr (afternoon) prayers, because during the times of these two prayers, the angels arrive and depart and meet each other. And it is also mentioned in the hadiths that sustenance (rizq) is distributed after the Fajr prayer, and deeds are presented in the Divine Court at the end of the day. Therefore, whoever spends these times in prayer and in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), there will be blessing placed in his sustenance and deeds.
➌ This hadith mentions the honor of the Ummah of Muhammad, and from this it is also necessary that our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) holds a rank higher than the other prophets.
➍ In this hadith, the response of the angels is also mentioned, and this response will be for those righteous servants who are regular in their prayers. As for those who did not perform the prayer regularly, what can the angels say about them in the Court of Allah? The angels referred to here are the “Kiraman Katibin” (noble recorders), who protect a person, and their shifts change morning and evening. Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said: These are two angels, and the Lord, Who knows everything, asks them in order to make them admit, because of what they said at the time of Adam’s (alayhis salam) creation, that the children of Adam would cause bloodshed and corruption on earth: «أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ» [البقرة: 30]
“Are You going to place upon the earth one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?”
In response, Allah said:
«إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ» [البقره: 30]
“Indeed, I know that which you do not know.”
➎ This hadith also indicates that Allah, the Exalted, speaks to the angels.
➏ This hadith encourages maintaining the Asr prayer, because like the Fajr prayer, this prayer is at a time when people are busy resting, and waking up for prayer is very burdensome. Regarding the Asr prayer, Allah the Exalted says:
«حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ» [البقرة: 238]
“Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer.”
And it is clear that the Asr prayer is the middle prayer. In a hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
«الذى تفوته صلاة العصر كانما وتر اهله وماله» [صحيح بخاري، كتاب مواقيت الصلاة، رقم: 552]
“Whoever misses the Asr prayer, it is as if his family and wealth have been lost.”
The following issues can be derived from the mentioned hadith:
➊ Prayer (salah) is the most superior act of worship among all acts of worship; this is why it is the subject of questioning and answering.
➋ This hadith establishes the special virtue of the Fajr (dawn) and Asr (afternoon) prayers, because during the times of these two prayers, the angels arrive and depart and meet each other. And it is also mentioned in the hadiths that sustenance (rizq) is distributed after the Fajr prayer, and deeds are presented in the Divine Court at the end of the day. Therefore, whoever spends these times in prayer and in obedience to Allah and His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), there will be blessing placed in his sustenance and deeds.
➌ This hadith mentions the honor of the Ummah of Muhammad, and from this it is also necessary that our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) holds a rank higher than the other prophets.
➍ In this hadith, the response of the angels is also mentioned, and this response will be for those righteous servants who are regular in their prayers. As for those who did not perform the prayer regularly, what can the angels say about them in the Court of Allah? The angels referred to here are the “Kiraman Katibin” (noble recorders), who protect a person, and their shifts change morning and evening. Qurtubi (rahimahullah) said: These are two angels, and the Lord, Who knows everything, asks them in order to make them admit, because of what they said at the time of Adam’s (alayhis salam) creation, that the children of Adam would cause bloodshed and corruption on earth: «أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ» [البقرة: 30]
“Are You going to place upon the earth one who will cause corruption therein and shed blood?”
In response, Allah said:
«إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا لَا تَعْلَمُونَ» [البقره: 30]
“Indeed, I know that which you do not know.”
➎ This hadith also indicates that Allah, the Exalted, speaks to the angels.
➏ This hadith encourages maintaining the Asr prayer, because like the Fajr prayer, this prayer is at a time when people are busy resting, and waking up for prayer is very burdensome. Regarding the Asr prayer, Allah the Exalted says:
«حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلَاةِ الْوُسْطَىٰ» [البقرة: 238]
“Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer.”
And it is clear that the Asr prayer is the middle prayer. In a hadith, it is mentioned that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said:
«الذى تفوته صلاة العصر كانما وتر اهله وماله» [صحيح بخاري، كتاب مواقيت الصلاة، رقم: 552]
“Whoever misses the Asr prayer, it is as if his family and wealth have been lost.”
Source: Sahifa Hammam bin Munabbih: Commentary by Hafiz Abdullah Shameem, Page: 8
